09x09 - Spin A Yarn, Get Stuck In Your Own String

[bunniefuu]

You jeopardized a man's life.

Am I gonna get fired?

I don't know if I'll be allowed
to practice medicine again.

It's not up to me.

You're supposed to be her supervisor.

That never should have happened.

- Get out of my house!
- Daniel!

Why are you speaking this way
to my brother?

Because your brother is suing Ripley

and the hospital for malpractice.

I didn't think it would happen so fast.

Alzheimer's is just
a very tricky diagnosis.

I'm sorry about this afternoon.

I didn't have the bandwidth
for worlds colliding.

Of course not.

It wasn't the time or the place.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm. You too.

Medium black coffee for me,
and I got her today.

What are you doing?

Because it's her birthday.

Oh, happy birthday.

Thank you.

I gotta say, I'm so pumped
for the big bash tonight.

I mean, pretty cool.

You have the same birthday
as your grandbaby?

I mean, come on.

Well, here's hoping
that my birthday twin

doesn't pass out before cake.

So is tonight really the first night

that Bert and the kids
are meeting Dennis?

Well, just two of them.

David was gonna fly in,
but work got too hectic.

So how are you feeling?

Introducing the boyfriend to the family.

Well, let's just say I only
got about three hours of sleep

- last night, so...
- Oh, come on.

Dennis is gonna charm their socks off.

Yeah, well, I better get going.

I got a meeting
on the Pawel suit in five.

Sharon, I'm so sorry you
gotta deal with that crap.

No worries.

How are things at home?

Honestly, it's a little strained.

Yeah, I can imagine.

So let me know how the meeting goes?

- Will do.
- All right.

- Happy birthday.
- Thank you.

- That's right.
- Okay.

All right, so these are my girls.

That is Melissa. That's Alice.

And Melissa is 24, and Alice is 26?

- Yes, good memory.
- Oh.

[LAUGHS]

And where are they?

That's Playa Del Carmen.

Melissa was actually supposed
to go with her girlfriend,

but the girlfriend broke up with her

the night before the trip.

- Oh, poor kid.
- Mm-hmm.

I almost canceled my whole week

and hopped on the next flight to Mexico.

You are a good mom.

Well, my girls mean everything to me.

Isn't it just awful watching your kids

go through their first heartbreak?

Do you remember Sean's?

Sean's first serious breakup?

- Yes.
- Yeah.

Uh, well, actually,
Sean was the one doing

the heartbreaking back then.

Yeah, that does line up.

[PENSIVE MUSIC]

No one doubts the suit is meritless,

but given the nature of the injury...

It's gonna be your word against Pawel's.

The bottom line is that
juries are unpredictable,

not to mention that it could end up

costing the hospital
more to defend the claim

than to just settle it.

So trust me, the cost-benefit
analysis is clear.

It's to settle.

[PHONE CHIMES]

Sorry, I gotta get back to the ED.

- We got two helicopters inbound.
- Of course.

Listen, I'll draft the settlement.

I'll get it over to Pawel's lawyer.

And then there'll be some documents

I'll need you to sign, Dr. Ripley.

Now, hold on a second.

Listen, Dr. Ripley, this is
ultimately your decision.

If you wanna fight the suit,
the hospital will defend you.

- Reluctantly.
- Vigorously.

- Can I think it over?
- Absolutely.

- What's there to think about?
- That's not a problem.

Take the day.

Thank you, Ms. Goodwin.

Sharon, we are settling this case.

Oh, hey, I hear the renegade
resident Dr. Ahmad got canned.

That true?

Try not to look so broken up
about it, okay, Peter?

And no, she was not canned.

She's suspended pending an
investigation of the incident.

Shayna Ellis, 28-year-old female.

She and a companion were
driving a UTV on the freeway

and got rear-ended.

Took a side-by-side on the freeway?

Shocking it didn't end well, right?

She was pretty combative at the scene,

wouldn't let us treat her.

Gave her two of Versed,
four of morphine.

She's sedated but rousable.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Shayna, can you hear me?
You're at Chicago Med.

We're gonna take good care of you, okay?

It's a good thing
she was wearing her seat belt.

The driver was not.

She got ejected from the vehicle.

Yikes.

Clear breath sounds bilaterally.

- [ALARM BLARING]
- She's tachycardic.

I'm gonna ultrasound.

- Cycle her blood pressure cuff.
- Mm-hmm.

Dr. Ripley, I'm bringing a second victim

into Baghdad right now.

- Zach.
- On it.

♪

BP 150/100.

I'm not seeing any free fluid.

No.

Her right kidney look
a little abnormal to you?

Yeah, it does.

Nancy, let's get
chest and pelvis X-rays,

as well as an abdominal CT.

Yep. On it.

We did everything we could
for her at the scene,

but I don't know if she's gonna make it.

Like her friend here,
she wasn't wearing a helmet.

- Get back!
- What's going on?

[PEOPLE SHOUTING]

- Hey!
- I see them!

There they are! Look!

Back off right now!

They do not consent to treatment!

- We're taking them out of here!
- Like hell you are!

♪

Get your hands off her!

You good?

Yeah.

Ow.

Maggie, who the hell are these people?

Apparently, they're members of a cult.

♪

They've all been removed?

Yep, and we've got extra security
posted outside in case any of them

try to get back in.

Thanks, Kev.

What did you find out about them?

Well, they call themselves
HTS, Heal Thyself.

The woman was driving the UTV,
Dakota Andrews.

AKA Cea, short for Panacea,
is the leader.

But wasn't Panacea some kind of God?

The Greek goddess of healing.

She carried with her a potion
that could cure any illness or injury.

I minored in classical mythology.

Mm-hmm.

They're deeply anti-government.

They believe the medical
industrial complex

is a tool used to control society,

that big pharma is incentivized
by the federal government

to actually keep people sick.

It appears to be mostly
an online community,

but the top brass live together
on a commune in Indiana.

Yeah, we picked them up
right along the border.

And how did they all get here so fast?

Well, Shayna called
someone from the scene

before we sedated her.

We had to circle
the choppers a couple times

because of strong winds.

Shayna's labs just posted.

She's coming down from CT now,
and then I'll send Dakota up.

Great. Thanks, Zach.

- Excuse me.
- Yeah.

Well, I guess I'll be hitting the road,

unless you wanna put me to work.

Coming off a night shift. I'm free.

I appreciate how much you've helped us,

but you've been way
too generous with your time.

Why don't you go home
and get some sleep?

You know, I may have an
ulterior motive why I've been

hanging around the ED so much.

Oh, yeah? What's that?

Oh.

So sorry.

Trisha, are you okay?

No, I'm good.

See you around, Mags.

Yeah.

[SOFT MUSIC]

Are you two...

Oh, no. We're just friends.

In that case, you mind
putting in a good word for me?

I think I got a little crush.

Oh, yeah. I'd be happy to.

Thank you, Maggie.

You're the best.

♪

Oh, Daniel, good.

Thank you for meeting me.

What's going on?

Will you give this to Sharon?

I'm afraid I'm not going to be able

to make the party after all.

Oh, bummer. What's... what's up?

Pawel, he needs my help.

Well, what does he... what
does he need your help with?

Grocery shopping, a few other errands.

- Daniel, please.
- I didn't say anything.

I did not say anything.

He can't drive.

I am not going to have him
walk to the store.

He's my brother.

Sweetie, do you really
believe that he can't drive?

[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]

Dr. Ripley, I'm sure,
did not mean to harm Pawel.

But mistakes happen.

Dr. Ripley didn't
make a mistake, Liliana.

You were in the room.
You were right there.

I have to go to him.

I really do not want to continue this.

But if we must, at home.

Okay.

♪

[GROANS]

Shayna.

Shayna, hi. I'm Dr. Ripley.

Cea.

Where is Cea?

You and your companion
were in an accident.

Where is she? Where did you take her?

Your friend is in critical condition,

but we're doing everything
we can to help her.

She doesn't need your help.

I beg to differ,

but right now, we need to focus on you.

What is this?

What are you putting inside me?

It's just some medication to
control your blood pressure.

- I want it out. Now.
- I wouldn't advise that.

Shayna, your CT revealed
a mass on your adrenal gland.

It's likely a pheochromocytoma.

It's a rare tumor
that releases epinephrine

into your bloodstream, causing
the blood pressure to spike.

Have you found yourself experiencing

panic att*ck-like symptoms lately?

Rapid heartbeat, shortness
of breath, that kind of thing?

Okay, well, this appears
to have gone untreated for some time.

Where is the adrenal gland?

We have two of them.

They're located on top of your kidneys.

The crash caused you to bleed
in and around the mass,

which makes it even more imperative

that we surgically remove
the pheo as soon as possible

to prevent
life-threatening complications

like heart att*ck and stroke.

♪

I appreciate your time and your concern

for my well-being, Doctor...

Ripley.

Dr. Ripley.

But I have come
to the realization on my own

and without coercion
that I don't want surgery

or any medical intervention.

I don't think you understand.

This could k*ll you at any moment.

I understand completely the
potential risks of my choice.

I take full responsibility
for any negative consequences

that may result
from my informed decision.

And I would be happy
to put that in writing

or repeat my wishes to a supervisor.

Okay?

No, no, I got it.

- Crockett?
- Yeah?

Ambo just landed.

Pedestrian struck by a vehicle
while out jogging.

Dr. Tanaka-Reed is with you.

All right, uh, keep an eye
on your residents today, Dr. Marcel.

Try not to let them declare anyone dead

before they've actually croaked.

Hey.

Have you spoken to Zola?

- How's she holding up?
- I don't know.

You haven't been in touch at all?

No. I'm her attending, Maggie.

I'm not her buddy.

Mr. Acosta, I'm Dr. Tanaka-Reed.

We're gonna take good care of you, okay?

Everyone watch the wires.

On my count. One, two, three.

[GROANS]

I need to go home. Emily is waiting.

- I need to go home.
- Patient's perseverating.

- Let's give two of Versed.
- Got it.

Oh, no, wait a second.

BP's soft.

Yeah, but he's clearly agitated.

How do you know
the change of mental status

isn't from hypoxia?

Resuscitate before you sedate.

Let's give two units of blood,
two of plasma, and TXA, please.

Lungs are equal bilaterally.

Put your hands by your side for me.

There you go.

- [MOANS]
- Pelvis is loose.

Let's get X-ray in here.

Let's get a binder
on him in the meantime.

Why don't we wait for X-ray to confirm?

Because I know a busted
pelvis when I feel one.

Dr. Marcel, the ICU just called.

Carson Miller's labs are back.

Okay, one second. I'll be right there.

I can bind a pelvis without supervision.

♪

All right. I'll be back.

What is his deal today?

Hey.

Hi, you.

I just wanted to apologize
again for the other night.

Oh, my gosh,
you have to stop apologizing.

I get it.

You'd just been served.
I'd need a night to myself too.

Speaking of, what's going on
with the lawsuit?

I think we're gonna settle.

You seem thrilled.

Yeah, I've just never been
one to walk away from a fight.

- Doesn't feel great.
- Mm-hmm.

Especially considering this
is the dude who messed up our,

you know, tea,

which I was really
looking forward to, by the way.

As was I.

Rain check?

[SOFT MUSIC]

I think we can make that happen.

I see we had the same idea

combating the mid-morning slump.

I'm trying to,
but the pickings are slim.

Ugh.

[BABY CRYING]

Isn't that Sam Abrams' wife?

Yeah, it is.

Trini, why don't you get
a treatment room

- with a crib ready?
- Got it.

Michelle, hey.

- Oh, Hannah, thank God.
- Hey. What's going on?

Mason had a fall.

I've never heard him cry like this.

- He won't stop.
- Okay.

I'm scared something's really wrong.

Yeah, okay. Let's get him checked out.

- Come on.
- Okay.

So how'd this happen?

He was in his stroller seat,
and he just fell out.

He wasn't buckled in?

I had just unbuckled him.

How far was the drop, would you say?

About two, three feet?

Yeah.

Yeah, exactly. Not very far.

Well, he seems to be a little
fussy when I move his left arm.

He's clearly favoring his right.

I'd like to get an X-ray.

Is that safe for a baby of his age,

the radiation exposure?

Absolutely. The radiation is minute.

Michelle, I was in surgery.

I just got your text.

- Honey.
- Okay.

All right.

Did he lose consciousness?

Has he been crying
appropriately the whole time?

- Mm-hmm.
- Did he vomit at all?

Is he taking his bottle?

Sam, you can take a deep breath.

We're not seeing any cause for alarm.

Yeah, Hannah's right.
He's awake and alert.

He was crying, but he's
consolable now, obviously.

And Mason's gonna be just fine.

[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]

♪

How much Levophed is he on?

- Five mics.
- Okay.

Keep titrating him down.

He's doing a good job
clearing his sepsis.

[SIGHS] It's the perfect window
to transplant him.

It's gonna close.

Just a matter of time
before he gets sick again.

I have to imagine he's top
on the transplant list, right?

Hopefully a pair of lungs
will come through soon.

Yeah.

Their founder,
a woman named Dakota Andrews,

claims that all illness is a
manifestation of stored trauma.

Hmm. Not a completely baseless idea.

We do know that
excess adrenaline, cortisol,

can cause all kinds of health issues.

Agreed, except that her proposed remedy

is a combination
of energy work, meditation,

and herbal teas she makes containing

God knows what...
no medicine, no surgery,

no diagnostic tests.

How did she start
to attract a following?

After she claimed to have cured
her own malignant meningioma.

Started going by the name Panacea
and posting her ideas online.

Happy to have a chat with Shayna,

but needless to say,
just because she has

a belief system at odds
with our treatment plan...

No, I know.

I don't think she lacks
decisional capacity.

And even if she does,
she's been heavily coached

to pass the test.

I was actually hoping you might know

something about deprogramming.

- What?
- Well, just, you know,

in practice,
historically speaking, anyway,

pretty horrifying tactic.

Usually starts off with kidnapping,

and then there's illegal imprisonment.

Yeah, no, I wasn't suggesting
we kidnap her.

Look, getting somebody to abandon

a deeply held belief system

is not typically a one-and-done idea,

but let me see where she's at.

Appreciate it.

[PENSIVE MUSIC]

The results of Dakota Andrews' head CT.

Subdural hematoma
with brainstem herniation.

Neurosurgery saw her,
said her exam is congruent

with brain death and supported
by the confirmatory testing.

They just moved her to the ICU.

Any family to notify?

An older brother who lives in Ohio.

He's on his way here to say goodbye,

and he's expressed a desire

to possibly donate his sister's organs.

Hey, uh... sorry.

Y'all mind keeping me posted
if the family decides

to go with organ donation?

I've got a patient up in the
ICU in dire need of new lungs.

- Sure thing.
- Yeah. Of course.

Great, thank you.

Hey, Zach?

Let me see Dakota's head CT again.

I just wanna look at something.

♪

They're ready.

Hey. What's going on?

We're heading up
to interventional radiology

- to angio his pelvis.
- FAST was negative?

Have you been transfusing him?

Obviously.

- [MACHINE BEEPING]
- BP 90 systolic.

His pressure's dropped before.

We just need to give him more blood.

No, change of plans.

We're taking him up to the OR.

We'll pack his pelvis,
get him resuscitated,

then we can go to IR.

I'll call upstairs.

Isn't the OR an unnecessary delay?

Mr. Acosta's been responding
well to blood and plasma.

Let's continue to resuscitate him in IR.

You don't wanna take
an unstable patient to IR.

Things start going south,
you're much better off

being in the operating room. Trust me.

Good judgment comes from experience.

Experience comes from bad judgment.

You should put that on a bumper sticker.

Let's go.

Hey.

Just got Mason's X-ray back.

Mm, good.

Greenstick fracture of the left humerus.

It need to be splinted,
but looks like it should heal

just fine on its own, right?

Correct.

Okay, then.

Why do you look like the sky is falling?

It's highly suspect
to see a humerus fracture

from a short fall.

What are you saying?

These types of fractures,
especially in babies,

typically come from
direct blunt-force trauma.

What?

We should loop in Ms. Goodwin.

♪

Hospital policy, not to mention the law,

mandates that we notify DCFS
in these situations.

But this is Sam and Michelle.

There's just... there's no way
that this is child abuse.

You can't say that
with 100% certainty, Hannah.

- None of us were there.
- And if we turn a blind eye

because it's Dr. Abram's family...

Look, I know how it looks.

It looks like preferential treatment

because he's the chief of neurosurgery.

And frankly, that's exactly
what it would be.

We all know how quickly
these investigations

can go off the rails.

- They could lose their baby.
- I agree.

It seems highly implausible
that Mrs. Abrams

did something intentional to Mason.

But she is also a sleep-deprived,

terrified new mother.

We have no idea
what's going on in her head.

We have to err on the side of caution.

Look, if you'd like,
I'll speak to the Abrams.

No, no, no. It should come from us.

We'll talk to them.

Thank you.

Went about as well as I expected,
so, you know, not great.

I mean, she thinks that Dakota
is this omnipotent being,

and everything she says is the truth,

and everything else is a lie.

Well, I think I might have
a way to break the spell,

prove to her that Dakota isn't
an all-powerful celestial being.

She didn't cure her malignant meningioma

with meditation and herbs.

She never had brain cancer.

You see Dakota's head CT from today?

No scar gliosis,
no evidence of past tumor.

Okay, just curious about
what this might have to do

with Shayna's care right now,
if anything.

If Shayna knew...

- Mitch, come on.
- Hey, I'll say it.

If there was ever an instance
to break HIPAA...

Because you might get away with it?

Because Dakota is gonna die,
and the truth is gonna die with her.

I dug deeper into this group,

and a lot of the people who follow HTS

have completely treatable illnesses

but are refusing care because of
this woman's dangerous brainwashing.

If we can get Shayna
to see that Dakota built HTS

- on nothing more than a lie...
- Need some help in here.

[TENSE MUSIC]

She tried to stand up
and had a dizzy spell.

Her blood pressure is
through the roof, 200/130.

And she won't allow us to
restart the phentolamine drip.

Shayna, you're having
a hypertensive crisis.

The pheo is releasing
massive amounts of epinephrine

into your bloodstream.

We need to give you something to bring

your blood pressure down,
or you're gonna have a stroke.

I don't want your poison.

♪

After the incision, you're gonna
make a nick in the fascia.

Then you're gonna put down the Kn*fe
and grab the electrocautery.

Elevate the fascia, pull out
the hematoma, and pack.

I know the steps.

Scalpel.

♪

Make sure you stay
out of the peritoneum.

Go on.

There you go.

Mr. Andrews?

Yes.

- I'm Dr. Charles.
- Hi.

First of all, I wanna offer
my very sincere condolences.

Thank you.

And I also understand that
you've agreed to organ donation.

That's an incredibly generous act.

At Dakota's core,
I think all she really wanted

was to help people.

She just went about it in the wrong way.

Kind of what I was hoping
to talk to you about today.

Do you mind if we sit?

I've been treating a young
woman who was in the crash

with your sister today.

One of her followers?

Yeah, very entrenched
in your sister's philosophy,

and as a consequence,
she's been refusing

life-saving treatment.

Oh, God.

When I first heard the story that Dakota

was peddling that she'd cured
her own brain cancer,

I thought it'd be obvious
that that couldn't be true.

I knew what she was saying
was dangerous,

that it could hurt people,

but our relationship
was already so tenuous.

I was afraid that if I confronted her...

You might lose your sister.

That's a really difficult
position to be in.

She had a lot of demons.

But I loved...

[PENSIVE MUSIC]

I loved her very much.

And now here I am, losing her forever.

I'm so sorry that it's
too late to help your sister.

But if you're willing,
I think that it might not be

too late to help this young woman.

You can't be serious.

Look, we're not
accusing you of anything.

- This is just protocol...
- What a load of...

yes, you are.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Get Mason. We're leaving now.

You know we can't let you leave.

It's gotta be cleared by DCFS first.

Is that everything?

Let's go.

Move aside, or I will move you.

Sam.

Come on. Don't do this.
Please, don't make us call security.

Honey, I don't know.

♪

I can't believe you're
doing this to my family.

♪

Mr. Acosta's wife is
asking for an update.

What should I tell her?

Soon as Kai finishes packing,
we'll close and take him to IR,

so hopefully any day now.

Gentlemen, temp's down to 96.8.

Gotta move faster, Kai.

Yeah, I'm trying. [MACHINE BEEPING]

Pressure's down.

How much blood has he had?

Four pack cells, four plasma.

- Any platelets?
- Not yet.

All right, give him a dose of platelets
and start him on pressors.

Come on, Kai! Hurry up!

If I'm not moving
fast enough, do it yourself.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Step away from the table right now.

Gladly.

♪

All right, come on. Focus, guys.

We're not done yet.

Shayna?

There's somebody here
who would like to talk to you.

This is Josh, Dakota's brother.

Why are you here?

I'm afraid.

My sister's not gonna make it.

No.

No.

Unfortunately, Shayna, Dakota suffered

a catastrophic brain injury
in the crash.

She can heal herself.

She's done it before.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪

I really wish that were true.

Smart move, pulling in someone

who isn't bound by HIPAA.

I figured the last thing
you needed was another lawsuit.

You think he'll be able
to get through to her?

I don't know.
I mean, I certainly hope so.

[KNOCKS]

Checking to see if
there's anything you need.

♪

Can we talk somewhere private?

Yeah, of course. Come here.

Hannah...

I lied.

Okay.

I was just so scared that if
I said what actually happened...

please, they cannot
take Mason away from Sam.

He hasn't done anything wrong.

- This is all my fault.
- Okay, okay.

- It's all my fault.
- Just take a deep breath.

We're gonna figure this out, okay?

- Just, just...
- What have I done?

Tell me what really happened.

♪

I was... oh, God.

I was doing work in bed
on my laptop this morning.

You know, I've been working from home

since Mason was born, and...

he woke up from his nap early,
and he was crying,

so I brought him into bed with me.

And he was on my chest.

I swear to God, I don't even
remember my eyes closing,

and the next thing I know, he's crying.

And he's just not on my chest anymore,

and I'm on my side,

and Mason is on the hardwood floor,

and my laptop is on top of him.

Michelle, Michelle, hey.

Hey, that was an accident.

[SOBBING]

Hey, what's going on?

Hey, honey. What...

- I'm sorry.
- Sweetheart.

- Honey, what is it?
- It's my fault.

What is it? No, no, no. Talk to me.

It's my fault.

Oh, baby, no, no, no.

It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay.

- Crockett.
- Hey.

Hey. Mr. Acosta's doing well.

He's on his way to IR now.

Great. Hey, what was that back there?

What do you mean?

Were you trying
to break Kai's confidence?

Come on, Maggie.

The patient was crashing,
and Kai's got confidence

- to spare, all right?
- I was there.

- It wasn't a crisis point.
- Yet.

I needed to gain control
of the situation,

and quickly, all right?

Well, maybe Kai was having
problems picking up his pace

because he couldn't concentrate.

You were breathing down his neck.

Is this even about Kai?

What's that supposed to mean?

You think that
you were too lax with Zola?

Clearly, I was too lax with Zola.

I gave her an inch, and she took a mile.

I'm gonna make sure
that doesn't happen again.

Whoa.

I really like Zola, but this
wasn't her first rodeo.

This was her third residency.

And I don't think the problem
was your supervision

or your lack thereof.

You're not responsible
for her poor decisions.

And neither is Kai.

So don't take it out on him.

♪

- How's it going in there?
- Good.

I mean, good given
where it could have gone.

Gastern agrees it was an accident,

but DCFS need to do a home visit

before they can close the investigation,

and Michelle has to attend
a mandatory parenting class.

[SIGHS]

Yeah.

Man, if Michelle had just told the truth

from the beginning, she could
have avoided all of this.

Mm.

Lies always catch up to you.

I told one today to Margo.

It was a lie of omission, really.

Okay. Why do you think you did that?

Well, same as Michelle.

I didn't want her
to think I was a bad parent.

So she asked me if I remembered
Sean's first heartbreak.

And I made some glib remark, you know.

But the truth is...

I had no idea. I wasn't there.

My advice?

[SIGHS] If you must.

You're gonna have to show her
who you are eventually.

Mm.

It's called being vulnerable.

You can't have a real
relationship without it.

Let her see you, Dean,
your warts and all.

[CROWD CLAMORING]

Dr. Charles.

Hey, I just wanted to let you know

that Shayna agreed to be admitted

and put back on a phentolamine drip.

Oh, excellent news.

Yeah, that should
keep her in the hospital

for at least a couple of days,
hopefully enough time

to get her stabilized
and on board with surgery.

I'll make sure somebody
from inpatient psych's

- assigned to her case.
- Yeah, great.

I wonder if the rest of the followers
will ever figure it out.

Who knows?

See you later.

Oh, what did you, um...

what did you decide about the lawsuit?

Sharon said that you were taking

the rest of the day to figure it out...

if you don't mind me asking.

Look, I think settling
is all but inevitable.

Kalmick said it'd be
my word against Pawel, so...

Of course, right?

A respected physician's word
against a con man's?

Apparently, juries are unpredictable.

Sure, but I mean, a grifter like Pawel?

I mean, it shouldn't
be that hard to poke holes

in this guy's credibility,
I'm telling you.

I mean, for instance, he's got
a major gambling problem.

There's your motive right there.

- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.

Last year, Lili lost
the down payment to a house

paying off his gambling debts.

- Really?
- Really.

I mean, the guy's a fricking menace.

And he's gonna continue to be a menace

until he gets a message that, you know,

you just can't use other people
as pawns.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

Well, then, it sounds like
it's time he got that message.

♪

That is one sparkly
birthday girl sweater.

- You look fabulous.
- Thank you.

[DOORBELL RINGS]

Oh, I wonder who that could be.

- You better get it quick.
- Leave me alone.

Leave me alone.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Ready to meet everyone?

- You bet.
- [LAUGHS]

Everyone, this is Dennis.

Hey there.

Hi, Michael.

- And Tara.
- Hi.

I'm a hugger. Is that okay?

Oh, please.

Hi.

Hey, Bert. Nice to meet you.

You too.

Sorry, remind me...

- Dennis.
- Dennis.

Okay, got it now.

And who's that for?

Well, actually, it's something

for you and the birthday boy.

Oh!

Yeah, it's something that Sharon told me

that Isaiah liked to do
with his grandpa.

Wow.

Where is the birthday boy?

Oh, he partied a little too hard,

so he's already knocked out upstairs.

[LAUGHTER]

You wanna open?

- Go ahead. Go ahead.
- Okay.

Tear it open.

- [LAUGHS]
- Aww.

He loves blocks.

- Thank you.
- Oh, wow.

Grandpa loves to build him tall towers.

And Isaiah likes to knock them down.

And so does Grandpa.

[LAUGHTER]

Thank you.

[SENTIMENTAL MUSIC]

♪

[WHISPERING] I told you so.

- Oh, hey.
- Trisha, um...

I'm sorry, but I actually can't

put in a good word with Loren.

Um, okay.

Oh, I see.

Mm-hmm.

So when are you gonna make your move?

Oh, I hadn't really thought about it.

You should, because Loren
is a catch, Maggie.

And if not me, it'll be
someone else who snaps him up.

♪

[PENSIVE MUSIC]

♪

Don't do that.

Don't time yourself.

Why not?

Because your pace is just fine.

Really.

If you rush, you'll get sloppy,
start to make mistakes.

All right.

- Dr. Marcel?
- Yeah?

I wanted to let you know,

unfortunately, Dakota wasn't a
donor match for Carson Miller.

I'm assuming he's your patient.

Yeah, he is.

Well, good news is,

he's top of the transplant list.

Hopefully there'll be a match soon.

- Yeah.
- Thanks, Zach.

Mm-hmm.

♪

By the way, does Sean know
that we're seeing each other?

I haven't said anything, and I just...

I didn't know if he knew yet.

He does, and he's very much
in favor of it.

Okay, okay, good.

That is a relief, 'cause I know
how close you guys are.

Yeah, Sean and I are...

we're close, at least now.

There was a period of time,
almost 15 years,

where we weren't.

And actually, we didn't talk at all.

Yeah.

Wow, I mean, Sean,
he never said anything.

He's probably trying to
protect me, your opinion of me.

So what happened?

I tried for years...

his mother and I both tried
for years to get him off dr*gs,

and he wouldn't quit using.

And I finally cut him off,

told him to get back in touch
when he was clean.

And 15 years goes by.

What are you thinking about?

Honestly?

Yeah.

I just... I can't imagine anything else

Melissa could do that would

make me stop speaking to them.

Single greatest regret of my life.

I know, that's a red flag. I get it.

Well... [SIGHS]

Hold on a second.

I was going to say

that I have never dealt
with addiction as a parent.

So I... I don't know what I would do

if there were to ever come
a point where...

To give up on your kid?

There's no excuse for what I did.

And I'm not making any.

I see the way you show up
for Sean, and it's beautiful.

And it's one of the reasons I was so...

drawn to you.

And now?

Yeah, I'm not seeing any red flags here.

♪

- I do okay?
- Better than okay.

Tara's already pulled me aside
to gush over you.

Good to see you.

You get home safe now.

Oh, you too, Bert.
I hope to see you again soon.

Yeah. Hon, look, I'm tired.

I'm gonna go to bed.

I'll leave the light on for you.

Hey, Dad.

If you're tired, let's just
get you home, okay?

Yeah, I'll pull up the car.

Get me home? I am home.

Dad, this is Mom's house.

Best not to contradict.

Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait.

What are you talking about,
this is Mom's house?

She's my wife. This is my house too.

Why don't we go sit down
on the couch for a moment?

I don't wanna have a seat on the couch.

I'm tired! I wanna go to bed!

Is everything okay, Bert?

I don't know what they're saying
that this isn't my house.

They're trying to steal it from me!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bert. Come on, now.

I want all of you out of my house, now!

I think if we just go sit down...

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪

Okay.

- Can you...
- Yes, yes, of course.

- Get your hands off me.
- You're okay, Bert.

- You're okay.
- It's okay.

Let go! Let go of me!

You're okay, Dad. You're okay.

Come on. Come on.

All right, just sit down.

It's okay.

Bert...

let's sing your favorite song, huh?

♪ Each day through my window ♪

♪ I watch her as she passes by ♪

♪ I say to myself ♪

♪ You're such a lucky guy ♪

Sing with me, baby.

BOTH: ♪ To have a girl like her ♪

♪ Is truly a dream come true ♪

♪ Out of all the fellas in the world ♪

♪ She belongs to you ♪

You remember this song.

BOTH: ♪ But it was just my imagination ♪

♪ Once again ♪

BOTH: ♪ Running away with me ♪

There you go.

♪ It was

ALL: ♪ Just my imagination ♪

♪ Running away with me ♪

Hmm?

Yeah?

This isn't my house.

No.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

We're not married?

No, but it's okay.

- Uh-huh.
- It's okay.

[SOBBING]

It's okay.

♪