We open at the Browns'. Delia is telling Treat over dinner that she has to, just HAS TO, go to sleepaway camp, because there are trees and hiking, and EVERYBODY is going, and if she misses it? She'll be a social pariah! Treat tells her they have trees and hiking in Everwood, and asks her if she even knows what a "pariah" is. Delia: "I don't even know what 'social' is, just please let me go, I'm begging." Ephram comes in and asks if they've finished eating already. Treat says there's still some left, and he could heat it up. Ephram says he'll get something later. Delia tries to get Ephram to back her up about going to sleepaway camp. Ephram says he never went. Delia looks at Treat. "And look what happened to him!" Treat says that's the first decent argument she's made all night. Heh. Treat directs Ephram to some mail that came for him. It's his tickets to London. A...real ticket? On...paper? How very last century. I find it hard to believe that Ephram wouldn't have ordered an e-ticket, but then we wouldn't have had this little exchange. Ephram says he thought he'd start off in a country where he at least spoke the language. Delia can't believe Ephram is going all the way to London, which is way farther than Camp Wookama. That may be an incorrect spelling; my closed-captioning is on the blink, by which I mean, I ain't got none on this here set. Treat cracks that London is also not half as much fun to say. Delia bets he'll be gone a lot longer than six weeks, too. Ephram says he's not sure how long he'll be there. Delia's all, "What do you mean you don't know? Look at your ticket, duh." Aw. Ephram explains that it's an open-ended ticket, so he can just come back whenever he wants -- and he's leaving Friday. Delia gets kind of sad. Treat's like, "This Friday? What about graduation?" Ephram asks what about it. Delia pouts her way out of the room. Treat tells him he might want to talk to his sister. Ephram, uncharacteristically, is all, "Oh, she'll be fine. Walk it off, Delia!" Man. Treat gives Ephram a look, and says he's surprised. Ephram: "Do I look like somebody who wants to be walking around in a giant silk robe in public?" Hee. Treat says he just figured Ephram would want to be here, with everything going on at the Abbotts'. Ephram has no idea what this means. Treat has to tell Ephram that Rose has cancer. Ephram finally looks concerned about someone besides himself. Credits.
When we come back, a car with vanity plates reading "Papa Joy" is parked behind the diner. Nina sees this as she pulls up, and sighs, "Oh, great." She walks into the diner, which is full of men moving things out and unhooking pipes and whatnot. Papa Joy, who turns out to be Long Duk Dong, breaks the news to Nina: the diner is closing. Nina is way more upset about this than our tiny Chinese friend, who tells her he just bought a way cool condo in Vegas, and she should get in while the getting's good. He gives her a severance package of two weeks' pay, plus tips from the night before. Gee. "Thanks." Nina thanks him, and he says, "Don't tell the others, okay? All I got them was a gift certificate from Pier 1." Ha! Nina nods, and stands behind the counter defeatedly.
We're treated to an outside shot of a hospital bearing the sign "Medical Center." I'd say that's kind of like going to Texaco and finding they've changed the name to "Gas Station." Patch and the rest of the Abbotts, including Edna and Irv, wander around the waiting room. Bright wonders how long they're going to keep his mom in there. Edna rubs Amy's back, and says she doesn't even know how long they've been there. Amy: "FOREVER." Irv, who has just gotten off his cell phone, walks over and tells Edna that "the New York office" loved his book. "Apparently, they think I'm ironic." Aw. Amy asks if that means his book is getting published. Irv says it's looking like it. Patch sees Rose being wheeled out by her oncologist, and rushes to her side. He asks what the tests showed. Rose looks past him, and asks Amy to take her to the vending machine -- she says she saw a root beer earlier, and has been craving one ever since. Amy asks her if she's sure she can have it, with all the carbonation and everything. Bright jumps up and practically knocks Amy out of the way, all, "God! I'll take her myself." Amy starts pushing fast, whining that she was just asking. They take off for the vending machines, and Patch asks the doctor how bad it is. It's not good -- the tumor grew instead of shrinking like it should have, and is also now pressing against Rose's spinal cord and nerves, which is causing the numbness in her legs. They need to find a specialist to remove it, the doctor says, because the risks have increased. Patch says they'll schedule an appointment to work out all the specifics. Bright and Amy wheel Rose back in, arguing over who gets to give Rose the top to her root beer. Patch takes the wheel while Amy and Bright give each other dirty looks, which would be awful if it weren't so sad. Everyone files out except for Bright, who turns and stops the oncologist. He shakes her hand and tearfully thanks her. IT KILLS ME.
Back at the now-closed diner, Treat bemoans the fate of small-business Everwood with Nina and Dimples. Nina tells the other two to shut it, as they've been there maybe three years combined. Treat says that doesn't mean they can't appreciate the history -- didn't she and Shutup Carl have their first date in the diner? Nina: "Thank you for bringing up the gay husband, because I wasn't depressed enough about my new-found unemployment." Dimples and Treat assure her that she's going to be just fine. Nina tells them to call her in three weeks when the mortgage is due. Treat and Dimples both jump in with offers to help. Nina says that's not what she meant. Treat insists that he wants to help. Nina reminds him that she didn't let him pay for her lawyers last year, and she's certainly not going to let him pay for her house; it's charity. Treat says she can just think of it as a loan. Dimples gets in on it now: "She said she doesn't need your help." Treat: "I wasn't talking to you." Nina tells them both to stop it, because she doesn't need this damsel-in-distress crap right now. Indeed.
Over at the Abbott house, Hannah stands in front of the refrigerator and commands Topher to hand her an apple pie. He says he's got cherry, peach, and rhubarb, drops one on the floor, and amends, "Uh...I've got cherry and rhubarb." Poor Topher. Hannah explains that she's trying to create a system for the Abbotts, so they won't even have to think about it when they're hungry. "They can just reach in and grab." Topher says how impressed he is with Hannah's extraordinary organizational skills. Hannah: "This is no time for flirty talk." Hee. The Abbotts come home and take in the massive amounts of food stacked up on their kitchen counter. Patch can't believe it. "We've been gone for all of twelve hours. Did somebody run an ad in the Pinecone?" Topher lets out a huge guffaw, complete with snorting. Bright: "You congested or something, dude? If you're sick you shouldn't be here." Oh, Bright. That's hot. Hannah says Topher just snorts when he's nervous. Bright is not impressed, and says he's going upstairs. Rose says she'll join him, but then remembers she can't get upstairs by herself. Bright picks his mother up out of the wheelchair and carries her upstairs. Hannah, who has rightly decided that this move is hotter than fire, burns a hole in his back with her incredulous staring. Topher snaps her out of it by saying that they should go. Hannah tells Amy and Patch to call if they need anything. As they walk out, Patch calls, "Thank you, Brian." Topher: "Oh, it's Topher." Patch: "Yeah, I don't care." Brilliant. When they're gone, Amy asks her dad if she needs to pick up her cap and gown, because she was thinking maybe they shouldn't go. Patch tells her to quit being ridiculous; they've both been looking forward to her graduation. Amy asks what
the doctor said. Patch lies that everything's going to be fine, and not to worry. Amy, who is no dummy, says softly, "Dad." Patch tells her much too cheerfully that Rose bought a new outfit just for this occasion, and will be very mad if she doesn't get to wear it. Amy says okay, she was just making sure. Patch tells her to get some rest. She goes up to her room and lies down in bed with her clothes on. Her phone rings, which she checks and ignores. Fade to Ephram on the other end of the line, listening sadly to the ringing. Commercials.We come back to Nina, working on her computer at home. Dimples walks in with a bag of groceries, all, "You're on the computer already? It's not even eight!" Nina says she's been up since five doing damage control, and according to Quicken, she'll be completely broke by July. Dimples gives her a huge smile, and asks, "Remember when Brian was here?" Nina: "Your brother who told you to dump me? Nope, didn't make an impression at all." Dimples agrees that his dating advice was ass, but he was right about one thing -- his investments are pathetic, and one of Brian's recommendations was real estate. He pulls out some papers and announces that he made an offer last night. Nina looks at the papers. "You bought Mama Joy's?" Dimples says he bought the building that used to be Mama Joy's, so now it can be anything he wants. He asks her if she happens to know anyone with some restaurant experience. Nina says excitedly, "You mean a waitress?" Dimples replies, "I mean to run the place, Blondie." Nina jumps up and hugs her awesome boyfriend. She tells him she is so ready for this, and has tons of ideas. Dimples says he knows, and wants to hear every one of them, but first they need coffee. Nina puts down the coffee he's just offered her, and says, "Yeah, that's second. First is...upstairs." Dimples: "So happy." Nina takes his hand and pulls him to where the hot lovin' is. They're so cute.
Ephram and Bright are at the drugstore. Ephram asks if there's anything he can do. Bright tells him to go to Europe, and send lots of postcards. The pharmacist tells Bright his prescriptions are ready. Bright picks up the numerous bags and asks if they're all for his mom. They are, and Bright gets teary. Ephram asks if he's all right. Bright says he's fine: "I just can't stop crying, man. God, I feel like a frickin' girl." Ephram says that's probably normal. Bright says it would help if he weren't the only one at his house doing it. Ephram asks how Amy's taking it. Bright says she was really upset at first, but now it's like nothing -- she's either in shock, or just really cold. He says Hannah explained how people go through the different stages of grief differently. Ephram: "Oh, yeah? Hannah?" Bright grins a little bit, all, "Don't start with me, man." He admits that ever since they talked about it, he can't even look at the girl without his upstairs talking to his downstairs. Heeee. Ephram: "Meaning you like her, and you'd like to make out with her." Bright: "Yeaaaah. How sick is that?" Ephram thinks it's awesome; he just has to say something. Bright says he can't tell her anything, with that damn church-monkey glued to her hip at all times. He worries that, even if Hannah was into him before, she probably isn't now. "Luckily, my mom does have cancer, so it keeps my mind off things." He can't believe he just said that. Ephram tells him it's allowed, and changes the subject to how he's tried to call Amy several times, but she hasn't called him back. Bright states the obvious: "Huh. Maybe you should stop calling her." Ephram says maybe, but looks unconvinced.
Abbott/Brown Office. Rose's oncologist walks in, and Treat asks if he can help her. She introduces herself as "Dr. Chao," which...need I even say it? Who cares, I'll say it anyway: Shout! Out! Treat greets Dr. Chao with great respect and admiration, and tells her how honored he is to meet such a beautiful and talented young recapper. He then proposes and gives her a great big diamond. Ahem. Patch comes out of his office, where he and Rose have been waiting for this legend in the making. Wait, no, that's me. I keep getting confused. Dr. Chao suggests that perhaps Treat would like to sit in for a consult, as three heads are always better than two. Patch says of course, and they go in to talk with Rose. Dr. Chao asks Rose how she's feeling. Rose says she's fine, although she'd heard that hers was the Mercedes of wheelchairs, but frankly, her ass is numb from all the sitting. She adds, "I can say 'ass.' I have cancer." Heh. Patch informs Rose that Treat will be sitting in on the meeting. Treat promises Rose he won't say anything unless it's really smart. Rose giggles, and they get down to business. Dr. Chao shows them Rose's scan and points out where the tumor has grown, and talks about having it surgically removed. Patch asks if surgery is their only option. Dr. Chao starts to say it's not necessarily their only possibility, but Rose interrupts, "I want it OUT." Dr. Chao says the surgery will be tricky because of the location of the tumor. Rose doesn't care; she wants the thing cut out of her as fast as humanly possible. Dr. Chao says that's good, because that was going to be her recommendation anyway. Their first order of business, she says, will be finding the best surgeon they can. Rose asks, "What about Dr. Brown?" Patch and Treat both agree that that's not a good idea. Treat stands up to get a better look at the scan. He tells them they'll want "Henry Valedor." Dr. Chao says that's exactly who she was thinking of. Treat says he's the best there is, then starts saying some crazy medical talk about Rose's spine, which you can tell Rose thinks is kind of hot. We all do, Mrs. Abbott. Treat says he'll call the specialist and see what he can do. Dr. Chao suggests they get it set up as quickly as possible. Treat smiles kindly at Rose, then walks the good Dr. Chao out. Rose picks up a family picture from Patch's desk, and tells him they should call their lawyers. Patch asks why they need to do that. Rose: "I'd like to update my will." Poignant Piano of Sad Cancer Dying plays us into the scene.
Diner. Nina and Dimples are arguing about whether they should keep the old booths from Mama Joy's. Nina says they're retro, and cool, and they can just re-cover them. The contractor they're meeting with says that's actually not a good idea, as their frames are shot too. Nina looks disappointed, but moves on to her decision -- she wants to keep the counters, cover them with granite, and turn them into a bar. Dimples is like, "Granite? Kind of pricey, ain't it?" Nina asks him if he wants it to look like the same old run-down diner it was before. Dimples: "You're the one who wanted to keep the booths." Nina says that's different, and they're still bickering when the contractor tells them the grease trap is out of code, and they'll also have to rebuild the bathrooms and exits. "But I'm sure you've got all that in your rehab budget. Right?" Nina and Dimples exchange looks that say they do, as a matter of fact, not got that.
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Abbott House. Amy is watching a cooking show when there's a knock on the door. It's Ephram, who's having no trouble returning to his stalky ways. He tells Amy he called, lots, and she didn't call back, so he just came over. Amy: "Interesting way to interpret my not calling you back." Ephram says he came over to see if she was okay. Amy says she's fine. Ephram tells her she can't be "fine." Amy says she is; her dad said they caught it in time, so everything is going to be okay. Ephram: "Really. Because Bright said it was Stage 2B." Amy insists that that's still in time, if not exactly early. Ephram says he knows they broke up, and things are weird, but she's still his best friend, and he would never leave her alone at a time like this. Amy asks him if he's leaving for London on Friday. Ephram says he was, but if she needs him he can change his flight, or cancel the trip altogether. Amy tells him he should definitely go, even though she appreciates the offer. "I just don't need ya, you know?" Ephram gets it, and lets himself out. Amy goes back to watching her cooking show. Today's featured recipe: Denial.
Nina's. She and Dimples are getting ready for bed. Nina asks him what was up with all the comments and suggestions earlier that day. Dimples says it was nothing, just comments and suggestions. Nina thought he wanted her to run the place. Dimples says he does. Nina: "Maybe we have different definitions, because I thought 'run the place' meant 'making decisions.'" She gets all pissy about him not trusting her instincts, and second-guessing everything she said. Dimples says that's not how he meant it, but he's also not just going to sit back and be quiet if he thinks she's making a mistake. Nina's like, "Well, maybe this isn't such a good idea." Dimples surprises the shit out of her when he answers that yeah, she might be right. Hey, Neen, don't say it if you don't mean it. Dimples says he doesn't know if either one of them is equipped to deal with this -- they shouldn't risk their relationship over this, so getting someone else to run the restaurant is probably smarter. Nina clearly disagrees, but says nothing. Dimples says he's going to interview some people and see who comes up with the best plan. Nina can't believe he doesn't trust her to run the place, and is already giving up. Dimples says he just didn't want something like what is happening right now to happen all the time. Nina pouts that it's totally fine, and turns off the light. Dimples sighs deeply. Bunch of babies.
Treat waits in Rose's hospital room with her. He asks if he can get her some water or something, but Rose says she can wait for Patch to get back with the good coffee. Another doctor, who must be the special fancy surgeon, brisks into the room. Rose tells him it's nice to meet him, which he ignores. He asks her a bunch of medical questions. Rose tries to answer as best she can while the doctor cuts her off and studies her chart. Treat introduces himself, and Dr. Valedor brushes him off, too, all, "You're a lot older than I expected." Look here, VALEDOR, that's our beloved Treat you're abusing. He turns back to Rose and tells her he can squeeze her in week. Lord. He says "Chao" wants to do a few more tests, but she better do them fast, because he'll be out of town after Wednesday. Rose bravely asks what she can expect from the surgery. Valedor rushes through survival rates, which are good, assuming the chemo goes well afterwards. Rose is like, "Wait, so...that means...?" Valedor answers, as if to a small child, "Che-mo. Another round. Post-op." I hate him. He also tells Rose that she'll need another procedure to install a portacath underneath her collarbone. The more he talks, the more terrified Rose looks, and he finally finishes speed-talking and walks out. Treat assures Rose that it's part of a surgeon's training to talk fast and sound as scary as possible. Rose: "He must have graduated top of his class." Treat tells Rose that he's there to answer any questions she might have. Rose asks him if he'll be in the room for the surgery. Treat says he will if she wants him to be. Rose does, for sure. He sits down to her and starts explaining in his gentle way that the port isn't nearly as scary as it sounds. Treat rocks.
Over at the diner building, Dimples is entertaining two old men who want to turn Mama Joy's into a gym/strip club. One of the old guys is like, "Hey, a guy's on a treadmill for an hour, why not give him something nice to look at?" Hee. Dimples thanks them, and is ready to see them out when Nina arrives. Dimples tells her he just has one more appointment after this. Nina, decked out in a suit and heels, tells him she is his appointment, dumb-ass. Dimples is all, "Marcy Matthews? That's...oh, sneaky. I like that." Nina sits down all business-like and lays out her plan for him. She tells him that she knows food, and she knows this town, and she can make this work if he'll just let her have a chance. Plus, she says, she wants to be someone he can be proud of. He says he is proud of her. Nina says she's not -- not yet, but she needs his help. Dimples considers this for about two seconds, and stands up to shake her hand. "You've got yourself a deal, Ms. Feeney." Aw. Nina tells him he won't be sorry. Nina asks if she can have a kiss now. Dimples jokes that he doesn't know; she might sue him for sexual harassment. Nina throws caution to the wind and plants one on him anyway.
Ephram is in his room, packing. Treat comes to the door and asks if he needs a ride to the airport in the morning. Ephram declines and says he'll take the shuttle. Treat places a wrapped gift on his bed and tells him it's a graduation present. Ephram says he didn't have to do that. Treat: "It's not from me. She bought that years ago." He explains that he had a patient once, a woman in her late thirties with kids, who didn't make it through her aneurysm surgery. After that, Julia was devastated and couldn't stop thinking about these three kids growing up without a mom, so she started planning -- buying little things and wrapping them, just in case. Treat told her she was being morbid, but Julia said it never hurt to have a backup plan. "I just never thought anything bad would happen to her. Wasn't part of my plan, you know?" Ephram says he does, and thanks Treat kindly, for the first time in a while. Commercials.
We come back to Delia, who's in her room looking up "Trivia and Facts About England" on the internet. Ephram walks by and asks if he can come in. Delia quickly shuts the lid of her fancy laptop, and nods yes. He sits on the bed across from her and tells her that, first of all, this is not goodbye. Delia asks why he has his backpack, then. Ephram says okay, technically it's goodbye, but they're still going to talk all the time. He tells her he's not just talking about email, either -- he's going to send postcards, and she has to watch out for them. Delia says she will, and asks him if he'll even be back for Thanksgiving. Ephram says he doesn't know yet; he could lie and say yes, but one of the things he learned this year is that lying just to make somebody feel better doesn't work. Delia: "What about the lies that happen when you don't say anything at all?" Ephram says those suck, too, then realizes what she's saying. Delia says she knows something bad happened. "I know you hate him. I just don't know why." Ephram promises that one day he will tell her. Delia sighs, "When I'm ready." Ephram: "No. When I'm ready. You could handle it, you're stronger than you look. Me? Eh." Sniff. Delia asks him if it still hurts too much. Ephram says it's something like that. Delia just wants to know one thing: Is he like the most horrible dad in the world? "Because maybe I should hate him, too." Oh, man. Ephram says no, not at all. He's a good dad, even with everything that's happened, and he has a good heart. "Promise me something. Just...listen to him, all right? Do what he says. Take care of him for me." Delia promises, and star
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ts to cry. Ephram kisses her on the head and leaves before he can get in on the waterworks. It's too late for your recapper.Treat's office. He's getting ready to leave, when Rose wheels herself in and makes a comment about doctors and their crazy hours. Treat admits he's playing hooky today, and doesn't think Patch is coming in at all. Rose says she and Bright were running some errands, and she asked him to drop her off for a minute. Treat asks her what's up. Rose says she was wondering about that friend of his, the one he used to work with. Treat says Triple D is as cranky as ever, but doing fine. Rose is like, "That's great. But...he's better since the surgery? I remember it was a pretty complicated operation." Treat realizes what Rose is getting at, and she says she just doesn't like this other guy. "He hasn't spent twenty minutes with me, and now he's going to gut me like a fish without so much as a how-do-you-do." Treat says his bedside manner is pretty standard for most surgeons. Rose says she's not interested in most surgeons; she doesn't mean to make this difficult for him, but... Treat says he can't perform her surgery. Rose says she can take care of Patch. Treat says he's not worried about that -- he's much too close to her. Rose argues that he operated on Triple D, because he cared. Treat: "I operated on Colin because I cared. It's not a recipe for success." Rose isn't having it. She says she doesn't have any idea what's going to happen to her, and she's terrified, and maybe Dr. Valedor is the right surgeon for the job, but..."I truly believe that you're the right surgeon for me." Treat asks why. "Because you love my family as much as I do," says Rose. "For that alone, I'd trust you with my life." God, the crying. It's here again.
Nina's house. Dimples comes in with bad news: he doesn't know if he'll be able to get the loan for the building. It's his fault, he says, because he overpaid for his place in Everwood, and with that and all his other bills, he's overextended. "Ugh, I'm such a house whore." Hee. Nina says they'll figure something out. Dimples says it's just frustrating, and he thought once he sold his house in L.A., money wouldn't be a problem anymore. Nina's like, "Whoa. You sold the house in L.A.?" Dimples doesn't realize the importance of what he's just told her, and blithely talks about how easy it was with the housing market being what it is in L.A. right now. Nina tears up. She says she doesn't even care about the stupid restaurant. "You're really here. You don't have a backup plan." Dimples says of course he is, what did she think? Nina says she didn't know. Dimples says he feels like he let her down. Nina: "Are you kidding? You just made my year." Aw. Dimples tells her she's easy. Nina has an idea all of a sudden. She asks him to move in with her, then is afraid she's freaking him out, it's too soon, blah blah. Dimples is like, "No, none of that." Love him. He asks her what happens if the restaurant thing still doesn't work out. Nina says she's not asking him for some damn business reasons, she's asking because she loves him, and Sam does too. Dimples thinks this is a fine idea. Nina says there would have to be some ground rules. "You can't use my hair products." That's my kind of woman, right there. Hands off the Control Paste, buddy. Nina tells him that he can't leave the espresso pods in the machine, either. Dimples is like, "Fine, no razors on your armpits." Nina asks if that grosses him out. Dimples says no, he just needed something. They kiss. It's on.
Abbott House. Patch closes the door softly on Rose's bedroom. Amy meets him in the hall, all decked out in her graduation gown. Patch tells her she looks radiant. Amy says they should probably get going. Patch says he's ready, but breaks the news that Rose isn't going. "She's sleeping, sweetheart. She just got so tired all of a sudden. I just don't think we should wake her." Amy looks disappointed, but says no, of course not. Patch says Bright's going to stay there in case she needs something. "But you and I," he says as brightly as he can, "we can still..." And then, my friends, Patch Abbott's face breaks wide open with grief. Amy starts crying, too. "Dad." Patch says he doesn't even know what he's saying anymore, and he's so sorry. Amy hugs him for a long time. The world cries with them.
An airplane. Ephram sits still in his seat for a while, then opens the gift Treat gave him. It's a copy of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!, and if I were you, I'd just go ahead and keep those tissues out. On the inside is an inscription Julia wrote all those years ago. "My dearest Ephram," Julia voice-overs, "I've been sitting here for the last half hour simply imagining you, wondering what you must be thinking right now, what you must be feeling, how handsome you must look in your cap and gown."
We cut to the graduation. An announcer's voice calls out Amy's name. Ephram's letter continues, "If you're thinking about me, stop. Send a kiss to the sky, and then focus on what's coming towards you." Cut to the Abbotts', where everyone watches Amy walk down the stairs in their own impromptu graduation ceremony. Rose cheers joyfully, along with the rest of the family. "I'm entwined in your past, your present, and your future -- you needn't pause to look for me." We cut again to the graduation. Ephram's name is called, although of course he isn't there to walk across the stage. Treat is there, even so, cheering in the stands. Julia: "Don't waste time with regret. Spin wildly into your action. Enjoy the present -- each moment, as it comes -- because you will never get another one quite like it. And if you should ever look up and find yourself lost, simply take a breath and start over. Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart, where your hope lives. You'll find your way again. Love, Mom." Ephram looks out his window at the clouds rushing by, and we fade to...hey, look at that...white. A caption tells us it's "to be continued..." See you week, then, my fellow crybabies.
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