Original subtitles

Should have saved that big joker, big brother.

-[grunts] -MARTIN: Hey!

Another book.

You owe over $10,000?

Eh, well, debt is nothing but a number.

Aw, that's so sweet.

Derek can't feel his legs.

They just rushed him into surgery.

What are we celebrating?

My impending divorce.

They honored, um, Barbara something or another.

That "Barbara something or another"

is your birth mother.

Hold up now.

You expect me to believe

that I'm the daughter of an original Articulette?

And that me, Dana Leslie Thomas,

has classic soul magic running through my veins?

And on top of that, that-that my mystery mama

left me a whole fortune.

I mean, think of it as family money.

Okay. All right, so-so, how much

of this family money do I get?

Oh, I-I don't know what the actual amount is,

but I have heard it's a lot of zeros.

Mm.

Okay, all right, next question.

[chuckles]

How much did Miss High and Mighty Nicky Nicole pay you

to come over here and spin all this fairy tale?

What? What are you talking about?

I am talking about that calculating,

devious little headshrinker

who thinks she can play games with me.

[laughs]

[Nicole sighs]

-Do you know what has been eating at me? -Hmm?

The way you mentioned that your marriage to Doug

isn't worth sticking with.

Drink. Remember the rules.

Every time someone brings up men.

[laughs] Girl, that party is over.

Those rules expired with that last bottle.

But honestly, Vanessa, I'm worried about you.

I don't want to be throwing another divorce party

anytime soon.

[scoffs]

Oh, you're killing the vibe, Nicole.

Tonight was so good.

All right, we can talk about somebody else.

Joey Armstrong is not somebody you play games with.

What's good, brother?

Mm.

So now I'm your brother.

After you tried to play me at work?

Come on, Doug, you're still not salty, are you?

Well, I figure a brother wouldn't try to question

my surgical skills or besmirch my reputation.

Okay, I did come in a little hot.

I probably could have handled it better.

But I'm not out here dragging your name.

You know how word travels at that hospital.

Your little come-to-Jesus moment

probably hit the group chats

before I could even call the chief of staff

to officially quit.

I was trying to look out for you.

I-I even asked the chief to let me handle it in-house.

You see, that's where you messed up.

I didn't need it handled.

I was having a bad day, and then here you come,

swooping in like a superhero, pushing me out.

Yeah, seems I've been doing that a lot these days.

Uh, I guess we're both taking L's, huh?

What is that supposed to mean?

Nicole, uh...

filed for divorce.

? ?

Girl, you need to go home,

get some real rest in a real bed.

I promise I will text you

the second Derek gets out of recovery.

You sound just like my mom.

You know what, I'm not leaving until I get to see him.

Hmm. Have it your way.

I'll leave you to wear a hole in the floor.

No. You know what? Hey, wait, wait, wait. Um...

I have a favor to ask you.

Dr. Montgomery said that Derek needs extensive therapy.

It's gonna be a long road and a hard one.

I want what's best for him.

Will you be his physical therapist?

To think, for a hot second,

I actually let myself believe it.

Should have known better.

Nothing in life comes that easy.

Everything I got I had to scratch

and I had to claw for it.

You tell your little employer, "Nice try."

[scoffs]

She thinks she's so damn smart,

with all her little fancy degrees,

sitting behind the gates in that big ol' house.

She don't know me, all right?

I got a PhD in them streets, baby.

And I know a hustle when I see one, Peaches.

-Dana. Take... -Hmm.

Come sit and tell me about this Nicole woman

that has you spun like a tornado.

Nicole Richardson.

She's big mad because I had the nerve

to show up to her mama's concert and act like I belong there.

So now she's orchestrating all this little inheritance nonsense

so she can watch me crash and burn.

Look at me.

Swear on my mother's grave-

and you know I don't take that lightly-

I do not know Nicole from the man on the moon.

But what I do know...

You are about to become a very, very rich woman.

As much as I hate to admit it, you're the best,

and Derek trusts you.

And he likes you.

Well, who doesn't?

Do you have experience with paralytic patients?

More than a few, and it is a long road

for everybody involved.

But when you see someone push past

what everyone thought was impossible-

something special about that.

So do you think that it's possible

that Derek- he could... Um, sorry. That's not fair.

-You haven't even evaluated him. -Ashley, I promise you this.

I will push that man to his absolute limit

and a step beyond that, okay?

I will be there every painful step of the way.

Derek really needs that tough love.

Look, I-I know that our history is complicated,

but Derek needs us both.

I don't want our issues to get in the way of his recovery.

Listen, whatever happened

between us in the past stays there.

This? This is about getting our boy back on his feet.

Literally.

You can see Derek now.

-I'll be in a minute. -Okay. Okay.

God, how am I supposed to go back in there

knowing that he might not walk again?

I mean, what if he reads it all over my face?

Okay, it looks like you need tough love, too.

You know what? No, I don't.

I got this. I just...

I have to keep him comfortable, I have to keep him fighting.

That's my only job, right?

Yeah. Look at you, already knowing the game plan.

You want to go in there with me?

No. This moment belongs to you two.

Go.

You know what I find fascinating?

Do tell.

How Joey Armstrong's name seems

to fall from your lips every time we get together.

It makes me wonder who's really obsessed.

Maybe it's because I see something

that you are not willing to admit is there.

The only thing between me and that man is escrow.

Oh, Vanessa, I've known you way too long.

I know when you're telling half-truths.

I could see it whenever his name is mentioned.

Why are you letting a dangerous man get his hooks in you?

Dangerous? Based on what?

Do you know something?

Don't you?

[phone buzzing]

Hello?

Yeah, yeah. No, sure. Not a problem.

I'll be over there shortly.

I need to go meet a colleague at Uptown.

What a coincidence. Doug's there, too.

Family finder app.

Had to start keeping tabs after he went rogue.

Well, perfect.

I will order a car, and we can ride over together.

Gives us more time to talk about Joey.

Can't wait.

Man, my sympathies for the death of your marriage.

That's... that's rough.

I'm convinced it's not dead, but...

maybe on life support, you know.

The Duprees think there's hope if I can put in work.

You know what's funny?

I can reconstruct a person's entire face,

make them look like whatever they want to be,

but I cannot figure out

how to make my wife look at me like she used to.

Sometimes the solution isn't as complex as it seems.

Hmm.

Need to identify what's blocking your blessing

and eliminate it by any means necessary.

What's good, guys?

Detective.

I got some business to handle.

Yeah, don't mind me.

JACOB: I wasn't expecting

to hear from you, big dawg.

-Everything all right? -Yeah, yeah.

I, uh...

I need some professional insight.

Okay, yeah.

Do you know Marcel Malone?

I wish I didn't. But, yeah, we're partners.

But Marcel and I- we don't really ever see eye to eye.

That guy writes his own rules.

He cuts deals with people he probably shouldn't.

But me? That's not my style.

I keep it clean, by the book.

Then you're the right person that can help my friend.

He's having a problem with his employer,

Joey Armstrong.

Decades of eating Dollar Store noodles.

Decades of dodging bill collectors

like they were the plague.

And you come up in here with some story

about a miraculous inheritance?

When that doctor gave me the news,

finding you became my top priority.

I had to make sure that I told you everything.

Here's proof.

Birth certificates,

legal documents, correspondence.

Papers can be faked.

Lord knows I've done it myself.

Can't you see?

I am too sick and too tired to play games.

-This is real. -Okay.

Tell me how we got this, uh,

family money, and I'll look at your documents.

After she couldn't take it anymore,

the family was notified

about an inheritance that had been set up

to benefit all of Barbara's descendants.

And they didn't know about you, which is how Barbara wanted it.

So you never got your fair share.

But you will now.

Your aunt- she passed.

She was the last of the line.

So, it's all yours.

And just who's funding this windfall?

That part's kept secret, but it started big.

And like clockwork,

every six months, they add more funds.

[laughs] Oh, come on, Peaches.

Sound way too good to be true.

Well, you don't have to believe it.

The paperwork tells the story.

And one more thing.

A brush?

It was from your mother when she was a little girl.

One of the last things she left that we could pass down to you.

A true blessing

since DNA can still be tested

from a hair follicle even years and years later.

If it's stored right.

-I need to get it tested? -Already done.

Those papers from the trust executor...

show the results.

Absolute proof that you are Barbara's daughter.

You're about to go from a have-not

to having it all and then some.

-[door opens] -EVA: Mama?

Mm-hmm.

I ran three stop signs to get here.

Your text had me thinking something was wrong.

Well, I can tell you what isn't wrong.

You remember that tribute video at the concert?

For Barbara something?

The original member, the one who...

Yes, the one who died.

Also the one who gave birth to me.

That's right.

Barbara is my mother.

[laughs] Oh, okay, okay. I get it.

This is your get-back

because I took that lawyer's letter to Tomas

when you wanted me to drop it.

And now you're feeding me this line about being

a long-lost Articulettes heir?

[laughs] I mean, what's next-

you're gonna tell me that you inherited her voice, too?

Or-or her money?

Oh, you haven't just lost your mind.

It's completely gone.

Joey Armstrong? Yeah, I know him well.

Man moves like he's bulletproof.

Then let's prove he's not.

We're talking legal channels, right?

'Cause that's the only lane I ride in.

Come on, man.

You know I wouldn't disrespect your badge.

My friend has intel on Joey that would interest you.

Okay, cool.

Okay, so your friend can work as an informant

and work with the department to help build a case.

He don't-he don't have time for all that.

He needs Joey Armstrong to go down now.

Would proof that Joey ordered my friend

to commit murder do the trick?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on, man.

Before you go any further, I need you to know

anything you say can and will be used

in an official investigation.

That's what I'm counting on.

When it's time, my friend is gonna go to Naomi

to talk about a plea deal, but for right now,

what do you need to make sure

Joey Armstrong is taken out of circulation?

VANESSA: A cop,

a cardiac surgeon and a realtor walk into a bar.

Sorry I'm running late.

You know how DMV traffic is.

You know, I should apologize to you

for asking you to meet me here.

I just needed to escape those hospital walls for a minute.

So, what's been weighing on you?

I've got this case,

and I'm getting emotionally involved.

That's not me. I don't do that.

I can't do that.

Derek?

Took you long enough.

How are you?

A little fuzzy from the anesthesia,

but surgery went well.

Let's wait for Dr. Montgomery's official word, okay?

Don't need to wait.

I can feel my legs already.

What do you mean?

The tingles, Ash.

I can't move 'em yet, but...

I can feel 'em.

That's got to be the anesthesia wearing off, right?

Looks like I'm going to bounce back quick.

All those hours at the gym had to be for something, right?

Mm.

Why are you looking at me like that?

You don't believe me?

I can prove it.

Touch my leg.

I won't peek, but I'll tell you exactly where.

-Derek, please. -Come on, Ash.

Trust me.

Okay, I'm ready. Go for it.

I just did.

Try the other one.

This is wild.

I could have sworn I could feel everything,

like a tingly pressure.

I... I swear it was real.

It's what we call a phantom limb sensation.

It's-it's actually really common in cases...

um...

in situations like this.

Go ahead.

Get it over with.

Get what over with?

The lecture you've been practicing

since they wheeled me in here

about how I'm wild and reckless,

and I was bound to end up here sooner or later.

That's actually not what I was thinking.

Yeah, well, that's who I am, Ash, remember?

Derek the Daredevil?

No, Derek, that's not who you are.

Every risk you took was for someone else.

Running into burning buildings,

climbing trees for trapped cats.

You did that because someone needed you.

But this time, this was different.

This... accident...

What was this really about?

MADISON: Lately,

I find myself more invested,

rather than detached from my cases.

Nicole, what if I freeze up during surgery

because I'm too deep in my feelings?

Or what if I hurt someone because I care too much?

Before we tackle these issues head-on,

let's dig a little deeper.

Has anything changed recently

that would have brought all this to the surface?

Chelsea.

DOUG: I thought

you were hanging out with Nicole tonight.

Well, she's with a colleague.

I saw you were here and decided to surprise you.

Turns out, you had surprises of your own.

I know the drill.

One of you concoct some half-baked story,

I pretend to buy it,

you congratulate yourself on fooling the little lady,

and I figure it out eventually.

Or we can skip the song and dance

and you can tell me what the hell's going on now.

Okay, you have a thing for creating wild stories.

But, Mama, this is too much.

Peaches, come meet your grandbaby.

Oh, sweet Jesus.

Look at you. Ah.

Uh, hold up. What's happening right now?

This is Peaches,

the woman who raised me when nobody else would.

Like, for real? You raised my mom?

I guess that makes me your grandmother.

Oh! You're so beautiful.

Well, how come I never heard you talk about Peaches?

PEACHES: We had a few hiccups in our relationship,

but, you know, we hadn't seen or spoken in years.

Yeah, well, we'll get into all the details later,

but, uh, Peaches has something to tell you.

So, baby girl, I need you to listen real good.

Now, I was your biological grandmother's

best friend since high school, right?

Now, when she found herself in the family way,

I knew Barbara couldn't raise a baby.

See, I was trying to conceive and couldn't.

So then she said, "Well, you know, you take my baby."

And I was like, "Okay."

She knew I was going to love that child

like my very own, your mama.

Yeah. And, um, well, yeah.

But there was one condition.

Dana could never know who her biological mother was.

Sadly, the Lord called Barbara home

right when your mama started walking.

Wait.

This is the story you used when we moved here.

Mm-hmm, same story.

And I mean, had to tell them something, all right?

But forget all that, all right?

Uh, tell her about my biological mother.

Oh. Barbara Mitchell,

one of the original Articulettes.

-No way. -Mm-hmm.

So all the things you said?

The whole truth, according to Peaches.

So that letter was legit?

And if it was, baby,

we are about to level all the way up.

Well, I'm gonna get out of y'all's hair.

Y'all need time to sit with this. Mm.

I know your story and how it started.

Oh, God.

The pain of Barbara not wanting you,

giving you up like she did.

And what she did after.

But look at God working in mysterious ways.

Oh. All these years later.

And how he made something beautiful

from all that pain. Mm.

LESLIE: Thank you. Not just

for bringing us this news.

You know, folks are always talking

about how they don't have a mother,

-but that's not my story. -Mm-mmm.

I had you, even when I was out there acting a fool

-Ooh, child. -and wilding out in them streets,

you were there.

-Mm. -Mm.

Thank you.

Now, listen, if you need anything-

and I do mean anything- you better let me know.

-That's sweet of you. -[Leslie laughs]

Do you mind if I get a hug, too?

[laughs] What she said.

I need my grandmother in my life.

Grandmother.

Ooh. Makes it sound like I'm pushing a walker.

-[Eva laughs] -You can call me Peaches.

Bet. I'll see you soon, Peaches.

My girls.

LESLIE: Oh, I got it.

Am I in your dream or are you in mine?

Oh! This is wild.

Stuff like this doesn't happen to folks like us.

-I know. -So are we

really about to be rich, rich?

Wait. Hold up. What's all this "we" business?

-Ah! [laughing] -[laughing, screaming]

Oh, my gosh.

This little lady's waiting.

I'll fall back and give you two some space.

Think about what we discussed.

You know where to find me.

Any more drama with Leslie after the run-in at Orphey Gene's?

Oh, you mean besides

Dana stealing an Articulettes ticket?

-What's the sentence for that? -Look, I'd love to help,

but petty theft's not exactly priority one.

I got bigger fish than your baby-mama drama. No offense.

DOUG: You figure it out yet?

Please, please tell me

you weren't discussing Joey with Detective Hawthorne.

What about Chelsea?

She's the problem.

I love her, Nicole.

I love, love her,

and it scares the hell out of me.

It's natural to spiral

when confronted with unexpected feelings,

especially when it's been packaged as a pretty girl

who's come to steal your heart.

I have seen you in case conferences

and psychosis evaluations.

Madison, you are brilliant.

I am positive that you can compartmentalize when necessary

and continue to provide the care that you always have.

So you think I can handle this?

Oh, I know you can,

but you might not like what I have to say next.

Answer my question, Derek.

Why did you take that curve so fast?

Oh, looking good, Derek.

How's your pain level? And don't sugarcoat it for me.

Well, I won't be running a four-minute mile anytime soon.

Please. You couldn't do that before the accident.

Well, never say never.

We could make it one of our goals.

One of our goals, as in you and me?

Turns out I am your physical therapist.

Damn. I hit the jackpot.

[laughs] You won't be saying that when we set our sessions.

When I say "stretch," you stretch.

When I say "bend," you bend.

When I say "rotate," I expect you to do so

without as much of a fuss. Do you hear me?

Yes, ma'am.

Seriously, how... how did I end up

with the best therapist in D.C.?

Well, let's just say someone put in a special request.

Ash.

-Aw, Jacob. -What happened?

Derek was in a bike accident during the triathlon.

He just had surgery, and we're just waiting

for Dr. Montgomery to update us.

-I have to see him. -Yeah, I'll-I'll take you.

But listen, um,

Derek's doing that thing that he does.

You know, he's cracking jokes, he's playing it cool.

But I think he's slowly realizing

that his whole life is about to shift.

We're talking weeks, if not months, of recovery. I...

I don't know if Derek's ever gonna

be the guy that we know and love again.

Come on.

[door opens]

DEREK: Oh!

There he is.

Detective Hawthorne, looking clean as always.

Come on, man. You know how I do.

I can't have these hospital folks thinking

a brother don't stay sharp.

I got to look rough if you're coming at me with that face.

Nah, Nah. You're good, man.

It's just that hospital gown isn't your normal drip.

Listen, Naomi sends her love.

She'll be by as soon as she can.

I'm guessing Ashley filled you in?

Yeah, she did.

That curve did you dirty, huh?

I took it way too fast.

I messed up my back, which...

messed up my legs.

But Dr. Montgomery's got me together, though.

Is there anything I can do to help, bro?

Actually, yeah.

I could use your detective skills.

All right, yeah, for sure. What's up?

I need you to find my bike.

You mean the one that's probably all banged up?

Yeah, I got to get it fixed

so I can get back out there.

I'll make sure I find your bike for you.

Thanks.

Buy a lady a drink?

I appreciate the offer, but I'm not here to socialize.

Oh. Well, how about you let me buy you one, then?

-I'll pass, but thanks. -Ah.

Let me get a Manhattan, top shelf.

Now, this isn't my usual scene,

but recent events made me realize

that, you know, every once in a while,

got to... a lady got to treat herself

-to the finer things. -Mm-hmm.

I'm Peaches.

Ted. Uh, and I wouldn't dream of it.

Oh.

Mm. And here you are passing up

all this full-body spicy vintage for that...

younger wine across the room.

Yeah, that younger wine is my wife.

Oh. Then, so, why do you look at her like

you're a lost puppy afraid to go home?

Uh, it's, uh... complicated.

Oh. Anything worth having always is.

Child.

Me and my daughter.

We didn't speak for years.

She crossed a line I thought I couldn't forgive.

-Hmm. -And then,

pride and fear kept me from reaching out,

even though my heart was screaming to.

-I did something unforgivable myself. -Hmm.

I want to save my marriage, but...

...I don't think I have a choice in the matter.

You always have a choice.

Get up off that bar stool and go to her.

Every minute you sit there feeling sorry for yourself

is a minute you can't get back. Mm.

Don't wait for fate to force your hand...

like it did mine.

Sometimes, having a deep connection

with patients can be the most healing thing for both of you.

That's... terrifying.

Growth usually is.

If the opportunity presented itself,

would it be the worst thing in the world

for you to have a deep connection with a patient,

and then figure out how you feel afterwards?

It'll be a challenge, but I can try.

I should get back.

Go, but remember my door is always open.

Thanks, Doc.

Hey, there.

I saw you with your bar companion.

Glad you're taking my advice and moving on.

Come on, Nicole. You think I'd be out trying

to get with some random woman?

Don't worry, Ted.

Unlike my marriage,

I have managed to keep my sense of humor.

About the club. I was out of line.

The divorce papers threw me.

Oh, kind of like finding out

your husband has a secret love child.

Can we not turn this into a weird competition?

Oh, that ended a long time ago.

Since it's looking like a blowout.

You can stop all this, you know.

How, exactly?

By miraculously fixing your gambling problem,

play happy family like we used to,

and stop seeing Joey?

That'd be a start.

The audacity of you to make demands

when it was your mess that dragged us into this.

Or did you forget who saved your ass when cutting that deal?

With you unemployed, I'm holding the cards,

so you better pray this lady stays happy.

Or you can kiss this lifestyle you're accustomed to goodbye.

It's wild how everything can switch up so fast.

Like, one minute you're existing...

Just trying to make it through another day.

Going through life on autopilot,

then boom- something major hits.

Yeah. Usually, it's bad news.

But sometimes it's good news.

And suddenly, everything hits different.

Like, like, the whole world got an upgrade,

and you're just running, trying to keep up.

Child, sometimes you... you don't catch up.

Sometimes life just keeps pushing,

and then it leaves you in the dust.

Like with Peaches?

Yeah, like with Peaches.

I mean, the only reason she reached out to me

is because she got sick,

and she was trying to tie up all her loose ends.

But if this money is real,

the first thing I'm doing

is getting her the best care it can buy.

'Cause at the end of the day, that's my mama.

And she was the only one who showed up for me.

-But you guys haven't talked in years. -Mm.

Doesn't matter if you talked yesterday

or 20 years ago.

Don't matter if you got beef

or you got to swallow your pride.

Just got to do what you got to do when it comes to your mamas.

EVA: And that's what a family is.

-Mm. -And that's

what love is.

DEREK: Finally.

Give me some good news, Doc.

The surgery itself was a success.

We moved aggressively to relieve the pressure

from that broken bone on your spinal cord.

Great.

So, when can I get out of here?

Derek, I need you to understand something.

This isn't like patching up a broken arm.

We're looking at weeks of recovery.

Weeks?

PT starts tomorrow.

Now, physical therapy will help, but when you leave here,

you'll be in a wheelchair.

For how long?

I can't give you an accurate timeline.

I'm a firefighter.

That's not just my job, that's who I am.

MADISON: I understand. But right now,

you'll need to look at other opportunities

within the department.

What, like a desk job?

I need you to give it to me straight, Doc.

If I do everything right,

work twice as hard, follow every single order,

I'll be able to walk again, right?

I wish I could tell you it was just about willpower.

It might be possible.

Then again,

it might not.

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