Unexpectedly having gone into labor at the Big Bear cabin, THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL'S Brooke must rely on estranged offspring Bridget and archenemy Stephanie, of all people, to set aside their scorn and deliver her baby. Will this moment of bonding mend the deep rift that divides mother and daughter, or will the living symbol of Brooke's betrayal lead Bridget to denounce her permanently.
Only recently having discovered her mother's affair with her husband, Bridget is still filled with rage. 'She can't hold it in' say Jennifer Finnigan (Bridget). 'It starts off as disbelief, and it snowballs into sadness, utter hatred and humiliation.'
While their emotionally brutal confrontation prompts Brooke's labor pangs, Bridget and Stephanie shelve their resentment and are pressed into service as midwives. 'What can you do?' muses Susan Flannery, Stephanie's portrayer. 'There you are stuck with someone who's going to have a baby. You certainly can't be mean'. 'Of course', she adds with a knowing laugh, 'I'm sure Stephanie thinks Brooke did this on purpose.'
With Bridget's reassurance and Stephanie's fly by night medical skills, Brooke delivers a healthy girl in what is certainly a touching moment for all three women. 'I don't think anybody who followed this storyline ever would have thought that Bridget would witness the birth of this child who is her half sister as well as her husband's child.' says supervising producer Rhonda Friedman.
Alas, the tenderness of this miracle is marred by the circumstances of the tot's origin. 'It's incredibly sad for Brooke and Bridget' says Friedman. 'Bridget has never witnessed a miracle like this, yet she has to walk away from it.'
Adding to the irony is the fact that Bridget herself was born in this same cabin under similar circumstances. 'Bridget is torn between love and hate for her mother, and probably feels the exact same emotions toward the baby because of what it represents,' Finnigan says.
In the moments following the birth, Stephanie worries that Bridget might forgive her mother. On the contrary, Bridget hands the baby to Brooke and tells her that the infant is her only daughter now. 'It's coming full circle for Brooke to be giving birth to her new child just as her daughter is telling her 'You've lost me.' notes Friedman. 'There's a justice in it.'
When Bridget gets home she congratulates Deacon on his daughter. He tries to stammer out an explanation but she tells him to go to hell. 'She feels complete hatred for Deacon,' says Finnigan. 'She ends up burning all his stuff.'
Meanwhile, realizing she has no one to turn to, Brooke clings to Stephanie. And, in what may be the most startling character transformation ever, Stephanie tells her nemesis that she'll take care of her and the baby. Brooke can even move into Steph's guesthouse! 'Stephanie steps up to the plate because this is an innocent child,' explains Friedman. 'She doesn't condone what Brooke has done, but she also can't ignore the miracle that is at hand.'
The unlikeliness of the truce scenario only adds to it power, suggest Flannery. 'That's what makes it such a wonderful story twist,' she says. 'It pulls out the humanity of these characters.'