Due to the Christmas holiday, CBS aired an encore episode of The Bold and the Beautiful. This programming change was planned for, so there will be no "lost" episodes as a result of the scheduling change. Regular programming will resume on Wednesday, December 26, and pick up where the Monday, December 24 episode concluded.

Outside on the patio at Katie and Bill's home, Bill angrily told Caroline that she had disappointed him. Bill reminded Caroline that she was family, and he had trusted her, but she had spit on him and his family. He felt that she had threatened him. He walked away from her and warned that no on threatened him.

Caroline grabbed Bill's arm, but he pulled away from her. Caroline lost her balance, tripped, and fell over the balcony onto the tennis court below. Bill looked shocked after he gazed over the balcony and saw Caroline unconscious on the tennis court.

Inside the house, Brooke and Katie heard nothing. They discussed Bill's anger over Caroline's actions and threats to tell Liam everything about what Bill had done in Italy. Brooke said that Bill would get over it. Katie agreed and said she was glad that Caroline had left because Bill had clearly been angry with her. Brooke and Katie agreed that Bill was also angry that Hope and Liam's relationship might not be over, thanks to Caroline. Brooke commented on how Caroline had been good for Rick, and Rick had been good for Caroline.

At Brooke's, Hope flashed back to when she told Liam that she would never lose faith in him again, and she had kissed him. At the same time, Liam had the same recollection, and Steffy interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey you, what are you thinking about," Steffy asked. Liam said that he had been daydreaming of Angelina Jolie, but Steffy knew better. She knew Hope was on his mind. Liam admitted that Steffy knew him pretty well.

Steffy said that it was time she worked harder to get Hope out of Liam's head. Steffy reminded Liam of their adventures together and how much fun they'd had. She brought up the paragliding adventure, and Liam teased that Steffy had been scared. Steffy disagreed and said that she had known she could trust him.

Steffy teased that Liam would be miserable without her. She brought out some sexy lingerie from her new Intimates line and asked Liam to unzip her. Steffy reminded Liam that she had seen him without her, and it had not been pretty. Liam had been miserable. They kissed and laughed.

Steffy said that she knew Hope wanted Liam to return to Hope. Steffy added that Liam had finally arrived in a comfortable place, and he looked happy. She encouraged him to stay away from the Hope drama. Steffy changed into her lingerie, and Liam opened a bottle of Champagne. Liam ogled Steffy, and they toasted each other and made out.

At Brooke's, Rick entered and greeted Hope. He made small talk, and Hope was cool to him. He knew that she probably hated him. Hope admitted that she was angry with Rick, but she blamed herself for believing Rick. Hope thanked Rick for finally telling her the truth. Rick said that Caroline had persuaded him to tell the truth.

Rick added that he didn't know what he would do without Caroline in his life. He said that Caroline respected Hope and her values. Rick apologized for what he had done, and Hope told him that she no longer needed him to protect her from Liam or anyone else.

Outside at Katie and Bill's, Bill sat next to an unconscious Caroline and waited for the ambulance. He begged her to hang on. He promised she would be fine.

At the hospital, staff members wheeled Caroline away to a room, and Brooke and Katie met Bill in the corridor. Bill admitted that he and Caroline had argued. He said she had fallen over the balcony. Brooke called Rick and Hope to join them at the hospital.

The doctor met with Brooke, Katie, and Bill. The doctor said that Caroline was still unconscious. Bill privately called his sister, Karen, and left a message about what had happened to Caroline. Alison arrived, and she had paperwork for Bill. She also pulled out a flask of liquor and poured some into his coffee.

Outside in the hospital corridor, Hope and Rick arrived. Rick frantically asked about Caroline, and Brooke and Katie told him that Caroline was still unconscious. Rick angrily wondered if Bill had hurt Caroline on purpose, but Katie defended her husband.

The doctor interrupted and told them they could visit with Caroline. Still unconscious, Caroline lay silently in the hospital bed. Rick sat near her and begged her to wake up. Caroline opened her eyes and stared at Rick. She looked around the room, and Bill entered. Caroline looked at Bill, who looked guilty.

At the hospital, Rick asked Caroline if she'd really only fallen at Bill's house. The weak Caroline said she'd stood her ground. She added that she'd been afraid, but Katie swore that Bill wouldn't get violent. Caroline explained that she'd reached out for Bill, he'd pulled his arm away, and she's slipped.

The tense but skeptical Katie asked if that meant that Bill hadn't pushed his niece. Caroline said Bill hadn't, and relief washed over Katie. Bill gently stated that he'd said it had been an accident. Rick still seemed unconvinced. Bill left to look around the corridor for the doctor.

Rick asked how Caroline felt, and she indicated that she still had a headache. He claimed that she was as beautiful as ever. He gave her a kiss and stepped out of the room.

Sitting at Caroline's beside, Hope suspected that Caroline and Bill had been arguing over Hope, because Bill couldn't stand the idea that Hope and Liam might reunite. Hope wondered how many more people had to be hurt, but Katie stated that Bill hadn't meant to hurt anyone. Hope bitterly stated that all Bill cared about was keeping Liam and Steffy together, and Hope exited the room.

Rick located Bill in an unused patient's room elsewhere in the hospital with a paper cup in hand. Rick asserted that Bill had lost control, resulting in the woman Rick loved getting hurt. Bill told Rick that whatever Rick had to say could wait because they needed to focus on Bill's niece. "Oh, so now she's your family," Rick quipped.

Rick relayed that Caroline had done Bill a courtesy by telling him that she'd encouraged Rick to do the right thing, because it really hadn't even been any of Bill's business. Rick figured that most people would applaud Caroline's convictions, but Bill had deemed her a traitor to her family. Bill claimed that he wasn't most people, and though he understood that Rick was upset and cared for Caroline, Bill refused to allow her boyfriend to lecture him.

Bill admitted that he'd had a heated argument with Caroline, but he declared that he hadn't pushed her off the balcony. Rick figured that Caroline didn't want Bill to take any blame, but Rick had seen in her eyes that she did blame Bill. Bill replied that Caroline should have listened to him, but Rick said Caroline cared about people too much for that. Because of Caroline's caring heart, Rick decided that he'd let Bill be innocent, as she'd said; however, Rick asked that Bill do them all a favor and stay "the hell away" from Caroline. Rick left, and Bill swigged on his drink.

In the corridor later, Hope saw Bill in a chair. She approached him, but he behaved as if she weren't there as he fiddled with his phone. Bill guessed that, like her brother, Hope didn't believe Bill about the fall. Hope replied that she believed he'd wanted to hurt her, not his niece. Bill sardonically quipped that it was so unusual of Hope to make everything all about her.

Hope stated that Bill had been upset with Caroline about Hope and about what Rick's revelation could do to Liam's relationship with Steffy. Bill explained that Caroline hadn't listened to him when he'd told her to stay out of it. Hope figured Caroline had tried to make Bill see reason, something that was impossible to do when things regarded Liam and Steffy.

Bill asked if Hope had talked to Caroline's doctor, but Hope said it wasn't her place to do that. Bill sarcastically replied that meant Hope respected boundaries, and that was good because it meant she wouldn't use the lie as an excuse to go after his son again. Hope stated that she and Liam would be together if it hadn't been for the lie, and Caroline hadn't betrayed Bill -- she'd stood up to him. "And I know that may feel like the same thing to you, but it's not," Hope added.

Hope figured that Caroline had inspired Rick to be a better person, and if Bill had listened, Caroline could have inspired him, too. Bill seethed that he could never be inspired to let Hope have another crack at his son. Hope decided that Bill just couldn't help himself, but Bill retorted that his position hadn't changed just because Rick didn't have the backbone to stand up to Caroline.

Hope wondered if Caroline almost dying had changed anything, and the livid Hope warned Bill that he wasn't protecting his family; he was tearing it apart. Hope raged that if Bill had possessed one tolerant bone in his body, then Caroline wouldn't have had an accident, and Hope and Liam would still be together. Though Hope admitted that she'd made mistakes, she said she was determined to have the life she and Liam should have had, and she wouldn't let anyone stand in her way.

Back in Caroline's room, Rick returned in time to hear the doctor telling Katie, Brooke, and Caroline the prognosis. Caroline hadn't sustained any trauma to her skull or spine, but she'd suffered a concussion. The doctor had decided to keep Caroline at the hospital for observation and advised that Caroline get mental and physical rest. Rick vowed that they'd all see to it Caroline got plenty of both.

Katie and Brooke left, and Rick wished he'd been there to protect Caroline. Caroline uttered that he was her boyfriend, not her bodyguard. Taking her hand, Rick wished he could be much more. She looked startled, and he chuckled, saying he wasn't proposing under such unromantic circumstances. She joked about the hospital being romantic, and Rick whispered that he actually wouldn't mind proposing right then, because the only future he could see was with her.

Later, Bill returned to the empty patient's room with his drink. Katie and Brooke entered, claiming they'd looked for him all over. They gave him the good news about Caroline's condition. Bill suggested they see Caroline, but Katie and Brooke wanted to give Rick and Caroline a little time alone.

Katie decided she wanted some coffee, and she picked up Bill's paper cup. As she tipped it to her face, the very smell of it made her frown. She asked what was in it, and Bill replied, "Coffee...mostly..." Sniffing it again, Katie said, "I smell booze. Are you drinking?"

At the cliff house, the underwear-clad Steffy tried to lure Liam into bed, but Liam wanted to get to work and give the staff a reprieve from the fiery Bill, who was probably seething about what Caroline had done. Steffy slinked back into her dress but said there was still time if he changed his mind. Liam, however, did not change his mind.

Steffy said she was glad Caroline had convinced Rick to tell the truth, because lies never fixed things. Though Steffy wasn't at ease about things, she felt Hope deserved to know the truth. Liam gave Steffy a wondrous look, and Steffy guessed that she was "knocking his socks off" at that moment.

Steffy made out with Liam more, but he insisted he had to get to work. She said she'd take care of dessert if he'd cook dinner later. Steffy kissed Liam along his neck, but he looked distracted.

Liam left, and Steffy packed up for work. In her files, Steffy found a promotional photo of Hope. "There's no way you're getting him back, Hope," Steffy told the picture.

At Spencer, Liam was working when Hope entered. From the way he looked, she could tell no one had called him about Caroline. Hope explained that Caroline had fallen during an argument with Bill about "us." Hope conveyed that Caroline hadn't been seriously hurt, but Hope believed the fall wouldn't have happened if Bill hadn't been so concerned that Hope and Liam might get back together.

Hope claimed that Rick, Bill, and Steffy had caused many problems, but they weren't the only reason that Hope and Liam weren't together. Liam looked away, and Hope apologized for the way she'd acted in the past. She believed that she'd been too proud and too selfish. She'd wanted things done her way, and she'd put unrealistic expectations on their relationship. She said Rick had lied, and she should have believed Liam.

Liam turned to Hope, and he seemed entranced by her eyes and her lips. Suddenly, he snapped out of it and said he couldn't do it. He asked why Hope was talking that way. He stated that before, he'd been ready to get married, and he'd begged Hope. Liam claimed that since that time, he'd begun living with Steffy, and he couldn't do it. Without batting an eye, Hope said, "Yes, you can."

At the cliff house, Steffy asked for her mother's lingerie opinions, but Taylor thought it was hardly time for panty talk while Hope was after Liam. Steffy relayed that Hope had pulled one of Steffy's own moves by kissing Liam. Steffy assumed that it had been epic for Hope; however, she felt it was all Hope would get because Liam had moved on. Steffy claimed that all her insecurities were gone.

Steffy called Liam, but he didn't answer. She then called Alison and learned that Liam was in a meeting with Hope. After the call, Steffy told her mother that Hope apparently hadn't heeded Steffy's warning to respect Steffy's relationship with Liam. Steffy wanted to go over there to show Hope that Steffy had been serious, but Taylor advised that Steffy let Liam establish the long-overdue borders with Hope. Steffy agreed and decided to let her speech wait until the next time she saw Hope.

At Spencer, the rattled Liam told Hope that she couldn't "do this right now" because too much had happened. Liam was glad to know about the lie, but he said he and Steffy were "almost closer than you and I -- " Hope cut him off, claiming that it was because of a lie. He replied that it had been because Hope had broken up with him, and she'd told him to move on. "Well, I did," he concluded.

Liam asserted that he hated Rick for what he'd done. Hope said she and Liam couldn't change what Rick had done, but they could fix it. Liam asked if he and Hope would just keep hurting each other, but Hope said they'd changed. Hope felt Steffy had been right to refer to her as "Little Miss Perfection."

Hope said she'd held Liam to a Prince Charming standard, and it had made it easy for her to blame him whenever he hadn't lived up to it. Moving closer to Liam, Hope stated that she didn't want Prince Charming anymore; she wanted reality and Liam -- faults and all. He seemed affected by her statement, but then he reasoned that it might be wrong to give up her expectations, because there might be a man out there that could fill them.

Hope said she didn't think she'd like the boring guy. Liam exclaimed that he'd given Hope reason to be disappointed, but Hope said he'd given her even more reason to be understanding and forgiving. Hope still believed he shouldn't have been with Steffy that night, but Hope also felt she should have listened to him and seen the truth in his eyes. Gazing at him, she said she could "see it now."

Hope had realized that she'd pushed him to Steffy, and Hope knew that he loved Steffy. "But she's not me, and you won't give up," Hope declared. She said she'd prove to Liam that they still had a chance. Frustrated, Liam stated that they'd faced too much interference, but they would have worked through it by then if Rick and his father had backed off.

Angrily slapping a magazine, Liam seethed that Rick and Bill had been unable to stop themselves from lying, and Bill had put Caroline in the hospital for telling the truth. Liam huffed and apologized for being mad; however, it was fine by Hope, because it proved that he felt the way she did. She said they'd been cheated, but they should focus on the good memories, not the bad things.

Hope recalled Liam kissing her on the beach at El Arco in Cabo San Lucas. Liam chuckled in remembrance, and Hope said she'd find another perfect arch for him to kiss her under. Liam joked that she'd drag him back to Mexico, and she suggested Italy, where they could begin again. Hope wanted them to be in each other's arms, and she said that in time, he'd realize that she was the one for him.

Liam seemed rattled by Hope's nearness, but he was also hesitant. Hope said that after the hurt she'd caused him, he probably thought it was safer to stay away from her. She assured him that it wasn't true, and she'd earn his trust back.

Later, Hope was in the CEO's office at Forrester, daydreaming about her kiss with Liam. Steffy entered, saying she'd been unable to resist confronting Hope about being with Liam earlier. The grinning Hope said she and Liam had been working through things. Steffy insisted there was nothing to work through, because Hope was the one who'd chosen to believe a lie and who'd forced Liam to move on.

Hope said Steffy was a victim, too, that round, but Steffy hadn't always been innocent. Steffy guessed Hope loved painting Steffy as the villain. Hope observed that she'd once had a successful clothing line and relationship, but between all the interference from Bill, Steffy, and Rick, everything was gone. Hope claimed that she and Liam had owned up to their mistakes, and at that point, it was just a matter of time. Steffy asserted that she'd meant what she'd said to Hope before, and once again, Steffy told Hope to respect the relationship and stay away from Liam.

At the hospital, Katie and Brooke were flabbergasted that Bill was drinking in the care facility. Bill said it had just been a shot to take the edge off. Katie figured that her husband was tense, but she asked if he really didn't see that it was wildly inappropriate. "Wildly?" Bill quipped back.

Bill explained that Alison had put it in his drink, but he pointed out that he hadn't requested it. Katie didn't care if he hadn't asked for it. She wondered how often Alison "bumped up" his coffee, as he'd termed it. Bill claimed it was a rarity, and Katie asked her sister if she were overreacting.

Brooke offered to drive the Spencers home, but Bill said Katie and Brooke were being outrageous. He offered to walk "the line" for them, and then he mimicked some roadside sobriety tests for them. Katie thought he was making light of the situation, and he roared that it was ridiculous. Bill got a reminder to meet Justin at Bill's house, and Katie threw her hands up as Bill hastily took off.

In Caroline's room, Caroline suggested that Rick get back to work. Rick said she was his designer, so taking care of her was the best part of his job. Brooke and Katie entered, and Dani and Karen rushed in behind them. Rick was quick to explain to Caroline's mothers that Bill's anger had precipitated the accident. Dani wondered what was wrong with Bill, and Karen wasn't surprised to hear that Bill had been drinking. Brooke asked everyone to remember that it had been an accident.

Dr. Maponya entered to explain Caroline's condition to Caroline's mothers. Dr. Maponya saw no serious problems, but she wanted to monitor Caroline at the hospital for a while. Dr. Maponya asked the family to do the same once Caroline was home. Rick promised not to leave her side, and Dani expressed that there would be plenty of people volunteering to keep Caroline comfortable.

The doctor left, and the topic turned to Bill's drinking and anger issues. Bill's anger management problem had affected Karen's daughter, and Karen was done looking the other way about Bill's drinking. Karen said Bill had been spiking his coffee for years. The disillusioned Katie hadn't noticed it before.

Brooke felt that Bill's choices had obviously been bad, but he'd always seemed fine to her. Karen asserted that Bill was not fine, and her daughter was in the hospital because of him. Karen wanted to fix things, but she needed Katie's help. Reluctantly, Katie agreed and put in a call to Taylor.

Later, at the hospital, an angry Liam stormed down the corridor. Rick appeared in the corridor, and Liam lit into him about lying to Hope, Rick's little sister, and manipulating their lives. Rick stated that Liam and Steffy weren't married, so Hope and Liam could fix it. Liam raged that Rick had no concept of Liam's relationship with Steffy, and it wasn't fixable. Rick stated that he didn't care about that relationship.

As an orderly passed the men with his cart, Liam grabbed an icepack off the cart. He gripped the icepack with one fist and socked Rick with the other one. Rick hit the ground. Liam threw the ice pack at Rick and stepped over him as if he weren't on the floor.

At Bill's house, Bill entered, and Justin explained that Will's nurse had given him diaper-changing lessons. Justin asked about Bill and Caroline. Bill said Caroline was okay, but he'd had better days. Bill apprised Justin of the situation, and Justin couldn't wait to tell Alison that she'd gotten Bill in trouble with "the wife." Bill figured Katie was upset about everything, but the coffee had become the focus.

Bill couldn't believe the day he'd had, and he was amazed that Rick had tried to get in his face. Justin teased that Hope had gotten in on it, too, and Bill guessed Justin was enjoying himself. Bill wished Rick had stood up to Caroline. Justin thought no lasting damage had been done; Caroline would be okay, and Steffy and Liam were still solid. "I hope so," Bill replied.

The men talked about fatherhood until Katie conspicuously entered from the kitchen. Brooke somberly strode in, and the men sensed something was up. Dani and Caroline entered from another area, and Taylor slipped in from the balcony.

The women surrounded the men, and Katie asked if Justin planned to stay "for this." Justin made a beeline for the front door, and Bill murmured, "Coward." Katie and Taylor said everyone wanted to talk to Bill, and Karen asserted that they could no longer turn their backs on Bill's hurtful attitude. Karen said they all felt he'd be less destructive toward himself and others if he stopped drinking. "You've got to be freaking kidding me," Bill said, and his eyes fell on the silent Brooke.