my phone went through an update and when it was finished the stock browser was no longer available. How do I get it back?
Never heard of that happening before. Are you sure it didn't just get removed from your homescreen? If it did, open your app drawer, find the browser, press and hold until the phone vibrates, then drag it where you want it. If it was actually uninstalled, there are several replacement browsers in the market that work just as well, if not better, than the stock browser.
Since that is a stock system app there isnt any way to reinstall this app except with a hard rest. Like posted if you do not care to reset then you can always install a 3rd party app to do this function,
