Ridge tells Thomas that Caroline would have been proud of him today. Eric says he wishes he could have convinced Karen and Dani to stay in town a while. Thomas says it means a lot for all the family to be here. Taylor jumps up and seems to be upset. Ridge follows and asks if she is okay. She says yes but she is a bit disappointed. Steffy had to leave for Europe but she made it after the memorial and yet Brooke could not make it back from her trip to do the same. Thomas says this has always been his home and where he grew up, met Caroline and had Douglas, all his memories are here. Bill tells Katie and Liam that he promised Karen and Dani that he'd take care of Douglas. He won't have his mother now but he will have all of them. Katie says she was a force. Wyatt says sweet and funny. Maya tells them that she has to go pick up Lizzy from her grandparents but she wanted to tell Thomas what a grand lady Caroline was. They had their issues but there was apologies and forgiveness too. Wyatt says she always said what was on her mind. She was kin to her Uncle Bill. Liam says she was fierce and that was one of the best things about her. She was not perfect but she'd be the first to tell you that ..and what a laugh. Hope offers to takes Douglas to her cabin and Thomas can pick him up there later. Taylor tells Thomas that she wishes she could take away his pain. He confides in her and Ridge that he loved Caroline but they were not a couple. He left Sally for her and moved to New York but it did not work out. But it does not make his pain today any less painful and they managed to remain best friends and great co-parents. Bill says Caroline was more than a niece to him. She was like the daughter he never had. He could not always do the right thing for her but he will for his son. He will make sure Douglas can always keep her memory alive. This family has been fractured long enough and now it is time to heal. Taylor confides in Ridge that she did not know that Caroline and Thomas were not a couple; that surprises her. And now she wants to share an observation with Ridge. She oversaw an intimate moment between Hope and Douglas, a real deep connection of bonding while they were in the kitchen. As a psychiatrist she understands that sort of healing. Douglas needs a mother; Hope needs a child. It is a very strong bond.
Thomas: It was. Maya: Your speech was lovely. Thomas: Everyone said such wonderful things about caroline. Eric: Of course. She was an extraordinary woman. Ridge: She would have been very proud of you today. Thomas: [ Snorts softly ] I kept thinking about how she would have loved to have been there, hear how much she means to everyone. Taylor: Oh, she knows. Eric: I'm sorry I wasn't able to convince karen and danielle to stay in town. Thomas: Their memories of caroline are in new york. She was their little girl. They'll feel closer to her there. Hope: They were so strong. And, hey, so were you, douglas. Pam: Look, I-is anybody hungry? There -- there's so much food in the kitchen. M-maybe I should just go get it. Quinn: Pam, pam. You don't have to do that. Pam: No, I want to help. Taylor: Let me -- let me do it. I'll get douglas something. Do you want anything, thomas? Thomas: Oh, no. Thank you. Um... but -- but thanks to all of you. Having family here, it means a lot. Seeing steffy with her two beautiful little girls. Quinn: I hear she's going to paris. Taylor: Yeah. Steffy was planning on leaving a couple of days ago, but when she learned about caroline's death, she wanted to be here for thomas, and out of respect. Ridge: Oh, boy. [ Clears throat ] Thomas: I insisted... Ridge: Hey. You need some help in the kitchen? Taylor: No. Somebody needs to be there for thomas. Ridge: He's fine. How are you doing? Taylor: I'm heartbroken. And if you want to know the truth, I'm a little disappointed. Steffy postponed her trip to be here for thomas, but brooke couldn't find a way to get back from her trip? Ridge: She's trying to get here as -- as soon as she can. She'll be here soon. This isn't about you or brooke or anybody else here. This is about thomas and his kid. We got to be there for them. Taylor: Exactly. Wyatt: Hey, you need to get back to hope? Liam: Yeah, soon. But I think she wanted to spend time with the family first. Bill: Here you go. Justin: Thanks. Katie: [ Sighs ] What you said was really moving. You too, liam. Liam: I meant every word. Bill: I only wish I could have said it to her. Katie: She knew you cared about her. She cared about you, too. Thomas said that she had forgiven you for everything. Wyatt: Yeah, even if she didn't get a chance to tell you, dad. Justin: She was a spencer, through and through. Bill: And her mother's pride and joy. Sally: I feel so bad for them. Liam: I think karen and dani just wanted to be able to talk about her. You know, tell everyone how special she was. Bill: Yeah, she was. And I'm gonna miss her more than I can express. Bill: I promised karen and dani that we'd look after douglas. He doesn't have his mom anymore. But he'll have all of us. Thomas: I, uh... I want to thank you all. Uh, f-for your support. Supporting me, supporting douglas. This is all, uh... overwhelming for us. Um... being here in L.A. So many memories. This is where caroline and I met. This is where douglas was born. Heh. This is, uh... well, it's home for me. And I know you'll make it feel like home for douglas, too. Eric: Well, home's more than just a place, though, isn't it? It's A...feeling. Security and love and, uh... protection. You and douglas will have all that here with us. God, thomas. Losing caroline, losing someone that's so important to you is... devastating, I know. Your lives have changed. But all of us here promise we'll help you find happiness again. Unpredictable crohn's symptoms following you? Liam: Caroline had this way of making an impression on everybody who knew her. Katie: She was a force. Justin: You always knew when she was in the building. She'd sweep in with this energy and just light the place up. Sally: She could be pretty intimidating. Wyatt: Yeah, but she was sweet and funny, too. Granted, some of the things she did were a little out there. Liam: [ Laughing ] Yeah. Wyatt: But she was a genius at getting her own way. And she crossed a few lines sometimes, you know. Liam: Yeah, she did. But she had a big heart. And she had a way of being there for the people she cared about. Katie: You have to admire her determination and her drive. Sally: She was an inspiration. Caroline proved that you didn't have to be a forrester to make it over there. She was an incredible designer, and she really made her mark. Bill: But if you asked her what she was most proud of, she'd only have one answer. Douglas. That little boy meant everything to her. Thomas: Hey, bud. I think there's, uh, some cookies in the kitchen. You want me to get you some? Douglas: No thanks. Thomas: Yeah. I don't really have an appetite, either. Ridge: I think we're all pretty worn out. Eric: Yes. Let's give thomas some time with his parents. Quinn: Right. Pam: Oh, and, ridge, if you need any help packing up all that food in the kitchen, I can come back. Ridge: Pam, I got it. Thank you. Pam: Really? Ridge: Yeah. Pam: Okay. Maya: Uh, thomas, I have to go get lizzy from her grandparents, but i would love for douglas and her to be buddies. So he can come hang with us anytime, okay? Thomas: That'd be great. Maya: Yeah. I don't think it's any secret that caroline and I had our issues, but I will never forget her beautiful, heartfelt apology, and the lesson of forgiveness that came along with it. Pam: I am so, so sorry. You just...hang in there, okay? If you need anything at all, let me know. Thomas: Okay. Pam: I'm there for you. Thomas: Okay. Thank you. Quinn: It was a really beautiful service, thomas. Eric: It was everything caroline would have wanted. Thomas: [ Grunts ] Eric: Listen, douglas, uh, you can come visit great-grandpa anytime you want. Don't have to wear a tie. We'll draw together, like -- like your dad and I used to do. Okay? Hope: Um... [ Clears throat ] I'm gonna go to the cabin. Would douglas want to come with? Thomas: Yeah, I think he'd like that. Hope: Yeah? You want to go see where I live? It's a real log cabin. Douglas: Is it far away? Hope: Actually, it is on the property, and your dad will come pick you up when it's time to go. Thomas: Yeah. Douglas: Okay? Thomas: All right. Love you, bud. See you soon. Douglas: Bye. Thomas: [ Sighs ] Oh, man. Is it always gonna be this hard? Ridge: Not forever. Taylor: And we'll be here to help you through it every step of the way. Ridge: It's gonna be all right. You take care of your boy, and we'll take care of ours. Wyatt: You know, when i found out I was a spencer, not only did I get a new name, I -- I got a father, a brother. Liam: Yeah, and an extended family with one caroline spencer. Wyatt: Yeah, I always appreciated that she knew exactly who she was. You know, if there was something on her mind, she'd let you know about it. Katie: And, like her uncle, she had zero filter. Liam: [ Chuckles ] Even about herself. That's the thing about caroline -- she was completely real. She'd have no problem telling you if she was sad or scared or pissed. Wyatt: And she could get pissed. Justin: That spencer temper. She could go off like fireworks. Liam: Stomping her mighty feet. Wyatt: Dude, you could literally see the steam coming out of her ears. Liam: You could 'cause you were always setting her off. Wyatt: Hey, trust me... Liam: [ Chuckles ] Wyatt: ...She could give as good as she got. Sally: Aren't we supposed to be remembering good things about her? Liam: Yeah, but... that was one of the best things about her. Our cousin was fierce, wasn't she? Wyatt: Yeah. Caroline wouldn't let anything keep her down, you know? I mean, no matter what. Through every disappointment, every challenge... I can't believe she's gone. Liam: I can still hear her laugh. I mean, that's caroline. She wasn't perfect, and she would be the first to tell you that. But sally's right -- she was an inspiration. And the fact is, she wouldn't want us being sad remembering her. Wyatt: Or regret the things that it's too late to apologize for. Taylor: Honey, I hope this day wasn't too much for you. Thomas: No, no. It was good. Knowing so many people care, being with family, that's what douglas needs right now. Taylor: You do, too. Thomas: I'm not really thinking about myself right now, mom. Douglas doesn't have a mother. I have to find a way to deal with that somehow. Taylor: Well, I can help you find some grief counselors for children, and some groups. It's really important that he finds some space to feel like a normal kid. Thomas: All this feels so far from normal. Ridge: It's gonna take a little time. There's a big hole in your life, you know? You -- you lost the woman you love. Thomas: I did love caroline. She was extremely important to me. But, um... we weren't a couple. Taylor: What? [ Sighs ] Honey, I thought you moved all the way to new york to be with her? Thomas: To help raise our son. Ridge: Wait, wait. When you say you weren't a couple -- I thought you left sally to be with caroline? Thomas: I did. But it -- it -- it just didn't work. But we found something that did. We were great co-parents. Taylor: I'm sorry. I'm just so thrown off guard. I-I just assumed -- Thomas: I think that everyone was. Um... I guess it didn't feel like that they needed to know. Um... it doesn't make her passing any less painful. Taylor: No. No, of course not. Thomas: Caroline was my best friend. She was my son's mother. We were a family. Ridge: Well, you still are. And I think you and douglas need to move in here. Taylor: With you and brooke? Ridge: Why not? This seems to be the place where everyone goes if they're trying to figure out the next step. And I know you want them at the cliff house, but think about it -- steffy's taken the girls to europe, and you're gonna go visit, and that means thomas and douglas are just gonna be sitting there alone. So I think you need to be here. It's my opinion. Taylor: I agree. Ridge: Okay. Taylor: I totally agree. But you know I love you, and I'm here for you, and you can call me. Okay? You're so precious to me. And so was caroline. She gave me such a wonderful gift -- my grandson. And I love you so much. I just... I wish there was some way I could take away your pain. What can we do? (Announcer) do you push through migraine? Bill: Caroline was more than my niece. She was like the daughter I never had. And it was my job to look out for her. Liam: Yeah, well, caroline did a pretty damn good job looking out for herself. Wyatt: Yeah, and douglas. Man, the way she loved that kid. Bill: And we're gonna make sure he never forgets that. I couldn't always do the right thing for caroline. But I will do what's best for her son. Starting with keeping her memory alive. Making sure he knows what an extraordinary person she was. This has been a dark time for our family. We've been fractured and divided. And now we've suffered a terrible loss. But we will pull through this. We will. And we'll come out of it stronger and closer than ever. Hope: Do you have a 10? Douglas: Nope. Hope: [ Gasps ] No? I was so sure you had a 10! Douglas: Go fish! Hope: Ohh! See, I used to think I was good at this game, but I guess i never played against a pro like you. Douglas: Mommy and dad taught me. Hope: Aww. Well, they taught you very well. Because you, douglas, are wiping the floor with me. Douglas: Yeah! Hope: Yeah! [ Laughs ] What do you say? Best two out of three? Does that sound good? Douglas: Fun! Hope: Yeah. I'm having fun with you, too. Ridge: It's gonna be okay. We're gonna take care of thomas. Taylor: I know, I know. But I still worry. Ridge: Well, you're a concerned mother, and a concerned grandmother. Taylor: I don't know. I guess it's just, I've been so busy trying to get my life together, I-I didn't know that thomas and caroline weren't together. Ridge: Well, they -- they lived together, and they raised douglas together. Taylor: Yes, but they weren't romantically involved. Ridge: So what? I mean, that doesn't change the way that they felt about their kid, or the way that thomas feels now that caroline's no longer by his side. What's going on here? There's something else on your mind, isn't there? Taylor: I don't know. Um, just something I'm thinking. Something, um... something happened the other day. It surprised me, and I-I didn't really know what to think about it until now. Ridge: What? Taylor: Do you remember when, um, I went into the kitchen, and hope was there with douglas? Well, I-I stepped in and, um... [ Scoffs ] I witnessed something. Hope was consoling douglas. Ridge: And that surprised you? Why would that surprise you? Taylor: Because it was -- [ Sighs ] It was very emotional. It's like [Sighs] There was a strong connection between them. Like I was -- I was witnessing two people bonding through a crisis. Ridge: [ Sighs ] She was comforting him. Taylor: Yes, and in doing that, she was comforting herself. And as a psychiatrist, I know, when emotions like that are shared on that kind of level, it can be very healing. Ridge: What -- what -- I don't -- [ Sighs ] What are you saying? Taylor: It was an observation. Douglas and hope need each other. A little boy who needs a mother. And a mother who needs a child.