It’s almost time for the fashion showdown, and things are busy around Forrester Creations on The Bold and the Beautiful.
It’s been a bit hectic around the Forrester Creations offices as Eric (John McCook) finishes up the details on a dress while RJ (Joshua Hoffman) watches. The model is blown away by the dress. They manage to finish up before Eric is consumed by a coughing fit. RJ asks if he’s ok, and he says he is.
Donna (Jennifer Gareis) tells Katie (Heather Tom) that Eric refuses to let anyone know he’s sick. He plans to focus on living while he’s alive.
Esther (Kate Linder) tells Lauren (Tracy Bregman) that she’s thrilled to be at Forrester Creations for the fashion show. Luna (Lisa Yamada) greets them and Esther says that she had such a magical flight and now she’s going to meet "the" Eric Forrester.
Charlie the Security Guard (Dick Christie) tells his wife that she needs to be at the fashion show. When she seems to say no.
Lauren tells Esther that she’s going to get the chance to meet Eric Forrester. She reminds her that life’s too short not to enjoy every moment.
Donna tells Katie that she tried to stop Eric from doing the show, and he convinced her otherwise. But she said she’d support him "through the end" without realizing that he was so sick. She tried again the night before to push him to tell the family, but he refused.
Eric keeps coughing while RJ watches. This time, there’s no blood on the handkerchief. Luna shows Lauren into the design office and Eric greets them, introducing her to his grandson. RJ and Luna leave to work on something and Lauren thanks him for the invitation. He says it’s his best collection ever, and when he calls it his grand finale she wants to know what that means.
Luna compliments Ether’s purse when RJ walks up. She follows him online and she’s thrilled to see him. After they leave, Esther goes to the desk and pokes around with the files and things on the desk. Charlie catches her, but when they make eye contact they share a moment.
Donna admits that she knew Eric was older when they started dating, and she imagined being together longer. She had no idea their time would be so short.
Lauren wants to know why he’s talking like he’s leaving, and why he’s calling this his grand finale. He admits "time’s creeping up" and he doesn’t know how much time he has left.
Charlie finds a feather duster in Ether’s purse. She admits she’s a compulsive cleaner, and Charlie says he’s the same way. She just wanted to clean the desk. There is clearly a connection there. Lauren comes out of the office and even she sees their connection.
Luna says there’s a delay at customs but she realizes that RJ is distracted. He’s very worried about his grandfather.
Eric’s hands are shaking at his desk. He picks up his stapler and ponders it. When Lauren and Ether come in, Esther is starstruck.
Katie reminds Donna that Eric could beat the odds. Donna says Katie is a medical marvel. Katie tells her sister to enjoy every moment she has with him. That’s all anyone can do.
RJ admits he’s concerned. Eric is working harder than ever. He’s full of energy but his hands are worse and now he’s coughing. He’s very worried, but he’s also excited because of Eric’s excitement. Luna says RJ is a "huge part" of the collection. Luna appreciates how much RJ cares for his grandfather and it reminds her of why she likes RJ so much.
Donna looks at photos on the shelf and Katie reminds her not to take life for granted. Use this opportunity to make the most of it by honoring and supporting Eric. Donna says she’ll do her best, but she’s so scared for Eric.
Eric learns more about Ether and her connection to Katherine Chancellor. Ether always remembers how nice she looked wearing an Eric Forrester original. Eric promises them an event they’ll never forget. He says goodbye to them, then he immediately starts coughing. This time, there’s blood on the handkerchief.
"If only the world knew the truth that Eric is dying," Donna says to Katie.
Eric tosses the handkerchief and keeps working, looking around the office like nothing will slow him down.
Well, there’s no turning back now.
Forrester Creations hasn’t been buzzing like this for a long time. Everyone who’s anyone is descending upon the design house, desperate to get their hands on a Forrester original.
Now that it’s here, though, Eric is in the spotlight and it’s going to be next to impossible to hide his illness. He won’t be able to sneak away to cough privately, nor will he be able to keep his hands in his pockets the whole time. Eventually, someone will notice that something’s wrong and even the best spin doctors won’t be able to control what happens after that.
The problem is that Eric hasn’t told anyone about his illness, so let’s just say that someone in the audience sees him coughing up blood or having tremors in his hands. The spotlight will turn to Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) and he’ll have to admit he didn’t know anything about his father’s illness. It’s not a good look for the head of the company to be competing with someone who’s so ill, and who is his father to boot.
Dr. Colby (Justiin Davis) said that Eric needs to conserve his strength, and he’s doing the exact opposite of that. When his symptoms decide to hit, they’ll hit him hard and it won’t be easy to hide them.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS and the following day on Paramount Plus. Check your local listings to see when it comes on where you are.
