♪♪♪ >> Steffy: Okay.
I think we are finding our routine.
It's nice when we're together in the morning
to get through the chaos. Thank you.
>> Finn: You know what impresses me, though?
>> Steffy: What? >> Finn: Having Douglas here
doesn't add to it. >> Steffy: He is independent,
getting himself ready for school.
>> Finn: He helped Kelly tie her shoes and buckled in Hayes.
I just, I love a kid who's willing to roll up his sleeves.
>> Steffy: He's a sweet boy. >> Finn: Okay.
I should start thinking about hitting traffic.
I got a busy day ahead. I love your dedication,
your patience, but selfishly... I miss you.
>> Finn: Same. [ phone chimes ]
[ Steffy sighs] Everything okay?
>> Steffy: It's Hope, wondering about Douglas.
♪♪♪ >> Liam: Hey.
>> Hope: Hey. How was the drop off?
[ Liam chuckles ] >> Liam: Oh, Beth was
so excited to see her friend. She couldn't get out of
the car fast enough. >> Hope: Does she seem...
okay to you? >> Liam: Yeah, yeah.
>> Hope: Good. Just... just such a big part
of our life, missing now with Douglas gone and...
I feel it. >> Liam: We all do.
>> Hope: You know, I've been trying really hard
to put on a brave face out there. But here I...
it's safe to admit that I am, um...
hurting right now. I miss Douglas a lot.
♪♪♪ ♪♪♪
>> Eric: Dear Carter, Hard to believe it's been
10 years since we had the good sense to hire you.
You remain one of the best decisions we ever made.
Here's to the next 10. >> Carter: You messing with me?
>> Ridge: You've been promoted. You're the new COO
of Forrester. Hey, Dad, good news.
He said yes. [ Eric chuckles ]
>> Eric: I'm glad to hear it. We're glad to have you here
in this new role. >> Carter: I'm looking forward
to the responsibilities. >> Eric: Been a long time
coming, hasn't it? You're a valued member
of this... Forrester team and a great friend
of this family. >> Carter: You're all like
family to me. And honestly, this...
this means the world. >> Brooke: Somehow, you always
managed to close the deal. >> Ridge: You know what, man?
We are very lucky to have your business mind.
♪♪♪ ♪♪♪
>> Ridge: Carter.
Thank you. >> Carter: You're welcome.
>> Eric: You found the notes. [ Carter chuckles ]
>> Carter: Yeah, I, uh... can't believe
you guys remembered. >> Eric: Well, 10 years ago
you walked through those doors and had a--
an incredible impact on this company
and on this family. How could we forget?
>> Carter: Yeah, that was a lucky day for me.
>> Eric: For all of us, Carter. Congratulations.
♪♪♪
>> Carter: Thanks again, Eric. I know exactly where
I'll put this on my desk. >> Eric: Good.
Well, it's our pleasure. Just like the pleasure of
having you here for the last ten years
and many more to come. >> Carter: I better not
start slacking now. Shall we?
>> Eric: Yeah, let's do it. >> Carter: Well,
Katie worked her usual magic. She brought marketing
under budget. Now we can roll
that surplus over or redirect it to advertising.
>> Eric: Well, let's reward Katie with the advantage and
keep the money in marketing. >> Carter: Fair enough.
>> Eric: Look, I want to talk about all these other
departments before, uh, before Steffy gets here and
starts talking about creative, all right?
I'm not looking forward to discussing that.
>> Carter: The Hope for the Future issue.
>> Steffy: I feel terrible for Hope.
She's getting more and more anxious,
wondering when her son's gonna come back home.
>> Finn: It shouldn't be much longer.
As welcome as he is here, we always figured that this
would be a temporary situation. Eventually, Douglas,
he's gonna want to go back to the cabin and
be with Hope and Liam and Beth. >> Steffy: Yeah, but that
doesn't help Hope day to day. Her son isn't where
he should be. At home,
with her and their family. The longer Douglas is here,
the more it hurts Hope. I'm sure she thought
he'd be back home by now. >> Hope: Douglas should
be home... with us. He--
The family that he knows, the family that has lived with,
you, Beth, and me. What were we thinking, Liam,
letting him decide where he wants to live?
>> Liam: We had every reason to think that he would choose
to stay put because the options were Thomas and us.
That's it. Right? I mean, Steffy wasn't even
on the table until Douglas put her there,
so there's no way that we could have anticipated that.
I miss him, too. But this too shall pass.
It's gonna be okay. I promise.
>> Hope: Will it? ♪♪♪
>> Carter: Unfortunately, this is where it gets bleak.
>> Eric: Yes, it does. It's not good.
Not good at all. >> Carter: We're flourishing
in every department, but Hope for the Future
continues to underperform. Steffy has expressed concern
about sustainability. ♪♪♪
>> Finn: I know, thank you for the update, Megan.
I'll-- I'll check on Mrs. Johnson as soon
as I get in. Bye.
>> Steffy: You have to go? >> Finn: I want to finish
this conversation. Something else is going on
between you and Hope. >> Steffy: Yeah, Hope's line.
It's been struggling ever since we let Thomas go.
>> Finn: I thought Eric and Zende were
following (indistinct)? >> Steffy: Yeah,
their designs... they were great, but...
not what Thomas brought to the line.
Thomas made it, like, edgy and sophisticated.
He understood Hope's vision and the clientele.
>> Finn: So, what does that mean for Hope for the Future?
>> Steffy: Well, that's what we have to decide.
I'm gonna go see Carter and my grandfather to discuss.
>> Finn: Okay. I'm sorry. That's-- that's--
that's really tough. >> Steffy: Yeah,
the timing couldn't be worse. But the truth is, Hope for
the Future is underperforming with Thomas's absence.
>> Finn: You gonna pull the line?
>> Steffy: I-- I don't know. I don't know, I gotta look at
the numbers and go from there. >> Finn: No wonder
you're concerned. >> Steffy: Yeah,
Hope's going through a lot. Douglas, so much.
>> Finn: You're worried how she's gonna react to
the concerns with her line. >> Steffy: Yeah, I am.
>> Liam: I wish I could just make your pain go away.
>> Hope: The only thing that would really do that
is Douglas... walking through those doors,
dropping his bags, and saying, "Mom, I'm home for good."
>> Liam: Well, guess what? That will happen.
>> Hope: When? >> Liam: I don't know.
>> Hope: Liam, I'm... I'm Douglas's mom
and Douglas is my son and I am so tired of people
bringing up the fact that I'm his adoptive mother
like that should change anything.
I have been that boy's mother in every way that counts
and I love him. >> Liam: Absolutely.
Of course you do. >> Hope: Liam, I'm so terrified
that he's going to realize that he is happier
over at Steffy and Finn's and that he's going to choose
to live there permanently. >> Liam: Hey. Hey.
Not a chance in hell. >> Hope: That's how we got into
this situation in the first place because we assumed
that he would want to live here instead of--
>> Liam: All right, all right, I'll give you this.
Nobody can predict the future and-- and unexpected things
happen all the time. Fine. Here's what I know.
Douglas loves you as much as you love him
and that will bring him home. And in the meantime...
he's safe, he's protected, Steffy loves him, and
she's gonna give him an awesome time while he's there.
>> Hope: But this is his home. And he belongs here with us.
♪♪♪
>> Li: I was on your floor
and I thought I'd just peek in. >> Finn: I'm glad you did.
>> Li: How's your day so far? >> Finn: Good, good.
A patient of mine just turned the corner on a recovery,
so I'm-- I'm happy about that. >> Li: Under your capable
and caring hands, I'm not surprised.
>> Finn: See, that-- that's spoken like a true mom.
>> Li: Well, I might be the tiniest bit biased,
but I'm also a doctor in this hospital
and I hear the buzz around here. About you.
>> Finn: Buzz? >> Li: Let's just say
your hard work and dedication haven't gone unnoticed.
You've impressed a lot of people.
>> Finn: I'm just-- I'm just trying to help my patients
to the best of my ability. >> Li: My humble son.
From what I hear, at this rate, you could be in the running
for head of your department. >> Finn: Well, I mean, that
would be a tremendous honor. >> Li: One you deserve.
♪♪♪ >> Liam: Hey, um...
Question for you. Is, uh...
anything else going on for you lately?
Just, like-- like, outside of-- of Douglas, I don't know,
you just seemed a little... internal, you know?
>> Hope: Just been under a lot of stress lately.
I mean, it's mainly... about Douglas and...
addressing a life without him has been... difficult.
You know, then there's Sheila running around, wreaking havoc,
and now under your dad's protection and, um...
yeah, uh, Hope for the Future is, um...
it's not doing too well. >> Liam: Oh...
Well... you don't have to
go through it alone. That's what I'm here for.
The ol' husband. You can talk to me
about anything. I hope you know that.
Do you know that? Do you?
Okay, good. >> Hope: I know.
You know what I need? I just need
Douglas to come home. I need my line
to rebound successfully and I just need my life
to go back to the way it was. ♪♪♪
>> Steffy: Ah, there he is! Mr. Ten Years.
>> Carter: You guys are way too kind.
And thank you for the engraved clock, by the way.
>> Steffy: Of course, we still want to take
you out to celebrate, too. >> Carter: You know I won't
turn down a free meal. >> Eric: That's why you're COO.
>> Carter: How's life at the beach with Douglas
in the mix? >> Steffy: Got a house full of,
uh, happy kids. >> Carter: And Hope,
how is she holding up? >> Steffy: Not very well,
I'm afraid, which makes what we have to decide here
today that much harder. >> Carter: Hope for the Future
continues to underperform, it's numbers are disappointing
yet again. Starting to cost us.
>> Eric: Look, I feel terrible about this.
Zende and I tried to step in for Thomas there,
but we couldn't quite capture his vision for the line.
We couldn't do it. >> Steffy: No, you and Zende
had gorgeous designs and I'm really grateful
that you tried to turn things around.
>> Carter: And let's not forget how quickly you had to work.
>> Eric: Yeah, well, thank you both, but, uh,
what are we gonna do now? >> Carter: What are
you thinking, Steffy? >> Steffy: Unfortunately,
we can't let personal feelings dictate business decisions.
The truth is, changes need to be made to Hope for the Future.
♪♪♪
>> Li: Takes a special skillset to head a department,
one you're clearly proving to have
to navigate the bureaucracy, the politics,
as well as continue to treat your patients.
>> Finn: It would be a lot. But, you know, I don't want
to get ahead of myself, there's a lot of qualified candidates
who have, you know, worked here a lot longer
than I have, but... That's why I've been
putting in the time, you know, doing the work.
And the personal sacrifice of my dad being here so much
has really cut into my time with my wife and kids.
>> Li: I hope it's not causing problems?
>> Finn: No, no. No one understands
work demands more than Steffy. >> Steffy: Have I mentioned
I hate this? >> Carter: I get it.
I hate it too. Hope for the Future's
not just a fashion line or creative outlet
for Hope, it's... it's wrapped in her identity,
it's how she sees the world. >> Eric: It's never been
just about the clothes for Hope, has it?
It's always been about this message
of empowerment and positivity. >> Steffy: Yeah,
she did a lot of good through Hope for the Future.
But what worked then isn't working now.
We're running a business and we have to do what's best
for Forrester Creations, even if it hurts.
>> Carter: Sounds like you've made a decision.
>> Hope: Oh, sorry. I know I'm early.
I just, I didn't realize you had another meeting.
>> Steffy: Did you-- Do you need something?
>> Hope: Um, no, it's fine. I-- I can get out of your way.
>> Steffy: Actually, come in. What we're discussing
affects you. >> Hope: Oh.
So, you must mean Hope for the Future then.
>> Steffy: The latest numbers are in.
>> Eric: Hope, I take full responsibility.
I did everything I could to convince the two of you
and Zende that we would be able to replicate Thomas's
flair for the line, but we weren't able to do that.
>> Hope: No. You two were amazing.
Hope for the Future is just... We're in transition
and that is why the numbers are low,
we are trying to find our footing again
now that Thomas is no longer lead designer
and I think it just requires some patience
and us finding our new identity and once we do,
I believe that these numbers will rebound.
Do you... not agree?
>> Steffy: Hope for the Future has been one of
Forrester Creations' most popular lines.
>> Hope: Which is why I think it deserves consideration
now that it is struggling. >> Steffy: Hope,
the numbers are dipping. The latest set are the lowest.
We can't allow Hope for the Future
to continue bleeding like this. It's not sustainable and
it is not good for business. We need to take action now.
>> Hope: Okay, so what does that mean?
What kind of action? What are you saying?
Are you thinking of cutting Hope for the Future?
♪♪♪ ♪♪♪
Captioned by Los Angeles Distribution and Broadcasting, Inc.