Previously...

After seeing James and Alex together in the cabana, Brooke left the Dominican Republic and returned to Los Angeles. Jordan confronted Alex about her deception.  James's memory returned and realized that the past few days had been a lie orchestrated by Alex.  Still plagued with headaches, he rushed back to Los Angeles and tried to convince Brooke to forgive him.  A distraught Brooke pushed him away and retreated to her apartment. Stormy, Brett and Miranda tricked Devon by having Leilani pretend to be a maid from the hotel in Vegas where Bailey had died.  Devon overheard Leilani telling a lawyer that she saw who pushed Bailey from the window. James went to his office where Will announced that he was now owner of Sunset Studios, then pulled a gun on James and ordered him out.

Episode 16

"Dishonorable Intentions"

James stared at the barrel of the gun, sweat pouring down his face.  He refused to be threatened like that in his own office.  And it was his office, no matter what Will Thomerson said. 

“Surprised?” Will asked with a clever smile.

“At what?”

“That you’ve been beaten,” Will replied.  “At long last the mighty Hollywood mogul is at his knees, begging for mercy.”

James shook his head adamantly.  “I won’t let you take my company,” he said.  “Not after everything else you’ve taken from me.”

“What else have I taken from you?” Will asked. 

“You took my sister,” James replied scornfully.  “You took her soul and killed her.”

Will rolled his eyes and lowered the gun.  “You know what?  I am so sick of hearing that same story.  Georgie got sick.  Your family couldn’t pay for her to get the help she needed so she died.  I had nothing to do with it.”

“You left her alone and pr-“   He stopped himself before he could finish his accusation.  No way was he going to let his emotions betray the memory of his beloved sister, or his nephew.   They were both gone and now there was no way Will would ever find out the truth.  The truth about being Ethan’s father.

“That’s right, I left her alone,” Will said.  “And you think that by doing that I’m somehow responsible for her death?  Well you know what?  I’m not.  So the way I see it, you had absolutely no justification in wrecking my career on Broadway.  It was unprovoked.  You wanted to blame someone for Georgie’s death and I was your scapegoat. Well now guess what?  It’s my turn.   Now it’s your turn to see what it feels like to lose everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“I’ll get you for this,” James said, taking another step forward.

Will raised the gun again just as Alex and Jordan raced into the office, surveying the room in bated breath.   He looked at them and frowned, wondering what their dramatic entrance was all about.

“Will, stop that!” Alex shrieked.  “Put down that gun right now!”

“Relax, my darling,” Will replied with a smug expression.  “I’m just protecting myself.  You see, I knew James would fly off the handle when I told him that I was the new owner of Sunset Studios.”

Alex’s eyes widened and she clutched her chest in anguish.  “You did it,” she mumbled to herself.  “You actually did it.”

James frowned, looking at Will and then at Alex.  “You knew about this?” he asked in a rage.  “You knew about his scheme all along?”

Alex shook her head in despair.  “Yes, but James I tried to stop him.  That’s what I was trying to tell you back on the island.   I tried to-“

“You led me to believe we were still married,” James said in disbelief.  “And then you said you wanted to stay on the island.  What was that?  Was that your way of keeping me far away while Will Thomerson stole my company out from under me?”

“No, it wasn’t that at all!” Alex shrieked. 

“She also arranged to have Philip Whitacre come to town,” Will added.

James’s eyes widened and she glared at his ex-wife in disgust.  “I don’t believe you,” he began.  “You’d stop at nothing to bring me down, would you?”

“Would somebody tell me what’s going on?” Jordan insisted, looking around in confusion.  He knew Alex and Will were up to something but he had no idea it had gone this far.   Taking Sunset Studios from James?  It was almost too good to be true. 

James stared at Alex with contempt.  “So you’ve been playing both these men against me?” he asked.  “My worst enemy and my biggest rival.   Were you just waiting to see who could do me in first?”

Alex realized what he said was true.  She was using them both to help her get back at him.  But after the days they spent together in the Dominican Republic, that all changed.  Revenge was the last thing on her mind.  She’d realized her love for him all over again.

“Please, let me explain,” Alex protested, taking a step toward him.  “It started out that way, yes.   But the things we shared back at that beach house-“

“It was all a lie!” James yelled angrily.  “You tricked me into thinking we were still married!   Believe me, if I hadn’t hit my head in that crash, I wouldn’t have spent one minute with you on that island!”

His words stung and Alex felt her eyes watering.   She stifled the tears, refusing to let herself appear weak in front of the three powerful men.   They’d like nothing more than for her to break down in tears in front of them.   She wasn’t about to give them that satisfaction.  That impressionable 17 year old who came to Hollywood so long ago was a distant memory.  

James turned and glared at Will.  “I’ll get you for this,” he said, then turned to Alex and Jordan.  “I’ll get you all for this if it’s the last thing I do!”

He dashed out of the office, leaving the others behind.    Dejected, Alex stared at the door in a daze.  She couldn’t believe her alliances with Will and Jordan had turned around and slapped her in the face.   Just when she finally realized what she really wanted, her own manipulations had sabotaged it.

When she looked up, she shot a deathly glare at Will and raced toward him, her arms outstretched.

“You son of a bitch!” she screamed, wrapping her fingers around his neck and squeezing with all her might. 

Will struggled to get free of her grasp, his arms flailing.  Alex attacked him relentlessly, ignoring Jordan as he rushed up to stop her.    Amidst the struggle, the gun in Will’s hand went off and they all stopped, staring at one another with wide eyes.

James ran through the front doors of the mansion and raced across the foyer to his study.   He poured himself a bourbon and took a long, hurried drink, breathing heavily between gulps.   Quickly, he picked up the decanter again and refilled his glass.   Lifting it to his lips, he yelled out in anger and threw the glass across the room, sending shards of glass splintering everywhere.

How could this have happened to him?   He’d lost his studio, his wife, and had been betrayed by everyone.   What more could go wrong? 

Angrily, he swept his arm across his desk and sent everything crashing to the floor beside it.   He suddenly bent over, searing pain rushing through his head.  His vision blurred and he grabbed the desk to brace himself.    He didn’t understand why the headaches hadn’t gone away.  Before he left the hospital the doctor said they would subside in time.

Finally able to stand upright, he walked behind his desk and sat down.  He couldn’t let a headache stop him.  He had too much happening.  Too many things were going wrong in his life.

Will Thomerson stealing his studio wasn’t the worst of it, he decided.  The fact that he didn’t have Brooke to lean on in his time of need was much worse.   The woman he’d been madly in love with for nearly a year.    She refused to speak to him because his ex-wife had manipulated herself into his life again. 

Will dropped the gun and took a step back, his heart pounding inside his chest.  He looked across the room at the hole in the door from where the bullet entered.    Relief washed over him and he quickly moved away from Alex’s grasp.

“You bastard!” she yelled.  “What the hell are you doing with that gun anyway?  You could have killed us!”

“You’re such a drama queen,” Will said, rolling his eyes.   He looked at her and smiled victoriously.  “Anyway, the important thing is we won.   We got the ultimate revenge on James Blackthorne.   Think of it.  He’s probably in his old Hollywood mansion this very minute cursing himself for the way he tried to ruin us.    But we beat him, Alex.  We crushed him with our very hands.”

She shook her head.  “No, you did!” she screamed.   “I told you I didn’t think this was a good idea!”

Will took step closer, looking seductively into her eyes.  “This isn’t good for our courtship,” he began.  “Why don’t we discuss this over dinner?  I’m still waiting for an answer to my proposal, remember?”

“The answer is no way in hell would I marry you,” Alex seethed.

Will studied her expression and realized she meant business.    Perhaps he had misjudged her.   He thought she was ready for the big leagues.  He thought she wanted to squash James Blackthorne like a bug.  He realized now that she was all bark and no bite.   An actress through and through.

With a shrug, he casually walked out of the office, glaring at Jordan on his way out.

After he’d gone, she picked up a crystal paperweight from the desk and threw it across the room at the wall.  “Damn him!”

“Why are you getting so upset?” Jordan asked.  “This is James Blackthorne we’re talking about.   There’s certainly no love lost between the two of you.”

Alex glared at him angrily and brushed past him.  “Well not now.  Not after Will blew everything sky-high.  Damnit, I almost had-“

“You almost had James back?” Jordan asked, shaking his head with regret.  “My God, how did you get to this place?   How did you get to be so void of self respect?”

“How dare you judge me,” she said.  “May I remind you that you no longer have anything to say about what I do and who I do it with?    I broke our engagement, and as far as I’m concerned, you can go to hell.”

She turned to leave and Jordan began to panic.  He couldn’t let her walk out like that and leave their relationship in the dust.   He wanted her too bad.   The months they’d spent together were the most exciting times in his life.  She was full of life and energy.  He had to have her.   He had to put a stop to her obsession with her ex-husband.

Acting quickly, he clutched his chest and sunk to his knees, recalling the best performance of his favorite leading actor’s career.   “Alex, please-“ he began, gasping and forcing the words out in agony.

She turned, alarmed by the obvious pain he was in, and rushed to him.  “What is it?” she asked breathlessly.  “Jordan, what’s wrong?”

He panted, clutching his left arm and falling to the floor.  “My heart,” he said.  “Alex, please.   Do something.”

Distraught, she quickly ran to the phone and called the hospital.   Jordan opened one eye and watched her with a devious look in his eyes.

At the Sunset Strip Motel, Devon opened the door to her room and walked outside with her suitcase in hand.   She turned to close the door when Brett appeared behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder and causing her to jump with a start.

“Jesus, you scared me!” she said, speaking just above a whisper and looking around nervously.

“Going somewhere?” Brett asked.

She shrugged and gripped her bag tightly in her hand.  “Yeah, I was taking off,” she replied.  “I gotta get outta here.  The ocean air makes me sick, ya know.”

“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” Brett replied.  “The cops were just asking me some questions.   They’re looking for you right now.”

A surge of panic coursed through her body as she began fidgeting with her car keys.  “Why would they be looking for me?” she asked, feigning innocence.

Brett shrugged, enjoying seeing her squirm.  “I guess they talked to that maid from the hotel.  The one who said she saw me leave the room.   It turns out she saw you there too.   What’s going on, Devon?  You never told me you were there.  Did you see Bailey?”

“Look, I can’t talk,” she said.  “I’ll see you around, Rick.”

Brett pulled her arm and stopped her from walking off.   “I waited for you at the club but you didn’t show,” he said, handing her the duffel bag of money.  “I think you should take this, Devon.  If you’re leaving, you’ll need some money.”

She looked at him with surprise.  “You’re giving me the money?”

“Yeah, I told you it’s yours,” he replied.  “You’ll need it.  It’s going to cost a lot of money if you plan on hiding from the police.”

Devon sighed with relief, her tense expression relaxing as she put her arms on his shoulders.  “Oh Rick, thank you,” she said.  “I knew I could count on you.  You know I didn’t mean all that stuff I’ve been saying about you.   I don’t think you’re a crook.”

He nodded, his eyes disarmingy sincere.  “It’s okay, really.  You can trust me.  I’ll help you.”

“I didn’t mean to kill him,” Devon continued.  “After you left the room, I came out of the closet and we argued.   He tried leaving the room to go after you.  We struggled.   I thought you were both going to ditch me.  Before I knew it I pushed him against the window and he lost his balance.   I wasn’t about to be made a fool of, Rick.   I just wasn’t.   So I pushed him.   It all happened so fast, I don’t even remember-“

Brett’s eyes lit up and he smiled.  “I know.  You were just scared.”

Just then, Detective Baines stepped out from the motel room next to hers, grabbing her arms and putting them behind her back.   “Devon Graham, you are under arrest for the murder of Bailey Freeborn,” he said as he slid the handcuffs over her wrists.  “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

Devon’s eyes widened as Stormy stepped out of the room, followed by their attorney, Brandon Marksman.  “You set me up,” she said, glaring at Brett.  “You son of a bitch.”

Brett smiled, grabbing the duffel bag from the ground and opening it.  He pulled a ball of crumpled tissue paper out and showed it to Devon.  “And they say you can’t con a con,” he said with a smile as Detective Baines led Devon off.

“You bastard!” Devon called as she was forced down the stairs to the squad car that stood by.  “I’ll get you for this, Rick Shively!”

Brett let out a sigh of relief and turned to Stormy.  “I don’t know how to thank you,” he said.

“Forget about it,” Stormy cut him off.

“No, Stormy, if it wasn’t for you I would be going on trial for murder,” Brett continued.  “You had faith in me.  I’ll never forget that.”

Stormy nodded and pulled him into a friendly embrace, patting him on the back as the squad car sped out of the parking lot toward the police station.

Jordan laid in the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai, the doctor reviewing results from his EKG.    He shrugged and looked at Jordan with a perplexed look on his face.

“You’re in perfect health,” Dr. Farraday said.

Jordan pretended to be shocked by the news.  “You mean I didn’t have a heart attack?” he asked.  “I don’t understand.”

“You said you’ve been doing some traveling?” Dr. Farraday asked.  “Sometimes that can cause our bodies to feel fatigued.  You may not be getting enough sleep.  You may be under a lot of stress.   All this can lead up to a panic attack which may be misconstrued as a heart attack.”

Jordan knew full well that there was nothing wrong with him.   His staged episode had accomplished just what he wanted it to.    Alex was out in the waiting room, deeply concerned for his well-being.

Winter Austen walked into the room and handed the doctor a clipboard with vitals for another emergency.  Jordan gazed across the room at her and suddenly got an idea.   She left and Heather ran in, her eyes darting around the room in concern for her father.

“Thank you for everything, Dr. Farraday,” he said.  “See that the bill goes to my house, will you?”

“Of course, Mr. Rydell.   Please try to take better care of yourself.   Do call my office if you need anything.”

After he’d left, Heather ran to Jordan’s side and held his hand, grief stricken over seeing her father in the emergency room. “Daddy, are you all right?’ she asked.  “Alex called me at home.  She said you had a heart attack.”

He smiled and ran his hand down her long, silky brown hair.  “I’m fine, Sweetheart,” he said.  “It was nothing serious.”

“Daddy, a heart attack is serious business!” she exclaimed.   “What did the doctor say?”

“He said to take it easy,” Jordan replied, trying to appear nonchalant.

“I’ll tell you why this happened,” Heather began, pointing to the door.  “It’s because of her!   All this time you’re spending with Alex Reynolds is causing a strain on your heart!  It’s no wonder you wound up in the hospital!”

“Heather, Sweetheart, please calm down,” he insisted.  He hated misleading his daughter but he knew he couldn’t tell her that he was faking.   If he did she would tell Stormy and then he’d tell his mother.  It was a vicious circle.   “I’m feeling fine.  I’m getting ready to go home.  I just need you to do me one favor first.”

“What’s that?” she asked, frustrated that her father didn’t take her seriously.  She knew that Alex Reynolds was a bad influence on him but he refused to listen.   If that woman did one thing to hurt him, she would have to answer to her. 

“See if Winter Austen is still out in the lobby and ask her to come in here,” he said with a smile.  “And tell Alex to wait just a few minutes, okay?”

Heather frowned.  “Why do you want to see Winter?” she asked.  “And Alex has been out there giving everyone a hard time.  She’s demanding that she get answers but no one will tell her anything because she’s not a family member.”

“I’ll handle her in a few minutes.  Just please do your old man this one favor.”

She rolled her eyes and slapped her hands to her side.  It was useless trying to get through to him sometimes.  She wondered if that was one of the reasons her mother left them so long ago.    “All right,” she said before turning and leaving the room.

Jordan sat up in the bed and turned to Winter when she opened the door and entered the room.

“Your daughter said you wanted to see me,” she said, folding her arms and looking at him skeptically.  “Is something wrong?”

“Miss Austen, I understand you’ve had a rather unfortunate streak of bad luck lately,” he began.  “First your affair with Kenny DeWitt being exposed, and then losing your new beau, Ethan Blackthorne in that terrible tank assault in the Dominican Republic.”

“Yeah?  And?”  She didn’t know Jordan Rydell very well but she knew he had something up his sleeve.

“I know you must be having a hard time of it,” Jordan continued.  “Emotionally and financially speaking.   So I thought I would offer you a proposition.  Would you hand me my jacket please?”

Winter picked his blazer up from the chair and handed it to him.  He reached into the pocket and removed his checkbook and a pen.

“I’m prepared to offer you five thousand dollars if you do me one tiny favor,” he said, scribbling out a check.

Winter’s eyes narrowed on him.  “What kind of favor?” she asked suspiciously.

 “You’re a nurse,” he said.  “You probably have to speak to patient’s families all the time, don’t you?  Well all I’m asking you to do is go out there and tell Alex Reynolds a little white lie.”

“Lie about what?”

“It’s nothing big,” Jordan replied.  “No one will get hurt and your job won’t be in jeopardy. “

 Winter gazed at the check in his hand, practically salivating as he waved it through the air in front of her. 

Miranda knocked on her father’s bedroom door and slowly pushed it open, finding him standing at the window with a bourbon in his hand.

“Daddy?” she asked.   He turned to her and she went running up to him, her arms outreached.  “Daddy, I just heard about Jake and the jet crash.   Oh God, Daddy, if anything had happened to you-“

“I’m fine, Miranda,” he said, hugging her close.   “It was an ordeal but I got through it, just like everything else.”

She looked up into his eyes and felt a tear falling down her cheek.  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you,” she said.  “If I had known-“

“But you didn’t know,” James interrupted, wiping the tear from her face.  “And I’m fine. So no tears, okay?”

Miranda nodded and broke away from him.  “I just feel so awful,” she said.  “I’ve been here so wrapped up in my own problems that I think I’ve let you down.  I mean, if you only knew what has been going on, Daddy.   This woman from Brett’s past showed up and accused him of murdering someone.   They arrested him, Daddy.”

His eyes shot open with concern.  He knew his daughter had gotten in over her head when she married that man.  “What?   Where is he now?”

“He’s home now,” Miranda explained.  “Stormy managed to pull a fast one and he got the woman to confess.  I’m telling you, my brother is a miracle worker.  I don’t think I give him enough credit.”

“Well, I’m glad everything worked out okay,” James said with a smile, brushing her hair behind her ears.  “Is everything else going okay?”

She nodded, then paused for a second.  “Brandon said something about the company being in trouble.  He said you were having financial difficulties.  Is that true?”

James thought about his confrontation with Will earlier that day.   He clenched his fists in anger and suddenly he felt the numbing pain return to his head.   He let out a slight cry and leaned against the wall to keep from falling over.

“Daddy?” Miranda exclaimed, her hand reaching out to him.  “Are you okay?   What is it?”

He silently prayed for the pain to go away.  He couldn’t let his family see him in agony.   He’d lost everything else.  He refused to lose his pride and dignity too.   He had to put on a brave front for them.   It was all he had left.

“I’m fine,” he said, forcing a smile.  “Just a little bit of a headache, that’s all.  It’ll go away.”

Miranda looked at him with uncertainty.  She’d never seen him react to a headache that way.  “Are you sure?”

He nodded.  “Yes.  Why don’t you go down and ask Leilani if dinner is ready.  I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Miranda said, kissing his cheek before turning and walking out of the bedroom.

After she’d gone, James let out a deep breath and closed his eyes.  He hoped the headaches went away soon because he didn’t need something else bringing him down.

Stormy ran down the stairs of his house in the Valley with Heather following close behind.   He went into the kitchen and grabbed a soda out of the refrigerator as his wife stared at him with contempt.

“All I’m saying is that you could have at least made an attempt to show some concern for my father,” she said.  “He had a heart attack and you didn’t even bother to show up at the hospital to show your support.”

“Heather, I’m sorry,” Stormy exclaimed.  “I was kind of in the middle of something with Brett.  I told you I got that woman to confess to that murder.   Obviously I would have been at the hospital otherwise.”

Heather followed him down the hall to the living room, slapping her arms to her sides in distress.  “Well that’s just one example of your insensitivity,” she went on.  “You’re never around anymore, Stormy.   I feel like we never spend any time together.  You’re always with Brett or Lauren at the studio.”

“I’ve told you before that I’m only doing what I have to do,” he said adamantly.  He was fed up with her constant nagging.  It made him treasure his times with Lauren even more.   Just being able to get away for a while was enough to make it worthwhile.

“Where are you going?” Heather asked as she followed him to the front door.

“I’m going to the studio,” he replied, fingering his keys.  “You know, that place that I’m always at. “

 He left and slammed the door behind him, leaving Heather fuming in the hallway.

Miranda walked down the staircase and found Brett in the foyer waiting for her.  She smiled and put her arms around him happily.

“How’s your dad?” he asked.

“I think he’s okay,” Miranda replied and kissed him warmly.  “I think he’s just worn out from everything that’s happened.   My cousin Ethan dying, the plane crash, and I still think there’s something with his studio that he isn’t telling me.”

Brett frowned, putting his arm around her and leading her into the dining room.

“But I’m glad that whole nightmare with Devon is over with,” she continued.  “I feel like it’s been one thing after another ever since we got married.  I just want to settle down into a normal life with my husband.”

Brett grinned and pulled her into an embrace.  “That sounds wonderful,” he said and then kissed her.  “I would settle for some nice normality for a while.”

“Amen,” she agreed.  “You know, we’re so lucky that my brother is on our side.  The way he figured out what Devon was up to was strictly genius.   I think we owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Brett nodded and grew into a distant daze.  “You’re right,” he said.  “Stormy’s a good guy.”

They hugged and Brett continued staring off into a daze, thinking about his suspicions about Stormy’s relationship with Lauren.   He knew there was something going on and it made him feel threatened and insecure.

Meanwhile, Stormy and Lauren laid in each other’s arms on the sofa in his office at Good Times Records.  Their naked bodies glided against one another under a blanket, the moonlight streaming in and casting a gentle glow.

“You are so fine,” Lauren whispered into his ear. 

He laughed and kissed her neck.  “And you are an amazing, exciting woman.”

Sighing happily, she put her arms around him and pulled him closer.   “I can’t tell you how happy I am right now,” she said.  “Being with you is like…I don’t know….heaven.”

Stormy laughed again.  “How poetic.”

She playfully hit him and ran her fingers through his jet-black hair.  “You know what I mean.  I know heaven sounds corny but it’s hard to put into words.  I mean, have you ever seen someone and knew right away that you had to have them?”

“Yes,” he replied, starting at her neck and kissing her all the way down to her naval.

“And you think there’s no way you’ll ever be able to have them.”

“Yes,” he said again.

“But deep down you know that you’ll have them sooner or later,” Lauren continued, then looked into his eyes.  “That’s how I feel about you.  I knew I wanted you from the first minute I saw you.”

Stormy put his hands alongside her head and kissed her passionately.   He climbed on top of her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.  He never thought he would want someone as much as he wanted Lauren.  And he knew he was hurting people, but somehow it wasn’t as important as how right it felt being with her.

Winter walked up to Alex in the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai, holding a chart to her chest and taking a deep breath.

“Miss Reynolds?” she began.  “Mr. Rydell is getting dressed.  The doctor says he can go home now.”

Alex sighed with relief and clutched her purse to her side.  “Well finally I get some answers,” she said.  “He’s all right then?”

Winter paused, thinking back to the deal she’d made with Jordan.  “He had a mild coronary attack,” she began. 

Alex gasped, plastering her hands to her mouth.  “Oh my Lord.”

“Dr. Farraday didn’t see that any permanent damage had been done, but he’s in a very fragile state,” Winter continued.

“What do you mean?” Alex asked.  She felt somehow responsible for Jordan’s sudden health issues.  She’d been so selfish lately and had completely disregarded his feelings.   Dragging him off to the Caribbean, breaking their engagement, going on about James and Will.   It’s no wonder he had a heart attack.

“Mr. Rydell has been under a great amount of stress.  He can’t risk having another shock.”

“Do you mean-“ Alex began, wide eyed.

Winter nodded.  “One more upset and he could go into cardiac arrest again,” she said, trying to convince herself that five grand was worth lying for.  “The next one could be fatal.”

Alex’s face turned white as a sheet as she watched Winter walk off through the emergency room.   She had no idea that Jordan’s condition was so delicate.  She pushed open the door to his room and saw him sitting on the bed tying his brown Gucci wing tips.

“Are you okay?” he asked with a smile.

She nodded and walked closer to him.    The poor man, she thought.   According to the nurse, one more upset and he could be a dead man.   It was awful to think about.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked.  “I’ll drive you home.”

Jordan smiled and reached into his blazer, removing the diamond engagement ring she’d given back to him.   “First there’s something I want to do,” he began, holding the ring out to her.  “I know things have been crazy lately, and we haven’t seen eye to eye on much, but I still think we belong together, Alex.   Please.  I’m asking you to be my wife.”

Alex stared at the ring, her heart pounding inside her chest.  She felt backed into a corner.   What if she said no to his proposal and the upset caused him to have another heart attack?    If he died it would be her fault. 

The pressure was insurmountable.   She looked at him and then back at the ring. 

“Alex?” Jordan said, trying to get her attention.  He knew his plan had worked because she looked torn.  Her expression was unmistakable.   “What’s it going to be?   Will you marry me?”

Alex finally nodded her head, realizing that she had no choice.   “Yes, I will marry you,” she replied.

Meanwhile, Brooke laid asleep on her sofa in her apartment.  She tossed and turned fitfully, crying out in her sleep as she dreamed.   When she woke up, she sat up on the sofa with a start, her breath coming out in a loud gasp.

Getting her bearings again, she looked around the dark living room and realized she was safe at home.    In her dream she was back in the Dominican Republic with Ethan.   He left the hotel just like it actually happened.    This time she begged him not to go with the two soldiers in the jeep.  This time she knew what was going to happen.  As she stood to the side, she cried after the jeep as it sped off down the road toward the airport.   He didn’t hear her begging him not to go, not to leave her alone.

Sitting up on the sofa, she buried her face in her hands.  The dreams wouldn’t stop coming.   Every time she closed her eyes she thought about that horrible day when she lost him forever.

At that same time in the city of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic, several nuns walked through the atrium of their mission.   A towering statue of Santa Maria stood as some kind of watch guard over the shelter, protecting its inhabitants and offering comfort.

The nuns walked to a room filled with cots where the sick and the homeless were sleeping peacefully in the night.    One of the nuns stopped at a cot in the corner and knelt down to the man resting fitfully, crying out deliriously in his state of peril.

She submerged a cloth into a bowl of cool water and wrung the excess out before dabbing it on his forehead.   “There, there,” she said soothingly.  “It’s going to be all right.  You’re safe.   You’re out of danger.”

“Brooke,” he cried out in delirium.   “Brooke...”

“What is he saying?” asked another of the nuns as she approached.

She shrugged.  “He’s crying out for a woman.”

“Perhaps she was someone special to him.”

They looked down at him sympathetically, hoping that his fever would break soon so they could find out where he was from and contact his loved ones.  Maybe this Brooke he kept calling out for.

The man’s unshaven face glistened with sweat and he had cuts and bruises covering his body.  A dark tan and soiled skin showed evidence of his long exposure to the beating sun and vast jungles of the island.

Finally a sliver of moonlight cut through the dimly lit room and revealed the face of Ethan Blackthorne.  He tossed and turned, crying out for Brooke as the nuns tended to him carefully.

Next time...

Heather gets her shot at stardom but Lauren isn't happy.  Brooke gets shocking news that angers Miranda.  James realizes the finality of his business problems.  Winter blames Brooke for everything.  A familiar face returns at an inopportune moment.

 Read Episode 17