Previously, on Gideon's Crossing: A scary someone sends Ollie flowers. Billy Dee Williams has lung cancer. Gideon tries some experimental drug therapy for said lung cancer. Joanne flies back to Dr. Cooper. She hasn't seen her husband in a while and --gasp -- she's pregnant.
Ambulance bay, slow motion, horrible New Age keyboard music plays. You can hear a heartbeat in the background. Ellenor "Baby, It's You!" Frutt is breathing heavily as she's being carried in on a gurney. Jimmy "The Lump" Berluti is telling her to relax. As the ambulance attendants roll her through the halls of the hospital, Ellenor cries, "Jimmy! I can't lose the baby." She is reassured by Jimmy that she's in the best hospital in Boston, and that they'll take good care of her there. The Lump insists that they need to find "her doctor." Ambulance Guy asks who the doctor is; Jimmy fumbles around the name for a while, scrunches up his face, pulls out some of his huge, unkempt hair, mumbles something about the Bible, and Ellenor sputters, "It's Gideon. Ben Gideon." Jimmy screams into the madding crowd, "Excuse me! I need Dr. Gideon." Ollie starts walking beside the gurney, introduces herself as "Dr. Klein," and asks if The Lump is said bambino's father. Jimmy snarks, "Listen. I just need Dr. Gideon." Ollie tells Jimmy to calm the freak down. The entire crew is now walking down an incredibly long corridor to the emergency room. Jimmy shouts, "Not you. Him. Now." The emergency has turned Jimmy into a grunting, shouting Neanderthal man. A doctor who looks like Lenny Kravitz climbs onto the hokey-pokey line traveling down the hallways and asks if there's a problem. Which there is, of course -- Jimmy just wants Dr. Gideon. Now. He will find him his own damn self. Dr. Non-Lenny Non-Kravitz is sarcastic: "You can go poke around over in the lab." Lump: "Where's that?" But "Gideon could also be teaching over in the medical school." Or he could be with a patient on any one of the five floors in the hospital.
Finally, after ten freaking minutes, they actually reach the exam room. Dr. Boies (Non-Lenny Non-Kravitz) throws some more attitude Jimmy's way, cracks some joke about the Lump having a sturdy pair of wing-tips that can carry him around on his journey to locate Gideon, and says in response to Jimmy asking him who he is, "I'm the doctor that's actually here." Hum. Someone seems to have caught a severe case of the Dr. Bentons. As with any medical case, the one not having the trouble feels the need to state the obvious. Jimmy: "She's having a baby. You don't know how long she's wanted to." Now that was necessary information for the doctors. Not. Why the heck aren't the ambulance attendants screaming stuff about Ellenor's "stats" and explaining what the hell happened to her during this ridiculous exchange? Anyway. Aaron "Are You Gonna Go My Way" Boies leans into a pale, drawn Ellenor's face and introduces himself. He's the chief resident of the hospital. Good for him. He asks, "Can you tell me what's wrong?" Ellenor responds, "I fell." Jimmy jumps in: "She collapsed." Where's Helen? Wasn't Helen at the apartment when Ellenor fell? I guess ABC can only afford two high-priced guest stars per crossover bore. The nurse tells Dr. Boies that the patient is thirty-seven years old and that her temperature is one hundred point seven. Ellie wants to know if her baby is all right. Non-Lenny states, "Let's find out." Man, machines are beeping and Gideon's own Melody of Melodrama is making sure everyone keeps pace with the "hurried" nature of the situation…
…until everything is calm. Ellenor is explaining to Drs. Klein and Boies that she was on her way to the bathroom, and the thing she knew, she was on the floor. Ollie says, "This is going to be cold." Then, we've got a picture of Ellenor's baby (I wonder if it's a real ultrasound with a real picture of Camryn's real baby) looking just fine. Jimmy stares at the picture. I guess he gave up his quest for Gideon, who, in his timely manner, shows up to remark, "Look at that beautiful baby!" Ellenor mumbles a very faint greeting. Gideon inquires after the fall. Jimmy corrects him, "She collapsed." Ben turns to him and asks if it was a seizure or not. The Lump doesn't know the answer to that question, but wants to make sure Ellenor's going to be okay. Of course, are you a relative? He's a friend. And with that, Gideon asks him to wait outside. Ben moves closer to Ellenor's bed and wants to know why she wasn't resting. She explains that she did everything he told her to do. "So you fell out of bed?" Gaff! Chuckle! Oh, doctor humour is so not funny. She cracks back, "I was on my way to the bathroom. Like, what a surprise, my bladder is the size of a shot glass." Gideon asks Boies to get Dr. Levkowitz from obstetrics. Ellenor doesn't want Dr. Levkowitz. She wants Gideon. Only Gideon. All Gideon, all the time. Ben leans right in over Ellenor and states, "We have to make sure your pre-eclampsia hasn't progressed to full-blown eclampsia. If it has, we'll have to deliver your baby early." Wait. Ellenor's not in a courtroom; she can't give birth. She assures Ben she didn't have a seizure; it was more like a head rush, like when you get up too fast. Any pain? Well, her back is killing her, and now she's got a pain in her stomach, right there. Gideon pokes her. He asks Dr. Klein what she thinks. Ollie wants to wait for the results of the tests because Ellie's temperature is still slightly elevated. They admit Ellenor into the hospital; he assures her she's in good hands, and she makes Ben promise that if there is trouble, he'll save the baby.
The music swells from the Symphony of Sick Mothers-To-Be right into the credits. Of course, the last image we see before we fade into the commercials is of baby fingers wrapped around adult fingers. It's downhill from here, people.
The Hospital Cafeteria. Angry Wife and Dr. Angry the Husband argue about their baby. He wants her to see a doctor. She wants to see a midwife. There are babies all over this episode. She wants him to "understand." He thinks it would be better to be safe. They have irreconcilable differences. Get a divorce already.
All of the doctors are in a large auditorium, discussing Ellenor's case. Apparently, she has them stumped. They can't figure out what's wrong with her or what might be causing the mysterious pain in her side. A doctor says the abdominal pain would be consistent with pre-eclampsia. Dr. Boies explains the problem with Ellenor's white blood cell count. Dr. Shandar thinks it's an infection. Ollie wants to know if there are bacteria in her urine. Maybe there's an abscess? Gideon is awfully quiet, almost too quiet. Dr. Shandar pipes up: "Pre-eclampsia and an infection: not a happy marriage." Enough with the baby/marriage/motherhood analogies. He thinks they should deliver the baby. Non-Lenny explains that the baby's lungs aren't ready to be delivered. Here I must ask, then why did Ellenor tell Lindsay that the baby INSIDE her was already BIGGER than Baby Rod? He seemed to come out this early and be just fine -- more than fine -- in fact, the child is already three times the size of me. Boies explains that the baby needs to be on the steroids for twenty-four hours. Shandar thinks Ellenor should just hold on until then. Or, Ollie pipes up, they deliver the baby now and put her on a respirator. Ben nods.
Outside the auditorium, the doctors are filing out, carrying their notepads and a bunch of sour expressions. Man, it's one thing to feel like a patient, but quite another to be discussed like you are an airplane whose parts are acting funny. Dr. Angry the Husband meets Angry Wife outside the doors; she complains about not being able to find the car keys. Ben strolls up offering his congratulations. He then asks if she's found a doctor yet. Mrs. Cooper doesn't respond, in part because the question makes her uncomfortable and partially because the baby is kicking. With his hands outstretched like he's about to handle a basketball, Ben asks if he can feel her baby kicking. This seems fine to Mrs. Cooper. Oh, I get it -- she doesn't mind a doctor touching her, she just does not want one examining her. As he's feeling around her public belly, he and Mrs. Cooper have a Crossing Moment. I have the feeling they have a lot of those Moments around here. Baby's Daddy is in awe of his soon-to-be ex-wife. Let me ask just one question: how did two people who so obviously do not get along end up having sex in the first place? Mrs. Cooper thought she was just having heartburn. Ben asks if she's had a lot of heartburn: "Oh my God! It's like my stomach's in my mouth and my bladder's being stepped on." He smiles. She continues, "Feels like the little buster down there's re-arranging all the furniture." A light bulb appears over Gideon's head. Well, as much as any kind of surprise might appear over Andre Braugher's head. He's the most understated actor I have ever watched on television. Emperor Rod could take some lessons from him. Leave it up to the pregnant lady to serve as the impetus for the doctor to finally figure out what's wrong with Ellenor.
Appendicitis? Ellenor is confused. Gideon explains that her uterus has pushed up her appendix, and that's why the pain is in the upper right quadrant instead of the lower right quadrant. Dr. Levkowitz adds that that's why nothing showed up on the scan. The baby blocked the organ. Ellenor turns to Ben: "So? What do we do?" What do you mean? For a doctor, Gideon is awfully slow: first he sends Ellenor home with appendicitis; then once he figures out that she has appendicitis, he doesn't quite know what to do. Ellenor posits, "Usually when someone has appendicitis, they have their appendix taken out." Exactly. That's what they're going to do. If they leave the organ in and it bursts, the baby could be in danger, not to mention Ellenor's life being at risk. Dr. Levkowitz wants to take the baby out. No way. Ellenor dismisses this thought and turns back to Ben. He tells Ellenor that while they've made serious inroads in treating premature babies, a lot of babies born before twenty-six weeks have serious health problems that follow them into adulthood. Now, if they had another twenty-four hours for the lungs to develop, well, that would be another story. Dr. Levkowitz explains the seriousness of this very serious situation, and then she gets paged right out of the room, leaving Ben and Ellenor alone to discuss what they're going to do.
Outside the auditorium, the doctors are filing out, carrying their notepads and a bunch of sour expressions. Man, it's one thing to feel like a patient, but quite another to be discussed like you are an airplane whose parts are acting funny. Dr. Angry the Husband meets Angry Wife outside the doors; she complains about not being able to find the car keys. Ben strolls up offering his congratulations. He then asks if she's found a doctor yet. Mrs. Cooper doesn't respond, in part because the question makes her uncomfortable and partially because the baby is kicking. With his hands outstretched like he's about to handle a basketball, Ben asks if he can feel her baby kicking. This seems fine to Mrs. Cooper. Oh, I get it -- she doesn't mind a doctor touching her, she just does not want one examining her. As he's feeling around her public belly, he and Mrs. Cooper have a Crossing Moment. I have the feeling they have a lot of those Moments around here. Baby's Daddy is in awe of his soon-to-be ex-wife. Let me ask just one question: how did two people who so obviously do not get along end up having sex in the first place? Mrs. Cooper thought she was just having heartburn. Ben asks if she's had a lot of heartburn: "Oh my God! It's like my stomach's in my mouth and my bladder's being stepped on." He smiles. She continues, "Feels like the little buster down there's re-arranging all the furniture." A light bulb appears over Gideon's head. Well, as much as any kind of surprise might appear over Andre Braugher's head. He's the most understated actor I have ever watched on television. Emperor Rod could take some lessons from him. Leave it up to the pregnant lady to serve as the impetus for the doctor to finally figure out what's wrong with Ellenor.
Appendicitis? Ellenor is confused. Gideon explains that her uterus has pushed up her appendix, and that's why the pain is in the upper right quadrant instead of the lower right quadrant. Dr. Levkowitz adds that that's why nothing showed up on the scan. The baby blocked the organ. Ellenor turns to Ben: "So? What do we do?" What do you mean? For a doctor, Gideon is awfully slow: first he sends Ellenor home with appendicitis; then once he figures out that she has appendicitis, he doesn't quite know what to do. Ellenor posits, "Usually when someone has appendicitis, they have their appendix taken out." Exactly. That's what they're going to do. If they leave the organ in and it bursts, the baby could be in danger, not to mention Ellenor's life being at risk. Dr. Levkowitz wants to take the baby out. No way. Ellenor dismisses this thought and turns back to Ben. He tells Ellenor that while they've made serious inroads in treating premature babies, a lot of babies born before twenty-six weeks have serious health problems that follow them into adulthood. Now, if they had another twenty-four hours for the lungs to develop, well, that would be another story. Dr. Levkowitz explains the seriousness of this very serious situation, and then she gets paged right out of the room, leaving Ben and Ellenor alone to discuss what they're going to do.
Only we're now in surgery. Ellenor's eyes are taped shut. Machines are beeping. The Symphony of Surgery is wailing. The baby is up on the ultrasound. The surgeon is explaining how the appendix is a useless organ, left by "our ancestors in the days where they grazed on grasses." Oh. No. The appendix has already burst. Damn. That can't be good. Hell, you couldn't tell that from looking at Gideon, though. He looks cool as a cucumber. Does he have any other patients? The doctors talk through the difficult situation. Dr. Levkowitz wants to take the baby out. Gideon remembers his promise and finds an alternative solution. He and Levkowitz argue over Ellenor's wide-open innards. The surgeon thinks she can finish what she's started. Oddly, this woman has a British accent. Could this show have any more similarities to ER? Is there an ER formula that spells out that all medical dramas must have a British surgeon and a Non-Lenny Non-Kravitz doing an impression of Peter Benton? Any. Way. Things beep, and Ben tells Ellenor to "hang on."
When we get back from the commercial break, Jimmy corners the plucky receptionist. He wants to know what's going on with Ellenor. She calls the surgery for him; again, he offers up totally useless information: "She's having her appendix out. Plus, you know, she's pregnant." Plucky Receptionist informs Jimmy that Ellenor's still in surgery. Is surgery supposed to take this long? How long? Two hours? Who's her doctor? Ben Gideon. A warm glow erupts. They have a Moment. Before she bounces away, Plucky Receptionist tells Jimmy she'll let him know if she hears any news. The Lump continues to pace.
In another part of the hospital, Dr. Boies looks after his father, who is dying of lung cancer. I guess the radical treatment just isn't working. Apparently, his kidneys are having trouble with the medicine. I can relate. I have a disease that affects my kidneys too. Poor Billy Dee Dad, he's just not doing well. After he leaves the room, Boies takes a deep breath and stares down at his feet. Dr. Shandar walks up, and they have a Moment. Blah dee blah dad was the biggest thing in my life, blah dee blah experimental drugs blah, lung cancer is a "rough go" blah dee blah, he's a tough bastard blah. Apparently, Non-Lenny hated his father, but now that he's about to die, he's not dealing with the situation very well. Dr. Shandar sympathizes. Non-Lenny can deal with doling out dosages but not death. Yeah, he seems like he's going to make a fantastic doctor with a really healthy bedside manner.
The Symphony of Serious Surgical Mishaps twinkles as Ellenor opens her eyes. She's very pale. Then she's very concerned: "I can't feel my baby." She pants. Then she grabs the nurse button as the piano does some strange non-melodious plunking about. She screams, "I can't feel the baby!" Dr. Klein, who just happens to be outside the door, comes running in: "What's the matter, Ellenor?" Well, she can't feel the baby. Ollie shows her the fetal monitor; it's just the anesthesia. It'll wear off in a couple of hours. Gideon magically appears. Is this man always around when you need him? Ellie asks how the baby is, and, of course, she's just fine. He eyebrows over to Dr. Klein, and she busies herself right out of the room as Ben explains to Ellenor that her appendix burst during surgery. After she leaves, he continues, "We can only give you antibiotics at a low dose because of your pregnancy." Her eyes well up with tears: "Should we deliver her?" Not right now. "I thought you said after twenty-four hours on the steroids, she would be ready." Well, the baby would be ready, but Ellenor would not be. To induce labour or to do a c-section at this point would corrupt Ellenor's system; her body couldn't handle it. She whispers: "I just want to feel her." The Paradox of Parallels plays as Mrs. Cooper's Angry Husband peers through the window. And then he stomps away like a man with a serious purpose. Here's the message: midwives are bad and hospitals are good. Except that here, when the doctors are supposed to be so good, they can't seem to stop the bad things from happening.
Blah dee blah bad kid, blah dee blah bad parent, blah dee blah enough with this freaking theme already. The pediatric specialist tells Gangly Doctor just to prescribe the Ritalin. Nice.
Dr. Klein is scribbling something on a medical chart when Plucky Receptionist strolls up: "Do you think I should bring him a blanket?" They both look up and over at Jimmy. PR says she heard surgery was "pretty tight." Ollie confirms that it was "pretty much touch-and-go all night." So, it's the day and everyone is still wide awake and attending to Ellenor? Wow. That's some good service. Then, without mentioning the blanket business any further, PR strolls right by Jimmy. He's splayed out on the couch in the waiting area, using his jacket as a makeshift pillow. Then we move back to Dr. Klein as she enters Ellenor's room, stating that she wants to check on her once before she goes home. Ellenor cracks, "They actually let you sleep?" Ollie fiddles with her blankets and retorts, "Yeah, every third night." Ellenor explains that she and Ben are friends, and she wants to know what really happened during surgery. Dr. Klein doesn't think Gideon would hold anything back from Ellenor; apparently, that's not "his style." No, his style is called Showing No Emotion Whatsoever. Ellenor gives Dr. Klein the stink-eye, so the doctor explains how the baby's heart rate went down, then back up, but there's nothing to worry about. Then Dr. Klein leans over to see if Ellenor is draining properly. So, of course, she leans over her very pregnant belly, and, of course, the two of them wax philosophical for a minute about the power of a woman's reproductive abilities, and I take this minute to pull out a book of poetry and read up on my feminine side. Yawn. They share a Moment about single parenthood. Ollie thinks Ellenor is brave, where's the father, oh, she wishes she had somebody (should we be calling Ted McGinley, or was his contract for one episode only?), and is Jimmy not just sitting right outside, ready to be there for Ellenor in the absence of the rest of the firm? Ellenor asks if Ollie sees single parenthood in her future; she rolls her eyes and says, "Well, strong women seem to scare guys off." Right -- blah stereotypes of all kinds, blah more bonding, blah heart full of love blah, more platitudes blah, the touching of the stomach blah. Blah. Blah. BLAH. And then Ellenor has a seizure. A full-blown, shaking to the bottom of your boots, eyes rolling back into your head seizure. Dr. Klein does some doctoring, tells Jimmy to get out of the room, and then leans in to say, "Stay with us, Ellenor." Blah.
How terrible does that Heather Graham movie look? I mean, is this what her career amounts to -- sophomoric teen movies? Ed Burns dumps her and hooks up with Christy Turlington, and her career just flies right out the window? Oh, wait, she's an untalented hack, right, those boobs will only take you so far, right.
Does anyone know what exactly Gideon is crossing?
Drs. Klein and Gideon are walking and talking. Ollie thinks the seizures suggest that Ellenor's pre-eclampsia has progressed into full-blown eclampsia. Ben wants to know what they do now. Klein thinks they can manage the seizures with medication, but Ben knows that's a battle they can't win: "Did you repeat the blood work?" Her liver enzymes are high, and her platelets are dangerously low. Oh, that's what he was afraid of; as a result of her condition, the blood vessels start to spasm and when the do, they chow down on the platelets. He signs something some anonymous nurse hands him. And then the pair continues to walk and talk. Should they deliver the baby? Well, not exactly -- Ellenor's system couldn't handle labour or surgery; she'd end up bleeding to death. Dr. Klein wonders how Ellenor got so bad. Ben mumbles, "Well, it's very common in medicine. One thing goes wrong and a lot of things go wrong." Klein counters by stating that they could have delivered the baby yesterday. The lungs were ready. The baby would have been premature, but that would have been okay. The two of them pause outside of Gideon's office. He thought he could have his cake and eat it too. They enter the office. Why would you take that risk? Without a hint of emotion, not a hand gesture, not a crack in his voice, not a hint, Gideon admits that he wasn't focused on the medical problem at hand, but on his friend instead. Blah dee blah desperate for a baby blah, blah dee great mother blah, insert the Feel Sorry For Me Symphony here, blah dee promise blah, blah close-up blah tight lips, blah emotion cracking through the icy façade blah, wanting to be more than a doctor blah. Pause: "And I wound up being less than a friend." Then, the two of them share a new kind of moment: A Moral Moment. Blah.
Sid opens the fridge at home. There's a lot of rotting food in this fridge. In fact, there's a lot of rotting food and no margarine in this fridge. Sid's so upset that he leaves the container in the fridge instead of cleaning it out and dumping it into the recycling. This apartment is a pigsty. In a truly disgusting bit of human desperation I did not need to see, Sid mixes up some coffee creamer and spreads that on his toast. Gross. Just go out and buy a bagel already. You're a doctor. You can afford it. There is a knock at the door. Some creepy guy wants to see the apartment. There's a mistake. The coffee starts to overflow. Sid makes some crack about Ollie's housekeeping/money-managing abilities. They discuss the living arrangements. Creepy guy at the door apologizes for bothering Sid and leaves almost as quickly as he arrived.
Blah bad parent blah. Then Bad Mother leaves her Bad Kid with Gangly Doctor and runs off to chair some fundraising auction.
Non-Lenny trots up to Ollie and whispers in her ear: "You can't stay here two nights in a row." I'm assuming it's Ellenor's room we're watching this conversation from. There is more totally useless conversation about the nature of tragedy and parenthood. Yawn. I take my cue from Ellenor and grab a quick nap. I've had my fill of contrivance for one afternoon.
Gangly Doctor and Bad Kid are playing Battleship. See, he's not such a bad kid after all. In fact, Bad Kid does a relatively humourous impression of Quint from Jaws. Oh, right, Bad Kid and Gangly Doctor are sharing a Moment. Pause. They continue to play, and to bond, and to play some more. If they start playing the Game of Life, I might just have to hurl.
Ollie is walking through a parking garage. She hears footsteps. The music starts to race. She runs to her car. She fumbles with her keys. She breathes heavily. She opens the door to her car. She climbs in and locks the door. She looks uncomfortably at a series of pictures she has taped to the dashboard. Oh, I get it now -- dude who is stalking her used to be her boyfriend.
Ellenor is still pale. Dr. Levkowitz tells Ellenor to get some rest. Ellenor just ignores her; in fact, Ellenor has been ignoring this woman for two episodes now. Ben and Ellenor argue over the semantics of him keeping his promise. He shushes her. Then Dr. Levkowitz reads him the riot act over making the promise in the first place, except Ellenor starts to seize again, which kind of interrupts Jane's can of whoop-ass. The strange, atonal piano crap starts up again as Ben injects Ellenor with some medicine. Her eyes roll right back into her head. They increase the oxygen. Dr. Levkowitz can't believe he made such a promise to a patient. Oh, he made the promise all right, and he doesn't want to see Ellenor's face when she wakes up and he's failed her. Dr. Levkowitz: "What if she doesn't wake up at all, Ben?" Now there's something that's not going to happen. Ellenor's needed back on the set of The Practice week, people. We all know that this little medical situation is bound to be tied up by then.
Back from commercials, Gangly Doctor complains to Dr. Shandar about Bad Kid. Sid calls him an "ankle biter." Then he complains about going to the movies with a crying baby. Then they complain about how bad movies are these days. Oh, how very postmodern of them.
There's no change with Dr. Boies' dad. It might be too soon to actually see any change. At least the tumour hasn't grown. Non-Lenny and Dr. Gideon discuss the Billy Dee Miracle Dad. It's a good way to keep a guest spot going: appear in one episode, and then let a body double stand in for you while pretend doctors pretend to treat your fake cancer. They share a "Fatherhood" Moment. We move on…
…to the War of the Second-Generation Roses, where Mrs. Angry Wife has changed her mind about seeing a doctor. At least Dr. Angry the Husband isn't gloating -- that much.
Ellenor is resting comfortably. Ben is sitting almost directly on top of her, trying to figure a way out of this medical puzzle.
Again, we're walking and talking as we quickly cut to his solution: he's going to give her Heparin. Ollie doesn't quite understand. It's a blood thinner. Exactly. Ben thinks the drugs will clear up all the debris and then cause the blood vessels to relax. Dr. Klein shrugs, "Seems more like magic then science." Gideon wants to know if she has a better idea.
A view from under a white sheet reveals Dr. Levkowitz taking a look at the Angry Wife. She's fine. Her stomach cramps can be attributed to the muscles around the uterus stretching and growing. Damn. That does sound painful. They couple argues in front of the doctor about eating ribs. Then Mrs. Cooper tells the Dr. Levkowitz she wants to have the baby at home. Dr. L has no problem with this, and even offers to recommend some good midwives. Then, instead of one heartbeat on the ultrasound, there are two! The angry couple is having twins! Double the fun! Double the trouble. Double the divorce settlement.
Jimmy holds his vigil at Ellenor's bedside. Ben's there, ordering Dr. Klein to "get a complete set of bloods." Ellie wakes up and sees him there. "Welcome back!" Ellenor mumbles, "You're smiling?" He says that so far, everything's just fine. Jimmy grins. We feel a Mega-Moment coming on. Ellenor cracks, "Jimmy! You look as bad as I feel." He's just relieved she's okay. Ben looks at the monitor and exclaims, "The blood pressure's come down." Ollie insists it was the Heparin. But it wasn't the drug; it was Ben Gideon, Medical Magician, and his Merry Band of Plain Old Dumb Luck. See, I told you everything was going to be fine.
Bad Kid, Gangly Doctor, and Plucky Receptionist are having a snack in the cafeteria. Jake is eating chocolate cake. The three of them discuss how sugar is bad/not so bad for you. Gangly Doctor pulls out the Ritalin. Shockingly, the Bad Kid's never seen the medicine before; finally, GD clues in. Jake's not the one on Ritalin at all -- Mom's addicted to the pills. Gangly Doctor confronts the mother, and she admits her addiction.
Sid and Ollie share a Moment, and a cup of coffee. She reveals that the scary stalker is in fact an ex-fiancé. Oh, how some clichéd storylines never change. Not to diminish the seriousness of stalkers and the absolute terror that women must go through when they are in danger, but does one have to show up on every show in primetime? Could we move past the whole "woman as perpetual subject of violence" stereotypes, please? Ollie's fiancé refused to let her see her own parents. She tried to break it off, but he came to her dorm with a gun. Now she has a restraining order, but that's not stopping him. Sid looks at the picture, and you can feel his stomach dropping into his knees: it's the creepy guy that came to see their apartment. You all know this simply isn't good, right?
Gangly Doctor seems positive about Jake's mom getting into a good program. The entire family shares a Moment. Bad Kid gives Gangly doctor a huge hug. Oh, isn't the world grand?
Ellenor is resting peacefully in bed when Ben comes in with the results of her blood work. All her counts are normal, and he sends her packing. He doesn't want to see her until she's in labour. And they share a Moment. Baby names here, Ben bonding about his babies there, what's it like being a single parent? Oh, the trials, the tribulations, the total and unconditional pigeonholing of all parenthood. Ben, please just shut up and send her home already, we're sick of this faux Parenthood episode. Oops. That's the end. Buh-bye, Gideon's Crossing Crossover Bore.