After learning that Eric is dying, Ridge tries to make his father’s life a little easier. “Ridge told Eric he won the fashion showdown because he realizes that his father needed this,” explains Thorsten Kaye (Ridge). “He’s in no way trying to be patronizing, and if Eric were to ever find out, I’d hope he see the love behind it. Ridge just thought it was the right thing to do.”
Despite his overwhelming desire to confront Eric head-on about his terminal illness, Ridge takes a different tack. “He says nothing,” reports the actor. “He’s honoring what his father wants. If he is sick and he doesn’t want people to know about it, people should honor that. That is what everyone is trying to do with Eric, not just Ridge. Of course, just about everybody finds out and the only person who doesn’t know that is Eric.”
Without Eric’s knowledge, Ridge and Brooke accompany Donna to see Eric’s doctor to demand answers, but they come away empty-handed. “It’s very frustrating,” points out Kaye. “There are so many unanswered questions. Ridge thinks there has got to be other doctors, better doctors, other things that they can do. That’s the thing about money. If you have a lot of money like the Forresters do, you think there is always a way to fix the problem. If you throw enough money at it, it will go away. However, I think Ridge will learn the hard way that this is not the case in this particular instance.”
Nevertheless, Ridge aims to keep Eric in good spirits, so he takes on a new project at Forrester Creations. “It’s the opposite of creating a new office,” teases Kaye. “It’s creating an old office. Ridge puts all of Eric’s awards and accolades on display again. He’s putting everything back the way Eric had it, and Eric is taking a more active role in the company.”
Ridge realizes that Eric’s tragic quandary has a profound effect on his relationship with his father. “This [diagnosis] changes everything, because now there is a time limit on their relationship,” acknowledges Kaye. “Ridge is determined that their relationship is not going to be defined by any sort of secrets. It will be defined by the love that they have for each other. We’ll see where this all goes but I can tell you, this is going to be a rough one.”
