Previously...

Ethan and Janet Harper grew closer, and Will cautioned him not to get too involved with the nosy reporter.  Later, Will had a DNA test done to prove that Ethan was his son, then confronted Alex about it.  Miranda questioned Stormy about Samantha, the woman he'd had an affair with while on tour with Lauren. Stormy accused Brett of poisoning James. Heather continued her relationship with Will in hopes that he would help her with her career.  Philip Whitacre kidnapped Brooke and took her to Alex's cabin in Big Bear.  While an unbalanced Philip professed his love for her, Brooke went into labor amidst a torrential rainstorm in the mountains.

Episode 30

"Michael"

A downpour of rain and wind pelted the cabin in Big Bear.  Rain flooded the clearing and nearly submerged the long black limousine that sat in the driveway.  The road that once led down the mountain to the highway had disappeared asmidst a wall of water and mud.

Philip Whitacre opened the door to the cabin and hurried inside to the warmth of the fireplace.   Shivering from the rain, he warmed his hands near the bright orange flames and shook his head in frustration.

"I don't think we can get out of here," he said.  "I can't even see the road leading out of this place."

Brooke's eyes widened in horror as she panted with exhaustion on the sofa.  "There's got to be a way!" she cried.  "Philip, I can't have my baby here!  Please do something!"

The prospect of Brooke giving birth in the cabin sent Philip into a panic.  He knew they were unequipped to deliver the baby themselves, and the possibility that they could get out of there in time was next to none.  Aside from that, the phone was out because of the storm.  They were essentially trapped with no one to help them.

"Oh God!" Brooke screamed as another contraction started.  She closed her eyes and tried to block the excruciating pain from her mind.   Her body was covered in sweat and her hair matted down to her clammy skin.   "Please Philip!  The baby's coming!  Don't let anything happen to my baby!  Please!"

Quickly, Philip raced to the sofa and dipped a cloth into a small dish of water, wringing out the excess before placing it on Brooke's forehead.  He held onto her hand and allowed her to squeeze with all her might until the contraction passed.

Tears poured down Brooke's face as she thought about James and how badly she wished he were there.  If anything happened to their baby it would crush him.  The pony and saddle he'd surprised her with the night before would be all that was left of their joy.   Her only hope was that the storm would let up and they would be able to make it down the mountain in time.

James wrung his hands together as he sat in his wheelchair in the library at the Blackthorne mansion.  The fireplace crackled and he looked outside at the setting sun.  It was getting late and Brooke had been missing since that morning.  The terrifying prospect that someone knocked their driver unconscious and took off with Brooke in the limousine was enough to make his skin crawl.  If only they'd taken her more seriously when she claimed she saw someone in the house a few days earlier.  If anything happened to his wife and baby it would be his fault and then he'd never be able to forgive himself.

"Daddy, has there been any word?" Miranda asked as she tore into the room, followed by Brett and Heather.

He shook his head and stared blankly into the fire.  A burst of thunder echoed throughout the house and the light flickered once, then again.

"No one has even spotted the limo?" Brett asked with a frown.   "That doesn't seem possible."

"They could have ditched the limo by now," James speculated.  "This guy obviously knows what he's doing.  He's not about to make any mistakes.  My God, they could be halfway across the country by now."

Suddenly Leilani hurried into the room and interrupted the discussion.  "Mr. Blackthorne, Ms. Reynolds is here to see you."

James turned around in his chair to face the door, a scowl permanently etched across his face.  "Not now, Leilani.  Tell her whatever it is will have to wait."

But Alex was already barreling her way into the library.  “James, I have to talk to you!” she cried.  “I just heard about Brooke on television.”

James groaned and shook his head dismissively.   “Not now, Alex.  If you’ve come to gloat now is not the time.”

She shook her head with urgency.  “No, I think I know who kidnapped her!”

James shot her a penetrating stare.  “What?”

“Philip Whitacre came to see me today,” Alex explained in a panic.  “He was acting very strangely.  He said he needed my help and then asked if I could find him a place to stay while he sorted things out.”

“Go on, Alex,” James urged.

“I told him to forget it and he left,” she continued.  “But then I noticed the keys to our cabin in Big Bear were missing.  James, I think he took them.  He made a point of saying he needed to go somewhere out of the way.  Somewhere quiet and isolated.”

James closed his eyes in despair.  “That man has my wife,” he said.  "I’m sure of it."

"We should call the police!" Heather exclaimed.

Stormy entered the room and saw his mother and the shocked expressions on everyone's faces.  "What's going on?"

"Philip Whitacre took Brooke to Mom's cabin in Big Bear," Miranda explained hurriedly.  She folded her arms and thought about what chaos Brooke Taylor had brought into their lives since she appeared over a year ago.  As if everything that had happened wasn't enough.  Now she had to worry her father about something like this.  It never ended.

"I'll call Detective Baines," Stormy announced and raced to the phone.

James shook his head adamantly.  "No, don't," he ordered his son.  "If the police get involved it'll just scare Whitacre away.  There's no telling what he'd do with Brooke then.  No, we have to go up there ourselves."

"It's a two hour drive," Miranda said, wishing her father would listen to reason.

"We'll take the helicopter," James said after a brief moment of hesitation.  "Stormy, call the pilot and have him get the chopper ready."  He felt a surge of panic run through his body and suddenly his right foot jutted from the foot pedal on his chair.  His eyes widened in disbelief and he quickly tried to move it again. 

"Daddy, what is it?" Miranda asked after seeing the stunned expression on his face.

James successfully moved his foot back onto the pedal.  At long last he was beginning to notice the feeling returning to his legs.  It was like a miracle.  He closed his eyes and quietly tried moving his legs but after barely a few seconds the attempt proved to be futile.  He couldn't do it.

"I don't think you should be going anywhere, Mr. Blackthorne," Gwen said as she appeared in the doorway.   "You're in no condition to be traveling up to the mountains right now."

Brett nodded in agreement.  "She's right, James.  With this storm there's no way you can get around in your chair."

The prospect made James feel useless and weak.  He hated the fact that his wife was in trouble and he couldn’t even do anything to save her.

"Let me go, Dad," Stormy said after hanging up with the pilot.  "I can handle it.  Trust me."

James nodded and wheeled over to his son.  "Okay, but I want you to take Brett with you.  Lord only knows what kind of mindset Whitacre is in.  You might have a fight on your hands."

Brett and Stormy looked at each other and their eyes locked for what seemed like forever.  The resentment building, Stormy began to protest.  He didn't think Brett would be any help at all.  He had shown how loyal he was to their family.  Drugging his father to keep him dependent on the wheel chair was unthinkable.  If his father’s mind wasn’t on Brooke’s kidnapping, he would blow Brett out of the water that very minute.

"Well don't just stand there!" James bellowed.  "Get moving!  My wife is in trouble!"          

Stormy nodded, deciding to put his suspicions about Brett on hold for the time being.  "We'll bring her back," he said and gave his father a reassuring look.  With that, he and Brett flew out of the library and down the hall.

James looked down at his legs.  He didn't want to say anything until he was certain, but the more he tried, the more feeling he gained in his legs.  Maybe it was best that he stayed there and conserved his strength so that when Brooke did get home he would be able to make certain nothing like this ever happened again.

"Don't worry, Daddy," Miranda said as she put her hand on his shoulder.  "They'll find Brooke and they'll bring her home."

 He nodded.  "I hope so, Sweetheart," he said in a daze.

In the foyer, Brett grabbed an orange slicker from Leilani and started for the door when Stormy pulled him back forcefully. 

“Not so fast,” Stormy said, his eyes menacing.  “I want you to know that I’m only agreeing to this because Brooke needs help.  If Whitacre hadn’t taken off with her I promise you would be out the door by now.  I don’t care if you’re my sisters husband or not.”

“You can threaten me all you want as soon as we get Brooke home,” Brett said and pulled his arm away.  “My God, Stormy.  Don’t you think your father has lost enough already?  All I care about right now is making sure he doesn’t lose anything else.  You should be doing the same.”

Stormy rolled his eyes, fully aware that Brett was full of it.  He was putting on an act to appear brave and helpful to James.  Unfortunately he was the only one who knew the truth about what he tried doing to him.  One way or another he’d make sure he was held accountable.

Without further delay, he grabbed his rain coat, flew past Brett and started out the door to his car.  It was a five minute drive to the helicopter pad and then another half hour to Big Bear.  With any luck they’d make it before the storm got any worse.

“Oh God, it hurts!” Brooke screamed in agony as she huffed and puffed on the sofa in the cabin.  She closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain.  She thought of James and their special wedding day, and the magnificent days they’d finally spent together as a family.  “James, please don’t let anything happen to our baby,” she cried to herself.  “Please help me, James.”

Philip returned to the room with more cold towels, which he placed on her forehead and tried to calm her down.  He’d covered her lower half with a sheet and propped her up with a pillow from behind. 

“Brooke, you have to breath,” he coached her.  “Remember back in Phoenix when I bought you those books on childbirth?  Try to do what it said to.”

She shook her head and grunted.  “I can’t.  I don’t remember, Philip.”

“Yes you do,” he replied sternly and pushed her sweat-soaked hair from her eyes.  “I know you can do it, Brooke.  Breath.  You have to.  Your baby is counting on you.”

Brooke forced air from her lungs in short, quick spurts, trying desperately to recall the patterns she’d learned from the books.  It was simple enough.  But the contractions were coming faster and faster.  She felt like she could have the baby at any minute.

The helicopter cut through the rain high above Los Angeles.  Brett and Stormy sat in the back seat while the driver steered them toward the mountains.  He turned and shouted over the roar of the engine and the swoosh of the propeller blades.

“We’re going to be coming up on some bad weather in a few minutes,” he yelled.  “I’m going to try to go around it!”

Stormy shook his head and leaned forward.  “No, we’ve got to get there fast!” he shouted back.  “We’ll have to risk the storm!”

The driver shook his head in disagreement but followed his orders anyway.  He knew that if the helicopter was caught in the storm they would run the risk of being forced down out of the sky.  But he also knew that his boss, James Blackthorne had been through enough hell and didn’t need another trauma in his life.  He decided that getting there fast was risky, but the risk was probably worth it.

James stared at the phone in the library as if willing it to ring.  He prayed for news soon from Stormy and Brett about Brooke’s whereabouts.  Hopefully Alex was right and that Philip took her up to her cabin in the mountains.  If she was off base, then they would have wasted a lot of time and Brooke could be that much farther away by then.

Down the hall in the conservatory, Miranda and Alex talked over a cup of coffee while they waited for news.  Miranda thought it was terribly hypocritical of them to be so concerned about Brooke, a woman that she and her mother both admittedly couldn’t stand.  But the thing that made all the difference was her father.  James loved Brooke for whatever reason, and that was enough to instill hope that she would be found. 

Heather entered the room and paused uncomfortably when she saw Alex and Miranda together.  “’I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt-“

Alex stood up and raised an eyebrow.  “You’re not interrupting, Heather,” she said with a polite smile.  “Please come sit down.  I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something anyway.”

Miranda stood up as Heather entered the room.  “I’m going to go check on Daddy,” she said.  “Mom, I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

After she left, Heather turned to Alex and approached her.  “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

Alex smiled again and sat back down.  “Your father is very worried about you,” she began.  “He doesn’t understand why you’re putting these walls up between the two of you.  I mean, you moved in here to James’s house, despite the fact that you and Stormy’s divorce is nearly final, and you won’t tell us who it is you’re working with to help your career.  Why are you trying to punish him, Heather?”

She rolled her eyes and threw her long brown hair over her shoulder.  “I’m not trying to punish anyone,” she refuted.  “I’m looking after myself for once in my life.  I would think my father of all people would appreciate that.  He’s always said that if you want something bad enough you have to make it happen.  Well that’s what I’m doing.  Now suddenly he has a problem with it.”

Alex crossed her legs and leaned forward in the chair.  She’d never felt close to Heather, even when she and Stormy were married, but since she was Jordan’s daughter, she did feel the need to try to help in some small way.  Heather didn’t always make it easy, however.  

“I’m all for a woman taking matters into her own hands,” she said.  “But you’re a very young, pretty girl.  There are a lot of people in this town who wouldn’t think twice about taking advantage of that.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Alex replied bluntly.  She couldn't help but be reminded of the way James's uncle, Nathan Blackthorne had helped her with her career.  But as always, in Hollywood, help came with a price.  “I had to learn the hard way that Hollywood is not for the faint of heart.  I was burned many, many times.  I was used, humiliated, you name it.  But I learned from my mistakes and I came out on top.”

Heather shrugged.  “Shouldn’t I be able to make the same mistakes?” she asked, thinking only of her relationship with Will Thomerson.  Since Brett announced that he wouldn’t help her with her career, she’d reluctantly decided to continue her relationship with Will in the hopes that he would help her.   And why wouldn’t he?

Across town, Ethan Blackthorne sat on the sofa in his house in the Valley, pouring over the evening newspaper after getting the first word of Brooke’s kidnapping.  He couldn’t believe this was happening.  After everything she’d been through she was now put in more danger than ever before.  

Closing his eyes with despair, he leaned back and rubbed his face.  His first instinct was to rush over to the Blackthorne mansion and demand an update.  But after a moment of reflection, he realized he wouldn’t be any more welcome there now than any other time.  In  James’s mind he had delivered the ultimate betrayal, and perhaps he was right.  Falling for Brooke and sleeping with her was the act of a selfish man.   But James had found it in his heart to forgive Brooke, so why not him?  He was his nephew.  He’d stayed by his side for his entire life.  Now that James needed him he couldn’t do anything to help.  It was a horrible feeling.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and he quickly went to answer it.  To his surprise, Will Thomerson was standing on the porch dressed in a navy polo with the collar turned up around his neck.

“Will, what are you doing here?” he asked in surprise.  “Is everything okay?”

A smile from Will told him that it was a mere social visit.  “I just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing,” he began.  “I imagine you’re pretty anxious to hear about Brooke Blackthorne.”

Ethan nodded and gestured into the living room.  “Yes, I am,” he said and offered Will a seat.  “I can’t imagine who would want to kidnap her.  I wonder if there’s a ransom involved?”

Will shrugged and sat down across from him.  He looked into his eyes and felt a pang of hurt and betrayal.  Obviously Ethan knew nothing about the fact that he was his biological father.  James had hid it from him as well.  He’d spent the entire day wondering how to handle the information.  The DNA test proved it.  But was it the right time to tell his son the truth? 

“I’m sure James will do everything in his power to get her back,” he finally said, crossing his legs and leaning back against the chair.  “Particularly since she’s carrying his baby.  A father and his child have a very special bond.”

Ethan nodded and offered him a drink.

“No, thank you,” Will replied, still staring at him thoughtfully.  “Ethan, what do you know about your father?”

Finding the question to be somewhat personal, Ethan shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked away with hurtful eyes.  “Not much,” he replied softly.  “I know that my mother met him shortly after you left for New York.  He was traveling with the carnival that came into Windsor and they had a whirlwind romance.