05x22 - The Proof Is in the Pudding

[bunniefuu]

- Previously on The Resident...
- Randolph Bell.

- Will you marry me?
- Thank God.

- Because I can't return this.
- (LAUGHS SOFTLY)

Are you in love with Cade?

All I know is that whatever I feel

only goes so far,
and then the walls come up.

Maybe you just need a little push.

DEVON: It's like he wants to relive

what happened to Nic
and rewrite the ending.

I wish we could rewrite our ending.

Your father's here.

Just flew in from Seattle.

Hey, Molly. Look at you,
getting out of here.

Yep. Thanks for all the fun
books, Doc Sullivan.

- How's your daughter?
- On the mend at last.

Morris, what's happening?

Just you, Doc. Rocking that suit.

(CHUCKLES) Laura, good morning.

- Morning, Doc.
- Has anyone ever told you

you look like Sophia Loren?

- Only you. But that's okay.
- Ah. (INHALES SHARPLY)

I got this twinge driving me crazy.

I think I pulled a muscle

playing a ferocious pickleball game.

You think maybe you could
find me a muscle relaxer?

Uh, you know I can't do that.

But I've got some ibuprofen
in my purse if you would like...

Gives me a stomachache.

I'll get a massage later,
tough it out till then.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Good morning, love. How we feeling today?

Hi, Dad. Conrad's just
finishing up his examination.

- What's the good word, Dr. Hawkins?
- Hey.

CBC and 'lytes are stable,

one low-grade fever controlled with meds

and you are getting your color back.

CONRAD: She's doing really well.

Next step, get her out of bed,
up and moving.

She's just being a little stubborn.

Hmm.

I think I know what that problem is.

There's no longer a guard outside the door.

I know they caught the men
who tried to k*ll me.

I understand, intellectually,

but I just, I don't want
to leave this room.

Totally normal PTSD.

You'll b*at it.

I miss that feisty girl
with the chip on her shoulder.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah.

I'd love to see you do
a walk around the unit today.

With a walker, someone by
your side to make you feel safe.

Come on, Cade. You and me.

Once around the unit,
like when you were a kid.

Even better.

Don't get me wrong,
I'm loving the attention,

but who are you again?

(LAUGHS)

I practically raised myself.

This guy was always at the hospital.

- And now...
- You're his patient.

- Bingo.
- Who doesn't love being psychoanalyzed

by two totally unqualified people?

A gift. To soothe your belly.

- Banana pudding?
- Mm.

Are you trying to k*ll me?

I'm allergic.

I almost d*ed when I was four. Remember?

I thought that was strawberries.

My apology. I'm gonna go

to the cafeteria right now and I'll be back

with the best chocolate pudding
in the house.

Then we walk.

- Your father, he's...
- He's a mixed blessing.

He's a god to his patients and himself.

You know who really loves banana pudding?

Him.

Story of my life.

Marco Anza, -year-old male,
syncopal episode.

History of osteogenesis imperfecta.

IRVING: Hey, Marco, my name is Dr. Feldman.

- Can you tell me what happened?
- MARCO: I fell off

my neighbor's bike.

My mom's gonna k*ll me.

She followed the ambulance.
She'll be here any minute.

All right, we got you, buddy. On my count.

One, two, three.

I'm not supposed to bike.

I-I got dizzy and everything went black

and that's when I fell...

(MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY)

He's in V tach.

Go get a crash cart and Dr. Austin.

IRVING: Thready pulse.

Prepare to do chest compressions
if he codes.

I'm his mother. Uh, no CPR.
His-his bones break

with the slightest pressure,
he has osteogenesis imperfecta.

- Where's that crash cart?
- AUSTIN: Right here.

All right, I'll get these pads on him

and you charge to .

Uh, Doctor, please don't let my baby die.

Please, God, please, please.

All right, clear.

- (THUMPS)
- (MONITOR BEEPS)

(EXHALES) Sinus tach at .

All right.

He's okay, Mom. He's stable.

Thank you. Thank you.

That was terrifying.

I don't understand. Why did his heart stop?

It didn't. It went into a dangerous rhythm,

and now we have to figure out why.

Marco.

Honey, it's Mom. Talk to me.

Please, talk to me, honey.

My back really hurts.

- IRVING: What'd he say?
- His back hurts.

Another possible injury from the fall?

He could have broken anything.

It's exactly why he's never
supposed to be on a bicycle.

Answer box.

Yeah. All right, people.

Let's get this young man
ready for X-ray and CT.

♪

Are you back at work, Albert?

Yeah, just in time for the midterms,

much to the chagrin of my students.

I'm sure they are thrilled
to have you back.

Well, they did make a TikTok video

reciting the periodic table while twerking.

I suppose that's their version
of a "Get well soon" card.

That is something that I'd like to see.

And there's something
that I want to show you.

- These are your lungs.
- Mm-hmm.

DEVON: Do you notice anything different?

This is what they looked like before.

- ALBERT: No tumors.
- That's right.

If I didn't know
you entered our clinical trial

with advanced lung cancer,
I'd say that these are the lungs

of a completely healthy man.

(LAUGHS)

O-Okay, wait, wait. Complete remission?

- Yeah, man.
- Oh, my gosh.

- (CHUCKLES)
- Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Pravesh.

I know this trial was brutal,
but it worked.

Yeah, yeah... And the science.

The science.

You found answers.

More people will benefit, right?

Now call Grace, and give her the good news.

BELL: Okay, here's my idea.

We got four marriages between us.

Do we really need a ceremony?

I mean, we could elope.

Just you, me, a justice of the peace,

followed by a wild honeymoon

at the destination of your choice.

Um... Whoa, I'm-I'm sorry.

I was told that you wanted to see me?

- (BELL CHUCKLES)
- KIT: Yes, please.

We both do. Please, come in.

Yeah, and congratulations

on your incredibly successful
clinical trial.

KIT: And the rabies protocol with Conrad.

We are so proud of you.

Especially since you
trained here at Chastain.

What she's really saying
is she's terrified.

And we don't want to lose you.

KIT: Dare I ask?

Are you being courted
by the great research hospitals

of the world?

Actually, yes.

Baltimore Hospital of Advanced
Sciences is flying me up today.

Wow.

We will match any offer.

Thank you. But there
is no official offer to match,

and money is not the only factor.

There are... um, issues here.

Personal ones, I imagine.

Yes.

- We're rooting for you and Leela.
- Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Uh, I almost forgot.

Congratulations on your,
on your engagement.

- Thank you.
- Thanks.

Oh, the poor guy.

You know, his career
is accelerating like a Ferrari,

and, you know, all he can think
of is the empty passenger seat.

Thank you. Okay, I better go.

I got a crazy day.

AUSTIN: Wow.

There have got to be over
healed fractures here.

Mm, it's no wonder
his mother's so protective.

Osteogenesis imperfecta
is a brutal disease.

Every time your kid stumbles,
a bone can break.

And bone pain is terrible.

- You ever broken any?
- Lucky for me, only one.

- Proximal humerus.
- Hmm. How?

Oh, that's a long story
involving a skateboard ramp

and a very dumb teenage AJ.

And a cat.

Don't ask.

Well, there's a new
spinal fracture, T -T ,

likely from the fall, but we can fix that.

AUSTIN: But what concerns me the
most is the restrictive cardiomyopathy.

With the severity of his pectus excavatum,

his rib cage is almost
strangling his heart.

- The Ravitch procedure?
- Yeah.

Break the bones of his sternum
and reset them to make room

for his heart to work properly.

It's an incredibly risky
operation for a kid with OI.

Yeah, but if we don't fix it,

Marco could go into
lethal rhythm again and die.

I understand the upside of the operation,

and the danger for Marco if we don't do it.

But what about the surgery itself?

There is a risk of damage to his heart

and aortic aneurysm
once we saw through the bone.

So, you could damage his heart

while you're trying to repair
the bones that you are afraid

- might strangle the heart?
- And again,

these are bones that caused him
to black out on the bike

when his heart went into a lethal rhythm.

BILLIE: If we don't do
the surgery, any stress

on his heart could worsen
the strain and k*ll him.

So there's risks with or without
the surgery... but far less

if I just make sure that-that
he's never alone again.

MARCO: Never alone?

Mom, are you kidding? That's crazy.

I-I don't want to live like that.

I don't want to be wrapped in Bubble Wrap

and put in a drawer.

I want to do stuff.

Honey, I know you do,

but you have to accept there's limitations.

You can't do risky things
like go ride a bike.

I-I get that I can't, like, play football,

but I'm not gonna stop riding bikes.

Did you know his first fracture happened

when he was three months old?

I was putting a onesie over his head

and his collarbone just cracked.

It's been years of this.

But we've managed.

I've managed to keep my boy safe.

Mom, I-I love you,

and I know that you've protected me

ever since I was a baby,
but safe isn't enough.

I-I've done a bunch of research,

and I can get better.

I-I want to go to college.

He's right.

In some forms of OI,
fractures decrease after puberty

when rapid bone growth comes to an end.

This may already be happening with Marco.

After a fall from a bike,
we'd expect to see

far more fractures than he has today.

See, if they do the surgery,
I could totally be better.

I'm sorry. This is a very,
very big decision.

I... I have to think about it.

Brave young man.

- We both know we can fix him.
- Very brave.

You know, the mom's protected him so long,

- she can't let go.
- Well, in medicine,

as in life, no risk, no reward.

Tell me about it.

DEVON: So he has
Behcet's and he's sick enough

to be in the ICU?

I am thinking pulse doses of steroids.

Ah, I thought maybe that was
the best course, but obviously,

I had to confirm with my partner.

Somehow I don't think
that's why you came to find me.

Another spot-on diagnosis.

I heard you've got a job
interview up in Baltimore today.

They're flying me business class.

Champagne before takeoff, baby.

- Oh, wow.
- (CHUCKLES)

I remember when you were
a green, starry-eyed intern.

Your first day at Chastain,
I took one look at you

and I thought, "I got
to break this poor guy down

and rebuild him from the ground up."

You were impossible.

I tried very hard to find another resident.

And when the sun came up
on that first -hour shift...

(SIGHS)

...I was convinced
I'd made so many mistakes

- that I'd never be a doctor.
- (CHUCKLES)

And you said this job isn't easy.

That if it were, everyone would be a doctor

because it is the best job in the world,

despite everything, because of everything.

That's still the case.

All right.

Now I'm gonna say something selfish.

Okay.

Don't break up the team.

I don't want to, trust me.

You can work things out.

She's worth it.

And all your friends and
colleagues are here, you know?

I don't know.

I really don't.

But I do know that I need
to see what else is out there.

I get it.

You've earned this.

(SIGHS)

♪

- Uh, uh, uh...
- (LAUGHING)

♪

(ELEVATOR DINGS)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Your pudding, darling.

Thanks. Where you been?

I went by the pharmacy
to get some medication for you.

- Medication?
- Yeah, to help

with this PTSD anxiety.

I don't do benzos.

And you're not my prescribing doctor,

so that's, you know, illegal.

But thanks.

Probably wise. (CHUCKLES)

Maybe an overreaction on my part.

I just hate to see you under duress.

I'll take them back.

Well, I promised Conrad you and I

would do our forced march an hour ago.

Let's do it. Oh, that's Kit Voss, isn't it?

- Yeah.
- Just give me a few minutes.

I've been meaning to introduce myself.

I'll be right back.

Dad.

Ms. Voss, good afternoon.

Oh, are you getting in that elevator?

KIT (DISTANT): You must be Cade's dad...

(HEART b*ating)

(GRUNTS)

(EXHALES)

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

(GROANS)

Help.

Dr. Sutton, Dr. Austin.

We've decided not to do the surgery.

Well, I'm sorry to hear that.

Especially since Marco seemed to be all in.

Well, Marco's .
He thinks potato chips are a food group.

I am his mother and I-I know
what's best for him.

BILLIE: Well, for the
record, our medical opinion

is that surgery is the best choice.

AUSTIN: Because we believe the risks

of not doing it
far outweigh the risks of...

Please, stop. Just stop.

(SIGHS)

If something goes wrong, which may happen,

you two just leave the outcome
here at the hospital.

But my dear,

kind, clever, amazing little boy

will be gone.

I will not go home,

for the first time in years,
to be alone, without my son.

It's about control.

She has controlled every waking
moment of that child's life.

For good reason, to keep him safe.

But now that he has a will of his own,

she can't seem to let him go.

Well, there's nothing we can do, is there?

Unfortunately not. We both
know she's not % wrong.

The surgery is risky, Marco
is a minor and it is her call.

The resident is falling asleep
while he's retracting,

I'm about to call
the whole thing, and I find

the little nubbin hiding behind the kidney.

Well, Seattle Children's must
feel so grateful to have you.

Ah. I like to tell myself they do.

(BOTH LAUGH)

But I'm thinking of relocating
closer to Cade.

She's my only child.

This has... been a nightmare.

Rearranged all my priorities.

That's understandable.

You know, we're in the market
for a pediatric surgeon.

I don't suppose you'd consider...

Mm, I'm sorry.

It wasn't my intention to turn this

- into a job interview.
- No, of course not,

but I'd love to give you

an exclusive CEO tour of Chastain.

I can reschedule my next appointment

if you can be available.

Do you have the time?

I have all day.

Great.

Great, thanks for your help.

The patient in needs a PCA pump.

I wrote the order.

How did Cade's first outing on two feet go?

What outing?

With her father.

Helping her walk around the hospital?

That didn't happen.

I saw him with Dr. Voss.

Okay.

- What happened?
- I fell.

- (GROANS) It hurts.
- Laura?

I need a lac tray,

lidocaine with epi and bandages.

CADE: Feels like my incision opened.

All right, let's get you back in bed.

Eh, it's a superficial lac. You're good.

- Where's your dad?
- (LAUGHS SOFTLY)

He got a better offer.

Obviously this is complicated.
You don't have to talk about it.

(SIGHS) Hurts.

Talking helps take my mind off of it.

No loss of consciousness?

Nope, I've been painfully awake
this whole time.

- (CHUCKLES)
- No head CT for me.

Well, I'll be the judge of that.

You just focus on keeping
my guts from spilling out.

Ordering me around again?

It's nice to see you're on the mend.

(LAUGHS SOFTLY)

(SIGHS)

Your hands.

Gentle.

You can always tell how much
a doctor cares by their touch.

I'm so pissed your dad left you here.

You can count on him
to make a big showy entrance

that gets him a lot of attention,

but after that...

Look, he does the best he can.

From grade school on,

when I got up in the morning,
he'd be gone to work.

So I made my own lunch.

Did what I had to do, what I wanted to do.

Made me self-reliant.

I'm grateful for that.

You're being too generous.

Well, not everyone can be
the kind of father you are.

Gigi's a lucky girl.

My dad showed up this week, he gave blood,

he saved my life.

You got to give credit where credit's due.

Mm-hmm.

He'll stick around for
a couple days, he'll get bored,

go back home to inappropriate
wife number three,

and Seattle Children's, where he can see

the hero worship in his patients' eyes.

Not before I have a word with him.

(SCISSORS SNIP)

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

- (MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY)
- I was gonna ask

if we could take him home.

- He was doing so much better.
- I can't breathe.

He's desatting fast, his lungs are flooded.

- He's working too hard.
- We need a crash cart now.

Mrs. Anza, we're gonna have to intubate.

- No. No, no, no.
- His lungs are drowning.

We have no choice.

(WHEEZING)

Dr. Pravesh, here you will find

our very own world-class geneticists.

They are making great strides

in the field
of hereditary cancer syndromes,

as well as sequencing

newly discovered chromosomal disorders.

These are the very experts in virology.

Is that our rabies protocol?

That's right.

Chastain Rabies Protocol.

Your groundbreaking work.
We're trying to determine

how to trial it in endemic countries.

Well, you guys certainly go all out.

We have to.

It's our very center for rare diseases,

where research
will meet clinical excellence

to cure the most challenging
diseases in the world.

Well, it's a dream setup.

For the, uh, research scientist, it is.

And we want you to be a part of it.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Okay, uh, you've got me.

- I'm impressed.
- (LAUGHS)

We certainly hope so.

Because it's all yours.

We want to make you
the director of our program.

You're young for a job
of this stature, it's true.

But...

we feel that you're the perfect person

to lead us into a brighter future.

Wow.

I'm...

I'm honored.

Is that a yes?

I need some time to think about it,

process it all.

Of course.

But we need to know by next week.

Next week?

(MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY)

You think this was my fault, don't you?

'Cause I didn't say yes
to the surgery right away.

No.

We're not here to assign blame.

Marco is stable on a vent for now.

First his heart, now his lungs?

The truth is, your son is getting worse.

AUSTIN: His chest deformity almost stopped

his heart this morning.

Now fluid is backing up
from his heart into his lungs.

We might not be able to extubate him

ever again if we do not
move forward with the surgery.

- Are you sure?
- BILLIE: Yes.

We have to operate,

and we have to do it today.

There is no option.

(SIGHS)

Okay.

It is a beautiful hospital.

How does it compare to Seattle Children's?

(CHUCKLES) They're very different.

Seattle Children's isn't a public hospital,

with all the good and bad that entails.

The best thing about Chastain is our staff.

We have a roster of extraordinary doctors.

Mm.

- (PHONE CHIMES)
- Excuse me.

And looks like two of my best surgeons

are about to perform a
Ravitch procedure on a teenager

with a severe case of OI.

I could get you
visitor operating privileges

if you'd like to scrub in.

I'd be delighted.

Let me just go check in with Cade first.

Meet me at OR .

Right.

Yeah. How's my girl?

Uh...

not great.

- She fell and hit her head.
- What?

- And opened her sutures.
- How?

Because she decided to walk by herself.

Where were you?

I'll go check in on her now.

Uh, you're a little late.

She's asleep.

She should've waited for me.

She's always done things on her own,

without support.

Okay.

Look, I feel bad enough.

I don't need a lecture.

And for the record,

- do you know where I was?
- I don't care.

I was asked to scrub in
on a life-threatening surgery

on a teen, okay?

Chastain has no pediatric surgeon.

I may be able to help save a life.

Oh, we have plenty of great surgeons.

Your daughter needed you.

Why don't you just say it?

I'm in your way.

You want to have Cade all to yourself.

I'm her doctor.

So, yeah, right now, you are in my way.

And I'm her father.

Then start acting like it.

(GROANS SOFTLY)

(ELEVATOR DINGS, DOORS OPEN)

♪

You okay?

Good. Good. Just doing
my little pre-op stretch.

- (CHUCKLES)
- Time to get changed and scrub in.

I'll show you to the locker room.

(DOOR OPENS)

Dr. Austin, Dr. Sutton,

this is Cade's father, Dr. Sullivan.

He's visiting his daughter
and happens to be

a top pediatric surgeon,

something Chastain lacks.

Just here to watch and learn.

Yeah, well, this is a big one.

It's high-stakes.

Got a life to save.

BILLIE: Happy to have you scrub in.

Delighted.

(BUZZING)

AUSTIN: All right.

That should give his heart and lungs
room to breathe.

Very delicately done.

I-I do have one suggestion.

If you're open to it.

I'd recommend

overcorrecting the sternum
just a little bit more.

It may look silly now,

but when you go to secure

the pectoralis muscles back down, it'll...

it'll make sure that
the sternum doesn't dip back

into dangerous territory.

That's actually an excellent suggestion.

Huh.

I like that. (LAUGHS)

In fact, I will make
that adjustment right now.

Rongeurs to me.

BILLIE: Take it you've done a few of these?

Just a few.

Dozen.

- (MONITORS BEEPING RAPIDLY)
- BILLIE: BP's plummeting.

He's tachycardic.

IAN: And has severe JVD.

AUSTIN: Uh, high-output

cardiac failure.

Hang dobutamine.

Five mics per kilo.

He's in V tach.

And he's likely ruptured
the aortic aneurysm.

Laps to me.

We need to get a bypass in here now.

Dr. Cade's father,

step in. We need your hands.

By all means.

AUSTIN: So, the aneurysm involved

the ascending aorta and the arch.

IAN: And the descending aorta.

Time for the frozen
elephant trunk technique,

wouldn't you say?

I've only done that in adults.

IAN: Works in kids, too.

We good?

Hell yeah.

Ah, let's do it.

(LAUGHS)

BELL: Wow, he's good.

KIT: No kidding.

We do need a peds surgeon.

Yes, we do.

So have you broached the subject
with Sullivan?

I did.

But?

He's very charming,

and he turns it on effortlessly.

Maybe a little too effortlessly.

But those hands
would save a lot of young lives.

(CHUCKLES)

I wouldn't worry about it.

Ian Sullivan will be putty in yours.

Darling, are you all right?

I'm just pushing myself a bit too hard.

I had a podcast interview
about unaccountable doctors,

then a deposition where
I testified about the cases

that were ignored
by the state medical board.

Then I came back here and did a lap chole,

which I should have delegated to Nolan

but I didn't because I missed the OR

- and...
- Can you go home

- and rest now?
- Uh...

No, I would need somebody
to cover for a bowel resection.

Nolan can do it.

Or Leela. Your health is our priority.

Now go.

(DOOR OPENS, CLOSES)

How'd it go?

How'd what go?

The job interview.

So you heard?

- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Everyone heard.

Everyone's talking about it.

Everyone's afraid you'll leave.

They offered me a job.

An entire department, actually.

I'd be running their new center
for rare diseases.

It's a dream. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Devon, that's-that's incredible.

(CHUCKLING SOFTLY)

You must be really proud.

Thank you.

So are you gonna take it?

(SIGHS)

Do you think I should?

I can't make that decision for you.

Is there anything left of us?

That's on you.

You're the one who made it clear

that not having kids was a deal-breaker.

I think the deal-breaker
is that you didn't even discuss

my feelings about it.

You just laid out your rules.

Your job,

your body, your eggs, your future.

Mine didn't even factor in.

And that's not what our
relationship was supposed to be.

It was supposed to be a partnership.

You've already made up your mind.

And now you're just justifying
your decision by blaming me

for the fact
that you're leaving your friends

and the hospital that made you.

I can't believe you'd do that.

(DOOR OPENS)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Kincaid, my darling. (SIGHS)

I'm so sorry.

Heard you were the hero of the day.

I guest-starred in a roller-coaster

Ravitch procedure
with Drs. Austin and Sutton,

but hardly a hero.

I left you waiting for me,
and you did what you always do

the way you've always done it: on your own.

There was a kid who needed you.

Work to be done.
There's nothing new to see here.

Yes, there is.

You needed me.

Nothing should have taken
precedence over that.

Dad, we have a long history
of other kids taking precedence.

But I'm over it.

I'm a doctor, too.

I've let hospital drama
suffocate my personal life

more times than I can count.

Remember when you were
the lead in the school play,

and opening night, I-I sent you roses

- and then didn't show up.
- Yeah, sure.

There's no need to rehash that.

And today I brought you banana pudding.

People don't change, do they?

I keep making the same mistakes
again and again.

What's going on?

What do you mean?

I sense an agenda.

Humble pie is not your dessert.

(LAUGHS SOFTLY)

Kit Voss offered me a job.

Why would you leave Seattle Children's?

- Were you fired?
- No.

Look, I saw you pocket the benzos.

You're not having an issue with that again?

No, I have this pain in my back,
it wraps around my side,

- keeps me up at night.
- Well, have you seen a doctor?

Of course not. It's just a muscle pull.

It's nothing, it's fine.

Look, I won't... I won't make
a habit of the pills.

But at my age, you know,
I'm not getting any younger.

Aches and pains are a common thing.

Dad, you're barely .

Hey, hey, . (CHUCKLES)

I'm considering coming to Chastain

so that I can be closer to you.

Oh, my God.

Louisa left you.

No.

Why do you always think the worst of me?

I left her.

And now you need a whole new
crop of people to charm.

- Ouch.
- So you arrived to save me,

and then you managed to line it
up with an agenda of your own.

(LAUGHS) No, no. I did come to save you.

The "agenda" came after I realized

that I wanted to be with you from now on.

I really did drop everything
to come and save you.

And in return, you rip
my heart out. (CHUCKLES)

- I'll come back later.
- IAN: No, no, it's fine.

I'm leaving.

For good.

You okay?

No.

Bye.

Well, not a bad day overall.

We saved a life, and the young man

actually has a chance at a real future.

And he might be one of the lucky ones

whose OI goes into remission.

That'd be icing on the cake.

There's just one last hurdle for Marco.

Oh, he'll have his work
cut out for him getting his mom

- to let him grow up.
- (EXHALES SHARPLY)

- (SIGHS)
- AUSTIN: Hey.

What's going on?

Oh, lately, I've been
a little disappointed in myself.

Really? You?

I'm afraid to do what
that kid was willing to do.

You know, take a big risk
for a larger life.

Listen to me.

After everything you have been through,

I can honestly say

you are one of the most
courageous women I know.

And you've got nerves of steel in the OR.

- Well, thank you.
- You're welcome.

But here's the thing.

I haven't been in
a significant relationship in...

I don't know, a long time.

For a lot of reasons.

You know, my past, obviously.

But now I've gone and fallen for someone...

...who I won't identify...

...and there are huge
potential complications.

Don't tell me you're afraid
the guy's gonna say no.

Because that seems inconceivable.

I'm as afraid he'll say yes
as I am he'll say no.

Ugh, it's all terrifying.

(CHUCKLES)

Yeah. I get it.

You know, honestly?

I'm terrified of becoming a father.

You know, just the way
it's all happening, right?

And Padma is loosey-goosey

and I am not.

You know what I was thinking?

What if the kid doesn't love me?

There's not a chance of that, AJ.

Hey.

Conrad and Gigi would be lucky to have you.

(BILLIE SIGHS)

Is it that obvious?

Maybe not to Conrad.

Billie.

Go tell the man how you feel.

You know what? Slight detour before home.

I have a top secret mission,
should you choose to accept it.

What is it?

Someone I know needs a hug,
and they're right over there.

I'm a really good hugger.

And so is Mr. Waffles.

Then you two are
the perfect people for the job.

All right, follow me.

(WHOOSHES)

Hey, there.

Reinforcements are here to cheer you up.

(CHUCKLES) Hey, cutie-pie.

- Oh, who's your friend?
- This is Mr. Waffles.

What happened to your head?

I got a boo-boo.

Want Mr. Waffles
to kiss it and make it better?

And I could also give you
a kiss if you wanted me to.

Yes, please. Both would be great.

Mr. Waffles is your new best friend, huh?

Thank you.

Want to have a puppet chat?

♪

Yeah, you're gonna talk for him?

CONRAD: What's the joke?

Why do the chickens cross the road?

Why?

Because they want ice cream pasta.

CONRAD: Ice cream
pasta with chocolate on top.

CADE: That sounds delicious.

CONRAD: You want some of that, too?

♪

How are you feeling?

Would a martini help?

Uh, I'm not so sure about a drink.

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

- I have an idea about the wedding.
- Mm-hmm?

Let's put it aside for now.

We can still keep the date we came up with

and have a big engagement party
for our friends.

Would that be okay?

(GRUNTS)

Darling, what is it?

I-I can't, I can't really see.

All right.

Let's just lie you down.

There you go.

It's likely an MS flare-up

because you pushed yourself too hard.

- (GRUNTS)
- I'll call your doctor.

(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)

(PANTING)

(GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

(GROANS)