06x17 - The Train

[bunniefuu]

Previously on This Is Us...

REBECCA: Any Sunday my dad

had to go into the office,
he would, uh,

take me on the train
to the city with him.

I loved those Sundays.

You and the girls and Beth
should get here

as soon as you can.

They're saying it won't be long now.

ADULT ANNIE: It's not
gonna stay a secret long

if you keep touching
your belly like that.

- What? I didn't touch my belly.
- Mm-hmm.

You okay, Dej?

I'm fine.

Um, let's-let's go see her.

So, looks like we get off
next exit, . miles.

(CHUCKLES)
Thanks for the -hour heads-up.

Eyes on the road, please.

With this eye candy
sitting right next to me?

I'll try, but no promises.

(LAUGHS)

Marcus gets me.

Mm. Well, God help you both.

Eyes on road.

(GROANS) This is taking forever.

You drive like an old man.

Let me tell you something,
my petulant daughter.

One day, you'll remember
enjoying this precious time,

with your world-class mother,
your Denzel-esque father...

- (STIFLED LAUGH)
- This again?

- You do not look like him.
- I so do.

KENNY:
Driving home from your brother's

travel tournament where he won MVP

GABRIEL: Marcus won MVP?

I hadn't heard.
Can you repeat that, like,

- a hundred more times?
- (SOFT LAUGHTER)

- KENNY: Boys.
- MEGAN: Your father's driving.

- Marcus, in your seat.
- Hey.

Seatbelt please, Marcus.

(OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

Kenny!

(INSECTS TRILLING)

Rebecca?

How you doing in there, honey?

(TRAIN RATTLING)

I'm waiting for someone.

My father always wanted
to take me on a train like this.

(LAUGHS SOFTLY)

He'd say, "One day, we're gonna
take a ride on a train where...

people wear tuxedos
and drink Vespers."

I had no idea what a Vesper was,
but I knew I wanted one.

A martini with gin, vodka and Lillet.

Shaken, never stirred.

James Bond.

That's right.

- (PATS SEAT SOFTLY)
- Sit with me.

Remind me of the poem?

The one that gave me
the idea for his name.

- "Luzon."
- "Luzon."

Yes.

Dudley Randall.

Will you recite it for me?

"Splendid against the night,

"the searchlights, the tracers' arcs

and the red flair bombs
filling the eye and the brain."

Would you like to go to the
bar car with me, Rebecca?

I'm waiting for someone.

I know. It's okay.

Come on.

KEVIN: All right.

All right, everybody?

That is it, the food is ready.

Come on and get it, it's time to eat.

Got enough food in here
to choke a horse.

- Be right there.
- KEVIN: All right.

Hey, uh, thanks for doing all this.

Can I, can I chip in, or...

Oh, no. Toby, come on, don't be silly.

- It's fine.
- Kev, I can pay for my own food.

I was just k... I'm kidding.

It's a callback to our old dynamic.

- (LAUGHS)
- Yes. Yes. Yeah.

Seriously, though, uh,
thanks for including me.

I appreciate it.

Mom wouldn't have had it
any other way.

BETH: Hey. Move, move,
Nicky's going straight

for that orange chicken,
and I'm not getting stuck

with no lame-ass moo shu, Nicky.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

FRANNY: Here, Daddy. You need to eat.

KEVIN: Franny, you are so sweet.

PHILIP: Hey, hey, hey!

- KEVIN: Uh-oh...
- RANDALL: Hey, there.

- Hello.
- We have arrived.

RANDALL:
What's going on? What up, Jack?

- What up, Hail?
- TOBY: Here they are. Come hug me up.

I didn't think I was gonna get
to see you until I got home.

- Hey, Dad.
- Hey, sweetheart. Hi, how are you?

We're good, but we are all
in desperate need of a pee.

- But, uh...
- Long journey?

- Yes.
- Come this way. Say hi to everybody.

- Hi, guys.
- Hey.

- KEVIN: Hey, good to see you.
- Hi, everyone.

- KEVIN: Welcome, welcome.
- How's she doing?

She's hanging in. I mean,

well, they say it could be
a couple days to a week, so...

Mm. All right.

Is that orange chicken?

- It was.
- EDIE: Don't worry.

I stashed you some in the fridge.

Thank you, Edie.

- You are the only one I like.
- (CHUCKLES)

You talk to Kate?

Yeah. She-she rushed to the airport

and is, uh, boarding a plane
from London any minute.

So she'll be here in the morning.

KEVIN: Okay, good.

Well, eat up. There's plenty of food.

- MADISON: Yeah.
- PHILIP: Thank you.

KEVIN: Those ribs are
a favorite. You love them.

PHILIP: Oh, I love a rib.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

KEVIN: He can have a rib.

Quite a tower you got there.

- KEVIN: Terrible.
- (LAUGHTER)

We're all just...

...waiting.

Laughing.

Eating Chinese.

Is this even right?

I don't think there are any rules.

For any of this.

You?

You okay?

If I tell you something big right now,

you have to promise not to react.

You have to be totally cool.

If there's one distinguishing
quality of Randall Pearson,

it's that he's effortlessly cool.

(CHUCKLES): I'm not playing.

I'm pregnant.

You're gonna be a grandfather.

Don't. Don't.

We're not even married yet.

I just started my medical residency.

He's working all the time.

You know how he is about work.

May I give you a very Randall Pearson,

- effortlessly cool hug...
- (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

...that nobody notices?

You may.

But just stop calling yourself

effortlessly cool.

(BOTH CHUCKLING)

- (SNIFFLES)
- (SIGHS)

(WHISPERS): I'm very happy, Dej.

Does he know?

(EXHALES)

I was gonna tell him
after this weekend.

He's working late.

Because what else is new? (SCOFFS)

(SOFT WHIRRING)

(INHALES DEEPLY)

(SIGHS) Look at me, Frank.

I'm in the prime of my life, dude.

And I'm here with you every night,

trying to reduce cell inflammation

in pancreatic tumors.

Working our tails off.

Well, I worked mine off.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)
You still have yours.

- (CHUCKLES)
- (BEEP)

Holy crap.

Excuse me.

I know we wanted her to rest, but...

Rebecca's blood pressure's dropping

and her legs are starting to go cold.

Things are happening quickly now.

I don't see her making it
through the night.

I think it's time
to start saying goodbyes.

♪ ♪

- DOCTOR: What's the briefing?
- EMS: Marcus Brooks.

-year-old male.
Unrestrained passenger

in a motor vehicle crash.

Open fracture to the right lower leg.

No pulse in foot.

NURSE: Got two units of blood ready.

Family's in the waiting room.

(INSECTS TRILLING)

(SIGHS DEEPLY)

So, should we draw really...
sad straws?

Anybody want to go say goodbye first?

I'll go.

♪

Beth.

What are you doing here?

I just wanted to see you.

I just wanted to say...

(OVER SPEAKER):
...so much of being a mom

is about faking it, isn't it?

We don't know
what the hell we're doing.

Not when they're young.

Not when they're older.

So we fake it.

We imitate what we think
a mom should be.

I had a good mom.

But, uh...

...we were complicated.

I just want to say...

...all these years,

so many times when I was faking it...

...I was doing my best
impression of you, Rebecca.

(WHISPERS): I'll take him
the rest of the way, Mama.

Thank you

for helping me with that...

complicated, incredible,

beautiful boy that you raised.

(WHISPERS): But I got him now.

Rebecca?

The train is moving fast.

We have to keep going, dear.

KATE: Well, I boarded.

Should be there in less than hours.

Is everyone there?

Kate, Mom's taken a turn.

We don't think she's
gonna make it through the night.

Oh, my God.

I should have never come on this trip.

KEVIN: No.

No, don't-don't say that.

All right? You're doing exactly
what Mom wanted you to do.

- You're taking the big swings.
- Yeah.

Taking your curriculum
international...

there's nothing bigger than that.

You tell her that I'm on my way.

Do you hear me?

You tell Mom
that her daughter is on her way.

Miss, I have to ask you
to turn off your phone.

Okay.

I got to go.

You tell her. You hear me?

- RANDALL: We will.
- KEVIN: Mm.

DR. K: Rebecca.

Welcome.

What are you having?

Marcus. Marcus, it's late.

I want to go home to my wife.

She's not much, but
she's better than this place.

Sir, look at this.

We're seeing a small decrease
in cell inflammation.

The drug is working.

No.

Marcus,

do you know how many
cancer dr*gs are being tested?

How many are ahead of ours?

How many swings

- and misses...
- Sir, d-due respect,

- this is very promising.
- It's an interesting result,

and I'll send it up the ladder.

But...

(SIGHS)

...our funding has run dry.

We're shutting down.

Go home, kid.

You need to make a life for yourself

outside of this place.

Don't you have someone nice
to be home with?

(INSECTS TRILLING)

(INHALES DEEPLY)

(SIGHS)

How you doing?

(INHALES DEEPLY)

I said what I needed to say.

I'm at peace with it.

Now I just want her to be.

What'd you say to her?

Uh-uh. I'm not tellin'.

Was it about me?

It's a secret.

Ah. I got you.

Well, I got a secret, too.

Hmm.

Mm-hmm.

- And it's a whopper, if I do say so myself.
- (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Deja's pregnant.

How the hell did...

Come on, man. She told you?

I'm that girl's mother, Randall.

I knew she was
pregnant before she did.

Oh...

You're gonna be a grandpappy.

You gonna be a meemaw.

Hell no. Anybody call me Meemaw,

- I'm stuffing that baby right back up inside of her.
- (LAUGHING)

Mm.

(CHUCKLING)

Kev and I are gonna go in there last.

Stay with her.

I don't know
what I want to say to her.

I want to tell her she can go,

but I don't want to scare her,
you know?

- Just, um...
- (DOOR OPENS)

I want to get it right.

- (FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
- You will.

You always do.

Old life,

new life.

It's so strange.

(INHALES DEEPLY)

The dichotomy, you know?

Not really.

But I married you
so I wouldn't have to learn

- all the big words.
- Mm.

Another bite.

Be with you in just a second, dear.

CURT GOWDY:
Last chance for the Steelers.

Bradshaw, trying to get away.

And his pass is...

broken up by Tatum.

Picked off!

Franco Harris has it!

And he's over!

Limoncello?

Or is that too on the nose?

Hey, if life gives you lemons...

(CHUCKLES)

(COMMENTATORS CONTINUE INDISTINCTLY)

Actually...

could you make me a Vesper?

- Coming right up.
- (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Your kids grew up beautifully.

(RANDALL LAUGHS)

RANDALL: Now you can see.

You should've got
your glasses earlier,

you know that?

Yeah, you're handsome. (LAUGHS)

Check it out. Smile.

Looking good.

Kate's not here.

Yeah. I know.

I've spent my whole life
worrying about them.

Wondering...

...what else I could do
for them, and...

and now...

There's nothing left to do.

You trust the process.

And...

...you drink a Vesper.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Thank you.

Mmm.

And you thought
I just delivered babies.

(LAUGHS)

Hmm.

(REBECCA SIGHS)

I made so many mistakes.

Well, I hate
to break it to you, kiddo,

but I have yet to meet
the parent who says

- "I got it all right."
- (SIGHS)

No perfect games in parenting.

Not even close.

Hmm.

Can I tell you something?

Something I'm...

not supposed to say?

I, um...

I thought
I was gonna lose you that day.

And I sense that you felt it, too.

There was a moment,

right after the first child came out,

and you started crashing.

And that little voice
in my head kept saying,

"You're gonna lose the mother.

Save the children if you can."

But you came through.

You survived.

You survived just to lose a child

and then a husband.

And, still...

...what a thing you made of it all.

What a big,

messy,

gigantic...

...spectacular thing.

I said it to you once. I say it again.

You're as tough as they come,
Rebecca Pearson.

(SHUDDERS)

And you, my dear,

have earned a rest.

William?

Thank you.

For being my doctor.

DR. K: Eh.

I was only your doctor that one time.

It was a big one, though.
(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Yes, it was.

♪ ♪

(WHIMSICAL INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

All right, now these were
your grandmother's. Right?

And, uh...

...she was her favorite.

Yeah.

And this... this right here...

was my favorite.

("THE CIRCLE GAME"
BY JONI MITCHELL BEGINS)

♪ ♪

Huh? That's the real stuff
right there.

Now, kids only, kids only. No adults.

- Anybody know who this is?
- Joni Mitchell.

Joni Mitchell! Spot-on.

Very, very nice, Jack.

And, Nicholas, did you know
that when your grandmother

was first diagnosed,
we actually broke into

Joni Mitchell's house?
Did you know that?

It's a true story.
Your grandmother loved

a good B&E.

- (SCATTERED LAUGHTER)
- Uh, you know, for the record,

from what I've been told,

you pushed through an open gate

and had a pleasant conversation

in Joni Mitchell's driveway, but...

I don't know who told you that,
but you know, I'll tell you,

- just let a tall tale be a tall tale.
- RANDALL: That's my bad.

Didn't, uh, Rebecca take
a road trip to L.A. with Jack

on their third date?

A ballsy third date by my brother.

- (LAUGHTER)
- Now, your Uncle Nicky took me to Olive Garden

- on our third date.
- HAILEY: That's very impressive.

NICKY:
You said you loved Olive Garden,

so I took you to Olive Garden.

And I don't remember you complaining.

You know, we were just talking
about your road trip with Jack.

You two really had

a once-in-a-lifetime love story.

Just like me and Kevin.

♪ And go 'round and 'round
and 'round ♪

♪ In the circle game ♪

Minus all the turbulence
and psychotherapy, obviously.

Even when your daughter and I
were at our worst,

you never stopped believing in me.

I hope I turned out to be the father

that you always knew I could be,

even though things didn't work out

the way that we thought they would.

(CHUCKLES)

Uh, Rebecca, you can tell me.

You love me more than Philip, right?

You know Rebecca was a low-key
Pearson matchmaker?

RANDALL: Mm.

Even when I was unsure
about marrying Randall...

Now, hold on now. Wait.

Unsure about marrying me?

Oh, come on, it's R&B legend, Boo.

Own it. Okay?

- You're talking nonsense, woman.
- (BETH LAUGHS)

You know it's R&B for life.

It is R&B for life. It is.

Okay, okay.

You guys are way too old
for this much PDA.

RANDALL: What are you talking about?

- How do you think you got here?
- HAILEY: Look away.

ANNIE: Okay, I'm out of here. _

♪ Behind from where we came,
and go 'round... ♪ _

I always felt so small in this family.

Everyone else was so big.

So loud.

Do you remember what you said to me?

You told me that
it's okay to be small,

as long as I didn't
think of myself as small.

That quiet was okay.

As long as I wasn't afraid to be loud.

MADISON: Beth,

do you remember my bachelorette...

- the-the first one.
- (LAUGHTER)

MADISON: Sorry.

ELIJAH: I don't think I've
actually heard this story.

- Please, no, no, no, go on.
- Uh...

So Kate hired a... What was it?

- What was his official title?
- Stripper.

- MADISON: A stripper.
- (LAUGHTER)

A stripper that we painted.

Oh, gosh, will you look at the time.

I think it's time for
the kids to go to bed.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER, LAUGHTER)

Madison, thank you
for the stripper story.

- Yeah. Yeah, sorry.
- Appreciate that.

- Sorry, kids. Kids...
- RANDALL: No, no.

- It's all good.
- She was always there.

She was always there.

And I didn't know that,
you know, at the time,

his relationship with his mom.
And I didn't realize...

My mother and I are close.
I won't be judged.

Bye.

- RANDALL: Have a good night.
- Good night, everybody.

- Good night.
- ♪ And 'round ♪

♪ In the circle game ♪

(RANDALL SIGHS)

First of all, she said
you're an idiot.

And then she said...

- Shat did she...
- I told you, she's a low-key,

- she's a low-key matchmaker.
- KEVIN: No.

- RANDALL: What did she say?
- KEVIN: Okay, good night.

RANDALL: Good night, Soph.

- We'll make it.
- Are you okay?

♪ Behind from where we came ♪

♪ And go 'round and 'round
and 'round... ♪

- Good night.
- See you in the morning.

♪ Game ♪

♪ And go 'round and 'round
and 'round ♪

♪ In the circle game. ♪

(POP MUSIC)

(INSECTS TRILLING OUTSIDE)

Hey, Mom.

It's us. Kevin and Randall.

Kate's on her way,
but she wanted you to know

that she's here in spirit.

Yeah.

So, um...

she's with us here, too.

- Oh.
- (SIGHS HEAVILY)

- (CHUCKLES)
- Mm.

(MUMBLES)

Do you remember that time
Kate got appendicitis,

we had to take her
to the hospital? Thanksgiving?

No, it was Christmas.
I got a snow globe.

Mm...

No, I'm sure of it.
I wouldn't have bought

a snow globe if it was Thanksgiving.

Fair enough.

- Question.
- Hmm?

Pilgrim Rick. A real-life person,

or did we just make him up?

(LAUGHS)

I think Dad made him up.

See, I think he was
a real-life person.

'Cause Dad, he wasn't that
creative a storyteller, right?

I don't think he could just
conjure up Pilgrim Rick.

Fair enough.

- Yeah.
- (RANDALL CHUCKLES)

Strangely ripped for a dad
in the ' s, wasn't he?

- Did a lot of pushups.
- Loved 'em.

- Yeah.
- Couldn't get enough.

Remember that thing
he used to do with you?

He would put you on his back

at the karate place, the...

- Dojo.
- Dojo. Yeah.

You know, Mom once drove me
to go get my John Smiley

- baseball card autographed.
- Hmm.

% sure John Smiley
had a crush on Mom.

Everyone had a crush on Mom.

Yeah.

I like that she kept your painting up.

(RANDALL CHUCKLES)

It's actually not bad.

No, it's not.

Should I have been
a professional painter?

You should not have been.

(BOTH LAUGH)

I wonder if any of this is
getting through to her.

♪

MIGUEL: Hey, you.

Hey, you.

Great nose, great legs.

You like the wine.

Oh, I wasn't talking about the wine.

You know, I still...

I still can't get over it
after all of these years.

It's still you.

What?

My favorite person.

Rebecca?

Dej.

Hey.

Malik.

The nurse let me in.

I ran out of the restaurant
when I got your text.

Oh...

I know we weren't expecting this,

and I know it's complicated.

It really isn't, Dej.

I've loved you since I was .

♪ ♪

I want to marry you.

I want to have this baby with you.

(CHUCKLES)

(BOTH LAUGH)

Oh, Lord, someone's in a mood.

Oh, another long night with the rats?

Our funding got shut down.

The drug didn't work.

Not enough, anyway.

I just spent years chasing something

that led to nothing, so...

Bro, are you seriously mad
'cause you didn't cure cancer

on the first try?

(SCOFFS)

Yeah, I know.

I don't know, I'm just...
I'm just down.

I just thought this was the
big thing I was meant to do.

(MONITOR BEEPING)

(WOMAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY OVER P.A.)

The nurse said he's still in the OR.

They're waiting for a trauma surgeon.

They're concerned about
blood circulation to his foot.

GABRIEL: It's my fault.

I shouldn't have smacked
the ball away from him.

Hey. Hey. Look at me.

It was an accident.

It's no one's fault.
It's no one's fault.

Marcus is gonna be fine.

Listen to me.

It's gonna be a long night,
but he's gonna be fine.

Um, I'm gonna go get us some coffee.

(COFFEE RUNNING)

Vending machines are next door,
if you're looking for those.

Oh, no.

Just coffee.

Well, you're in the right spot
for that,

if you can legally
call this stuff coffee.

Long night?

(SIGHS)

Yeah.

JACK: Yeah.

Yeah, my house b*rned down.

Whole thing. Middle of the night.

Just, poof!

Barely got the family out.

- Jesus.
- Yeah.

Everyone okay?

Yeah.

I got a little dinged up, so I'll just

wait for 'em to take me in,
check my hands out

and run a few tests.

My family was in a car accident.

Everyone all right?

No, actually.

My son Marcus, he's in surgery.

Sorry.

You're pretty much catching me
on the worst night of my life.

TIFFANY: Hey, come on now.

What did Dad always say?

Oh, no. Please, no. I can't...

I can't listen to
some greeting card platitude

about lemons right now, no.

You know what?

I was here years ago,

a night not too different
than tonight.

One of those nights
that changes everything.

And, uh,

a pretty smart guy,

he said a pretty smart thing to me.

- What does it even mean?!
- No, look, look.

He was saying that
even the darkest moment

can turn into something sweet.

With lemonade?

With something resembling lemonade.

- How is this our family motto?!
- (LAUGHTER)

What is wrong with you?

GABRIEL: You know Dad! (LAUGHS)

NURSE: O sat is dropping.

Heart rate is dropping.

- Loss of pulse.
- Starting CPR.

Call Dr. Spencer, now.

SPENCER: I want you applying
the cream every hours, okay?

- You took in a tremendous amount of smoke.
- (CLEARING THROAT)

(ALARM BEEPING)

- Okay, talk to me.
- I think it's a fat embolism.

Recommending anti-coagulation now.

Hold it, stop. He could bleed out.

- Continue CPR.
- (RAPID BEEPING CONTINUES)

♪ ♪

Okay, I am gonna go make us
hotel reservations.

Gonna call the kids.

(ALARM BEEPING RAPIDLY)

Stop CPR. I've got a pulse.

(BEEPING STEADIES)

Good save.

Dr. Spencer, you're needed
back downstairs

- in the ER stat.
- SPENCER: Thank you.

We lost Pearson in .

Cardiac arrest. Lifesaving
measures did not work.

What?

He was presenting normal
not minutes ago.

I had a kid coding upstairs,

and this was just smoke inhalation.

(EXHALES)

I've got to find his wife.

SPENCER: Mrs. Pearson?

Oh.

Mrs. Pearson, your husband has d*ed.

Your son is gonna be okay.

He has a long recovery ahead of him.

♪ ♪

♪

No.

I told you I'm waiting for someone.

(BIRDS SINGING)

She's a fighter, your mother.

- I'm here if you need me.
- Thank you.

(EXHALES LOUDLY)

Hey, look at that. The kids are
playing four square.

Would you look at that?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER OUTSIDE)

So strange.

The dichotomy, you know?

JACK: Mom!

RANDALL: It's okay.

(KATE PANTING)

Hey, Mom.

It's me. It's Bug.

(OVER SPEAKERS): I'm here. I'm here.

KATE (SNIFFLES): I love you, Mom.

I love you so much.

(SOFTLY): Okay.

♪

I want to say
the perfect thing to you, Mom,

but, uh...

I'm not sure what that is.

I don't even know if you can hear me,

but, uh...

...I love you, Mom.

Uh, we're good now.

You made us good.

So, uh...

thanks for all the meals.

Thank you for always
making us feel loved.

Thank you for that one time
you b*at down David Adams

for hitting me in the
head with a baseball bat.

(STIFLED LAUGHTER, SOBS)

I love you, Ma.

This is quite sad, isn't it?

The end?

Oh, I don't know.

The way I see it,

if something makes you sad
when it ends,

it must have been pretty
wonderful when it was happening.

Truth be told,

I've always felt it a bit lazy

to just think of the world as sad,

because so much of it is.

Because everything ends.

Everything dies.

But if you step back...

If you step back and
look at the whole picture...

If you're brave enough
to allow yourself

the gift of a really
wide perspective...

PRESENTER:
And so, for his pioneering role

in the development of dr*gs

targeting Alzheimer's disease,

we're proud to honor
Dr. Marcus Brooks.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, this all started
from a number of cancer dr*gs

that didn't work. Uh...

WILLIAM: If you do that...

...you'll see that the end
is not sad, Rebecca.

It's just the start of the next

incredibly beautiful thing.

It's like that dopey painting
your son made that time.

(LAUGHS)

Hey, I really love that painting.

(REBECCA SNIFFLES)

Okay.

(KISSES CHEEK)

(SNIFFLING)

You tell him hey.

Hey.

Hey.