Original subtitles

You're my brother, and I love you.

But it's time for everyone to move forward.

I'm moving in with Marie.

I haven't seen Darius around.

He moved out.

Scotty Williams.

I'm your probation officer.

A man just getting out of prison

needs to have some degree of financial stability.

You get that I'm a lawyer, right?

Spencer Richardson called me yesterday.

Can't hurt to hear what the man has to say.

I know you got no good reason to trust me.

But I can offer you something

more fulfilling than maybe you'd imagined.

It sounds like he really wants to do some good.

And it would be for a lot of money.

I gotta have my independence.

I got one case... Hmm?

I want you to take.

We made a compromise.

I gotta do this one thing for him.

Thank you.

For hearing me.

I don't want to lose you again.

Synced & corrected by -robtor- www.addic7ed.com

♪ Call me crazy ♪

♪ When I see you, baby ♪

♪ Got a smile about you ♪

♪ Something red wine about you ♪

♪ In the evening, hazy ♪

Mm.

Hey.

Hey.

♪

Is this real?

I think so.

[AJ CRYING]

[SIGHS]

When did that happen?

Like 3:30.

[CRYING CONTINUES]

Let me see if Jazz is up to feed him.

Okay. Okay.

Grandma got you. I got you.

I know. I know.

[SHUSHING]

Hey.

Hmm?

You're beautiful.

♪

You should go over to that storage unit.

Those, uh, empty drawers are getting lonely,

and I have half a closet waiting for you.

Oh, I seriously doubt it's half.

[CHUCKLES]

Just get over there.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Okay, okay.

[CHUCKLES]

♪ Mad about you ♪

♪ Breaking my heart at the first sight ♪

[MUSIC PLAYS OVER RADIO]

♪ Leaving me lost in the morning light ♪

Hey.

How'd you sleep?

Better than on the couch.

- Oh, I'll bet. - Watch it.

Oh, I will. [CHUCKLES]

So, Mom says you have a big case and a new office.

That is true.

Which you're gonna show me.

- What about your schooling? - I'll bring my work.

And Mom is dropping off AJ with Ronnie's mom.

She even said we could take her car.

Okay. Let's do it.

[CHUCKLES]

Oh, my God. Aaron W... Mr. Wallace.

- [DOOR CLOSES] - And Jasmine, too.

I-I'm so honored to meet both of you.

I, uh... I've known Charlotte's father for years.

She heard about what we're doing and is prepared

to take a leave of absence from NYU Law School...

For the year, if you'll have me.

- To work for us. - Any and all grunt work,

and I wouldn't even need to draw salary.

Or you could pay me minimum wage if you need to for liability.

Part secretary, part paralegal.

I guess she's hired.

Really?!

I am so...

That is just... I...

Thank you.

Thank you.

I promise you will not regret this.

Good. Should we go see our client?

Yeah. You gonna hang here and do your homework?

I can't come?

No, we're going to a women's jail.

It's a very sensitive situation, sweetie.

I can get into the research

on racial biases in city hospitals,

and I'm sure Jasmine can help.

Some of your deep background on systemic flaws and trends

were out of this world.

Y... On your website, I mean.

Thanks.

As long as it doesn't interfere with your schoolwork, alright?

Okay.

♪

You got my number, right?

Okay. You can call or text whenever.

- Okay. - Alright.

Alright.

Hey, Jazz.

[BUZZER]

I knew something was wrong right away.

I mean, Josh, he's 11 years old.

He's hit his head before, but this was different.

I could just tell.

And so you took him to Westchester United Hospital?

I know you're gonna ask me why I didn't go to Bronx County.

I grew up in the Bronx. I think I get the idea.

It's like a war zone in that place,

and they always keep you waiting for hours,

no matter what's wrong with you.

That's what I remember.

I just wanted to get my boy real care.

Mm-hmm.

That's why I drove the 20 minutes to Westchester.

But when you got there...?

They took his blood pressure

and looked in his eyes for five seconds,

but then it was just...

nothing.

I kept asking the nurse when could he see a doctor,

and they kept putting me off and putting me off.

I kept telling them, "He's getting worse,"

and they kept saying

his symptoms were normal for a head injury.

After like three hours,

they put us in this patient room,

almost like, "Give 'em a room. That'll shut 'em up."

And then what?

We're there for another hour,

and I can see he's woozy and fading

and starts babbling.

So now I'm losing it,

and I'm asking any doctor I see

would they look at him,

and everyone's just blowing me off

or ignoring me.

So, more time goes by.

How much more time?

Another 45 minutes, maybe.

And then he starts vomiting.

That's when I knew enough's enough.

But, again, they tell me that's normal,

and I knew in my bones I was gonna lose him.

♪

So, you're there almost six hours,

and that's when you take out the gun?

I'm a schoolteacher.

I just wanted them to pay attention.

[SIGHS]

When the doctors came, I put the gun down.

We know that, Alice.

The doctors took one look at Josh,

and they rushed him into the O.R.

If I'd waited another 10 minutes,

[VOICE BREAKING] he would've died.

If you ask me on the stand,

I'm not gonna say that I apologize,

and I can't say that I regret it.

I can't.

I wouldn't either.

Well, tell me the truth here.

Do I have a chance?

♪

We'll find a way.

Somehow.

You realize we have no play here.

Right?

Aaron?

Yeah, I'm thinking.

I just don't understand

why Richardson even wanted us to take this case.

Oh, he doesn't care if we win or lose.

He's just counting on us making a larger point

about racism in the healthcare system.

So, we're supposed to use her?

For a good cause.

ROSWELL: It's called the necessity defense.

If the judge would even consider it, which is a big if,

we'd have to prove her actions

were not only necessary to save her son

but also that no other lawful action she could've done

would've gotten the doctors to treat him.

Sounds like a very high bar.

[SIGHS] The other alternative is that w-we try to make a deal.

And let them get away with that behavior?

She's inclined to fight, assuming we can offer a path.

Is there any way to corroborate

what happened in the hospital that night,

in terms of those other white patients

all being seen ahead of her?

That would require us to get our hands on the intake docs...

Which you could subpoena.

A judge would never allow us

to see confidential medical records.

What if I were to tell you

there was a lawsuit against that same hospital

for racial discrimination settled two years ago?

Yeah, that would help. What do you know about it?

Black man gets treated differently

than a dozen white people with the same symptoms.

The details are locked behind a confidentiality agreement.

Then how do you hear about it?

That, I can't say.

But it's what made me feel like we had a shot here.

A shot at what?

I don't think I understand the question.

Well, are we defending her

or grandstanding to attack the system?

I would say both.

You really want to help her, what is she doing

sitting behind bars when you could post bail for her?

I already told her I'd post the bail.

Why do you think she fired her other lawyer

and kept the meeting with you?

Then why is she still sitting in jail?

I wanted to make sure you didn't get cold feet.

I can see you still have certain reservations.

Yeah, not about her.

You're acting like you made some deal with the devil,

when you know how important this case could be

for our community.

Now, should I get you what I have

on that discrimination lawsuit?

Or not?

♪

I got a whole study here from the CDC.

That's good. I didn't get to that yet.

According to this,

Black women are 243% more likely

to die in childbirth than white women.

Okay, that's great. See how much of that

is tied to treatment and level of care

and how much to overall health.

I'll cull through this University of Chicago study,

and I'm printing out the one from Mass General.

You're really taking a whole year off from law school

to do this?

What your father accomplished,

becoming a lawyer inside prison

and then to get himself exonerated...

When I read about him, I was so blown away.

I thought, if I could give something back,

when I'm in a position to do that because of my privilege...

He's just so inspiring.

Yeah.

He's pretty amazing.

[CHUCKLES]

I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you.

A-And your mom... to have to wait all those years.

I always believed in him.

That's what kept me going.

And now he's back.

Mm!

Yeah, I knew it.

- [LAUGHS] - And less than 72 hours.

Ha! [CHUCKLES]

- Girl. - Yeah, I know.

[BREATHES DEEPLY]

And? How was it?

Like...

Like we didn't skip a beat.

Well, all I know is, I just won a hundred bucks.

Why?

- We had a pool going... - [GASPS]

- ...for how long it would take. - Oh, my God.

Everybody else was banking on you having more restraint.

Oh, really? Okay.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

You know, we haven't really even talked about anything yet...

Like, you know, Darius,

so many things.

Well, I think "bed first, talk second"

is absolutely the correct procedure...

Mrs. Wallace.

[BOTH CHUCKLE]

♪

[DOOR CLOSES]

This would be my probation officer, Scotty Williams.

Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Roswell.

Likewise. Glad to see you're making yourself at home.

Courtesy of Spencer Richardson, huh?

Well done.

I guess you met my daughter.

I did.

Seems like she's got her head on her shoulders.

I thought we were gonna arrange an appointment for that.

Well, I came to check out your digs.

Didn't know she'd be here.

So, you came up with some good stuff, huh?

With Charlotte?

Yeah.

She's like a groupie, Dad. [CHUCKLES]

Well, I got you to thank for that.

Your website.

I mean, you make me sound like I walk on water.

[GLASS SHATTERS]

You alright?

[SIGHS]

Yeah.

- It's just - I noticed the other night,

the first night you came home...

there was a siren down the street,

and you kind of wigged out.

Like you did now.

Guess I'm just a little jumpy, you know?

It's nothing.

I read on the Internet some stuff,

people having... PTSD sort of, like,

- when they come home. - No. No, no, no.

It's nothing like that, sweetheart.

I swear I'm good.

How about you?

What do you mean? I'm... I'm great.

It really feels like you're not sure

that this is gonna stick.

Like maybe I'm not gonna stay around

or you're worried something's gonna happen to me.

Well, you're on probation.

And he seems pretty serious.

Look, he can be as serious as he wants.

I'm not gonna do anything

to give him any ammunition against me.

Oh. Okay.

Are you worried about me and your mother?

It's got to be hard...

Being in that house.

♪

You know, the two of you is what I was fighting for.

My whole time in there.

And she's the only woman I've ever loved.

♪

But listen, alright?

No matter what...

till my dying breath...

whether you come to the office with me every single day

- or not... - [LAUGHS]

...I am gonna be there for you.

Alright?

Yeah.

♪

[BEEP, DOOR CLOSES]

- Hey, Mom. - MARIE: Hey.

Where's my AJ?

He's sleeping upstairs.

Thanks.

Good day?

AARON: Complicated.

Tell me.

[EXHALES DEEPLY]

I'm not sure I trust Richardson,

and I think Jazz is kind of having a bad time.

Well, yeah, it's gonna be kind of hard for her

to believe you're really here.

And to admit, you know,

it's... it's all kind of blowing my mind.

- [CHUCKLES] - Yeah. Mine too.

I, uh, found Darius' shoes in the garbage can.

[SIGHS]

Well, he doesn't live here anymore, so I threw 'em out.

Okay, well...

I think we should talk about it.

Nothing to talk about.

He texted me yesterday. He wants your number.

What'd you say?

I told him I didn't think it was a great idea right now,

but I'd ask you.

What do you want to do?

I don't know. I guess... give me his.

[SIGHS]

So... how's your... case going?

Yeah, it's alright. It's a long shot.

I don't even know what it is.

Black woman takes her kid to a hospital in Westchester.

He's got a brain injury,

and they don't see him for six hours.

And she goes postal?

That's the case you're on?

Yeah. They're gonna charge her with kidnapping.

She could get 25 to life.

Well, yeah. She pulled a gun on doctors and nurses.

Because she was asked to sit at the back of the bus

while her son was dying.

You don't know that. You can't know what was going on in that hospital.

I will when I get the records.

Okay. If you win this,

you realize the message it's gonna send?

That anyone can walk into my hospital

and wave a gun at me

if they're not happy with the level of attention?

Do you know what the people at my hospital

are gonna say to me when they find out?

You walked out of here, and you didn't even tell me.

[SIGHS]

You told me you wanted me to take the job with Richardson.

That's what it required.

Well, I didn't say you shouldn't take it.

I'm just saying that we should've discussed it.

Maybe you could've gone back to him

and asked for something else

or we could have found some other solution,

especially when you're telling me you don't trust the man.

Look...

you should've recognized it might affect me,

and we should've talked about it.

[SIGHS] You're right.

I...

Baby, I get you've been on your own all this time,

but you got to start including me.

I hear you, Marie. I...

Listen.

No more lone wolf.

I swear.

♪

I, uh... I got you something.

Since you're so big time.

♪

♪

"ASW, Esquire."

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

I like the sound of that.

I do, too.

Thank you.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

♪

SUN: This is absolutely absurd.

Hospitals have a sophisticated triage system

to code and evaluate relative need.

"Relative" being the operative word here, Your Honor.

That makes the entire situation completely subjective.

Complex systems are in place, systems constructed

by years of research with complicated protocols...

Which require subjective judgment.

And ordinary citizens do not get to substitute their judgment

for that of the professionals

and start waving a loaded gun around to prove it.

If the court even entertains this necessity defense,

what would be the end game?

Anyone can take doctors and nurses hostage

if they think they need more attention?

Is that the new standard we want to create?

It isn't anyone, Your Honor.

And it isn't every situation.

It's this particular situation.

Which is?

A black woman walks into a predominantly white hospital

expecting a certain level of care.

Instead, she's ignored and treated like a hysteric

precisely because she was black.

You can't possibly prove that.

I could if I was allowed

to subpoena the intake logs and records

of all the other patients from that night.

[CHUCKLES] I would've thought he'd be more familiar with HIPAA.

There will be no HIPAA issue here, Your Honor,

if the names and addresses of all the other patients were redacted.

This is a fishing expedition, Your Honor.

Then I guess you don't know about

the racial-discrimination lawsuit brought and settled

with Westchester United two years ago.

Makes you wonder if there's a pattern here.

♪

And how would you get around the privacy issues

in Northwestern v. Ashcroft?

Subsection 514 of section 164

of the Code of Federal Regulations

allows disclosure of exactly this kind of information

as long as the subpoena requires de-identification.

♪

I want to hear all the arguments in front of the bench...

Before I ever let it get to a jury.

That sounds fair, Your Honor.

Thank you.

♪

They crossed out all the names,

but their ages, ethnicities, and conditions are all there.

ROSWELL: According to the logs, there was a white man,

54 years old, came in at 6:02 p.m.,

complaining of abdominal pain.

That was 28 minutes after you'd already checked in,

but he was seen by a doctor, diagnosed with heartburn,

and discharged at 6:48 p.m.,

at which point, Josh still hadn't been treated.

Heartburn.

Do you remember seeing this man

or overhearing anything about him?

No.

But there was a soccer mom

with her daughter, who had a broken arm.

They were in the room next to mine.

Got X-rayed and the whole nine yards.

Came in after, treated first.

Same as you just described with Mr. Pepto-Bismol.

I hope you're not gonna have that attitude in the courtroom.

Is she going to have to explain

why she was carrying a gun in the first place?

Prosecution's likely to bring that up. Yeah.

And her explanation

that she got robbed in the neighborhood.

JOSH: Mom?

What's going on here?

Oh.

These are the men that are helping us.

This is Aaron Wallace... He's my lawyer...

And his associate, Mr. Roswell.

Nice to meet you, Josh.

If you need me to answer any questions

about what happened that day, I was there, too.

[CHUCKLING] Alright.

That won't be necessary, sugar.

They know all about what happened.

Maybe I'll take Josh for something to eat.

Want to get some pizza, little man?

My husband's definitely having a hard time with all this.

He didn't even know I had a gun.

And now he's hearing

that I'm whipping one out in a hospital.

♪

Do you love him?

Of course.

Does he love you?

We've been together since we were 18.

There's never been nobody else.

Then you just got to hold on to your truth.

James will come around when he can.

♪

I read about your case.

Your wife...

she waited?

Nine and a half years?

♪

I'm home again.

That's all that matters.

♪

Alright, you have plenty of milk in the fridge now.

- Mom. - What?

Shh.

I told you, don't worry about being quiet.

You can't be on eggshells around him.

[AJ CRYING]

Yeah? Well, now you woke him.

Just leave him be, Jazz. He'll work it out on his own.

I just feel like he's hungry, Mom.

Those are sleeping sounds, honey.

Look, he's...

he's getting out of the newborn stage.

You know, his habits are changing.

[AJ COOING]

See?

Your father and I used to argue

about how long we should wait before somebody picked you up.

He was a softie.

[CHUCKLES]

He couldn't stand it for more than two minutes.

[CHUCKLES]

What's this?

Oh. Looking up new houses.

For us?

Yeah.

I mean, we don't have a third bedroom for AJ

or anywhere for, you know, your father to stay

or Dad's parents to stay when they come.

Mm.

Dad told me he's getting a good salary.

Well, he's got a six-month agreement

with Spencer Richardson if he gets through this case

and Richardson is happy with the result.

So, I asked if they'd provide me something

for the postoperative pain,

and this nurse asked if I would rate my pain

on a scale from 1 to 10.

I say an 8.

She says, "Let me go check with the doctor."

Hours go by. Now I'm in agony.

And I called the nurse again... Different nurse this time.

The other one's off her shift.

She asked the same question,

said she's gonna go check with the doctor.

It took them almost a whole day to bring the painkiller.

And they go on and on about how addictive it can be

and how they didn't want to give me too high a dose.

Couple days later, I go into work.

I tell my colleague my story.

She says she was at the same hospital.

With a very different story.

I had my appendix out two weeks before,

and I go there and tell them it's still hurting.

They check me out, tell me all is fine.

They ask me about my pain index.

I say I am at a 5.

And they zip in with a bottle of Oxy

and ask if I want a prescription for another one,

in case I need it.

And you're both on the same insurance plan?

- Of course. - We get it through our employer.

I mean, I never would've known

about the difference in treatment

if I hadn't happened to mention it to Elise at work.

But then I did my own research,

and I found that this is a trend all over the country.

Black people being perceived

to have a higher tolerance for pain.

That's why I felt like I had to bring the suit.

And the settlement?

It wasn't for much.

What I wanted was for them to make some changes.

Of course, they put it in writing.

How they were going to look at their protocols,

have sensitivity training.

And here we are.

That poor woman looking at 25 years in prison

for trying to save her son.

♪

This is a map of income by ZIP code.

♪

Could you please show me where Bronx County Hospital is?

♪

I want to ask the court...

to take judicial notice the, um...

[BOTH CHUCKLE SOFTLY]

So, this is the mad genius at work.

[SIGHS] My curfew.

Mm.

Otherwise, I'd be doing this at the office.

Don't worry...

The tape won't peel the paint from the walls.

[CHUCKLES]

Maybe this is why Jazz is looking up new houses on the Internet.

She never mentioned anything to me.

Well, I-I told her it was too soon,

but I understand the instinct.

Yeah.

[INHALES DEEPLY]

So, you want to run some of this by me,

pretend I'm the judge?

Hold on.

I thought you were rooting for the other side.

It's called role play...

Counselor.

[TELEPHONE RINGING]

Take a seat.

[TAPS]

So, what'd you find out about this new case he's working on?

Well, he's not interacting

with anyone in the criminal element,

if that's the concern.

And what did he tell you about his relationship

with Spencer Richardson?

Just that Richardson's paying his overhead and his salary.

Seemed like a move in a positive direction.

I think maybe you should drop in on Richardson,

since now he's the ward's employer.

Is there anything in particular you want to know?

I just want to make sure

he's not taking advantage of Wallace,

pushing him to do things

that his army of legitimate attorneys won't touch.

And how hard do you want me to go?

Just ask your questions, Scotty, matter of fact.

♪

I can tell this isn't very comfortable for you.

Asking these questions.

I'm doing my job, sir.

You're trying to thread the needle

between doing your job and being used as an errand boy.

[CHUCKLES]

That's a needle I have to thread every day, sir.

And I bet you got all kinds of people asking you

why you're working inside a system

that holds our people down.

Hmm.

I'd like to think I do some good from time to time.

Making sure people like Wallace stay on their feet.

And what about me?

You have your doubts?

I admire what you've accomplished...

sir.

I also know you've been a big friend to law enforcement.

I'd imagine that's why people on my end

are a bit... confused about your intentions.

Your boss is just the messenger.

This is the Bronx DA's office

having you do their bidding for them.

You want to know what we're trying to do,

I suggest you come to court tomorrow and see for yourself.

♪

The defense is trying to make a false connection

between this one anecdote from over two years ago

and how Ms. Martin was treated on the night in question.

The connection is clear, Your Honor.

Conscious or unconscious, deliberate or not,

Josh Martin's head injury was not taken as seriously

as a white girl with a broken arm

or a white man with a stomach ache.

So now you're speculating about the intentions

of the doctors and nurses.

[DOOR CLOSES]

♪

JUDGE MITCHELL: Mr. Wallace?

Ms. Martin was treated differently, and she knew it.

The same way Mr. Wilson was.

You cannot cherry-pick two instances

and try to argue a pattern.

Which is why we all have to understand

the larger context of the system she walked into that night.

And you're gonna educate us?

No.

But the hospital's administrator is.

Mr. Kent, are you familiar with Opticlear?

It's a software algorithm

that helps us with care-decision making.

And it's used at thousands of hospitals?

It's the gold standard.

And are you aware

that medical researchers have determined

that this gold standard dramatically underestimates

the healthcare needs of black patients?

I-I believe that is still up for debate.

Well, not according to the CDC,

the University of Chicago, and Mass General.

And are you aware of the proven underdiagnosis

of depression in black patients?

Uh, in general, yes.

Overdiagnosis of schizophrenia?

Also true.

And are black patients 50% less likely

to receive pain medication?

I-I-I don't know if it's 50%.

And no one is arguing that this is okay, Mr. Wallace.

I'm not asking if it's okay.

I'm asking if it's real.

SUN: Objection, Your Honor.

Is Mr. Wallace putting

the entire American medical system on trial here?

Yes, sir, I am.

Because I thought what we're talking about here is

a single incident on a single day at a certain hospital.

As I said before,

Ms. Martin's experience at Westchester United

exists within the context of a broader issue, Your Honor.

That's my point.

I'll allow it if you can find a way

to tie it together, Mr. Wallace.

Now, this is a map of income by ZIP code.

I would ask the court to take judicial notice

that Ms. Martin's ZIP code in the Bronx

has a median family income of $33,456

and is 82% people of color.

And what is the median family income of the ZIP code

where your hospital is located in Westchester?

Roughly... 110,000.

So, would it be fair to say

that when Ms. Martin drove past Bronx County on that day,

headed to your hospital, that she thought

she would be going to a betterfunded hospital

with better facilities and better care?

I can't dispute that.

But it's not supposed to be that way, is it?

I'm s...

Uh, uh, I'm not sure I understand the question.

There are government programs already in place

designed to close the gap

between private wellfunded hospitals like yours

and the county hospital in the Bronx

that Ms. Martin was avoiding.

Are there not?

Are you talking about the Indigent Care Pool?

A billion-dollar fund designed for resources

to flow into underserved communities.

That's right.

And based on the idea of that fund,

you'd expect the hospitals in inner-city areas

to be getting most of that money.

In theory, yes.

But not in practice.

In fact, a lot of that money goes

to private well-funded hospitals like yours.

Uh, I am not aware of the exact allocations.

In order for Westchester United

to get their hands on some of that money,

you had to apply for a grant, yes?

Of course.

And on what basis

did your hospital apply for funds from the ICP?

Well, 18% of the people who come into our emergency rooms

are from the indigent community.

♪

18%.

That's what justified your money grab.

Objection.

Your Honor?

Withdrawn.

♪

So, since your hospital

and other private well-funded hospitals

make a habit of siphoning money away from inner-city hospitals

on the premise that you also treat

members of the underserved community,

when Ms. Martin walked into that hospital

as someone from the poorer socioeconomic demographic,

she should expect to be treated as though she belonged there.

I...

I-I think it goes without saying that she, uh...

should expect good treatment in any hospital she walks into.

Including ours.

Yeah.

Yeah, that is what she should expect.

But that isn't what happened.

Was it?

[PEN CLICKS]

♪

♪

♪

[DRAMATIC CHORD STRIKES]

[HEARTBEAT THUMPING]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS IN DISTANCE]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

The point is, you're in a very good position,

and we need to keep pushing this.

Hey. Henry.

'Cause we got 'em on the run now.

Just keep push...

Keep pushing what? What's going on?

Mr. Richardson says they're offering us a deal.

Mm.

How do you know that?

Westchester DA called me.

Instead of her lawyer.

We know each other.

He was trying to convince me to pull the plug.

I told him we weren't giving in so easily.

What's the offer?

They'll drop the kidnapping down to unlawful imprisonment

and fold the gun charge into it.

They're asking for a five-year sentence.

That's four years on good behavior.

Sounds like you think we should take it.

And I think that would be premature.

If you don't mind,

I'd like to have a word with my client and her family.

Alone.

AARON: Now, listen to me, alright?

I understand you feel beholden to Mr. Richardson.

Maybe you think he knows the right thing to do.

But he has another agenda besides you.

And that's to attack the healthcare system

and to embarrass Westchester Hospital,

to use your case politically to influence change.

Now, that's a worthy goal,

but I can't take you down that path

without telling you the risks.

Now, you keep pushing this, and it goes to trial,

the offer...

♪

...that goes away.

And we're back to 25 years if we lose.

What makes you think we won't win at trial?

If they're already dropping the charges down so much now?

What do you think the jury's gonna look like in Westchester?

How do you think all those soccer moms and Pepto-Bismol dads

are gonna take to what we're arguing here?

I thought for sure, you'd be the one saying

we got to fight this.

♪

I was in your position once.

I had a deal on the table,

and I barely even let my lawyer negotiate it down.

Because I was innocent,

and I was convinced that somehow...

That somehow it was all just gonna work out for me.

And then when it didn't...

♪

I spent so many nights in that place...

staring up at the ceiling,

beating myself up about what I did...

knowing the... the agony my family was going through.

♪

Thinking I was never gonna make it out.

Hoping I would, but...

never really knowing.

♪

[INHALES DEEPLY]

I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

And if I could,

I would do anything to get some of that time back.

If I could turn those nine years into seven or even eight,

I...

I'd do it.

♪

I would trade anything...

to not have lost that time.

♪

[SIGHS]

♪

He'll be in the ninth grade when I get out.

♪

If we lose, he'll be...

34.

With kids of his own.

♪

Listen, I know it'll be hard.

But that's still plenty of time.

♪

Four years?

[SNIFFLES]

[BREATHING SHAKILY]

[VOICE BREAKING] Y-You take care of him.

♪

- [VOICE BREAKING] - This is what you really want?

We can't risk it.

♪

[SIGHING] Alright.

I'll be waiting for you on the other side.

♪

You were willing to make a martyr out of her to make a point?

Causes need people willing to stand up and fight.

Well, that's easy for you to say standing in the penthouse.

That woman never asked to be a part of a cause.

And that doesn't mean you needed to talk her out of it.

[SIGHS]

This is why I can't work for you.

Because we have a difference of opinion?

Because I can't have you poking your head into my cases

like you did today... Ever.

Listen, you say you want to do right by me.

If you can stand by that, that's great.

But if you got to take back the money...

...I can live with that.

You did great work.

Better than I even hoped for.

And I'm certainly disappointed to find you thinking so small.

Her life and her family aren't small.

Not to them.

We made a deal.

Mm?

And I'm gonna stand by my word.

But you still have a lot to learn.

♪

How'd that go?

Well, he's not pulling our funding.

Well done there.

Can't work with somebody I don't trust.

I get it.

I wish it was different, but I hear you.

You know, this is why I used to drink.

Well, part of the reason.

The clients. All that pain.

And it's gonna be a thousand times harder for you.

Because you understand it... In your bones...

The way no other lawyer can.

It's gonna be a blessing for your clients,

but sometimes, it's gonna be a curse for you.

Is this supposed to be a pep talk?

Let's get you home, huh?

I have another stop to make, if you don't mind.

[CASEY KALMENSON'S "FLOOD" PLAYS]

♪

♪ How'd you like me to be ♪

♪ Quietly pretend I missed the part ♪

♪ Where you left me ♪

♪ Didn't I, didn't I tell you ♪

♪ Didn't I, didn't I tell you ♪

♪ Didn't I, didn't I tell you ♪

♪ How cold nights could be ♪

♪ Didn't I, didn't I tell you ♪

What you doing over here?

Posting about your case.

And everyone is talking about it.

Don't you think you ought to change the name of the website?

I don't need to.

I mean, it has two different meanings,

and this is what the "free Aaron Wallace" is doing now.

Hey, um...

are you alright about what we talked about?

Yeah, of course. Are you?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm good.

MARIE: Hey, Grandpa.

Hey.

- [SMOOCHES] - Mm.

Jazz said you were spectacular in court today.

- Yeah? - Mm-hmm.

I'm sorry I missed it.

I went to the storage area.

Oh, really?

Did you bring anything back?

It was so much to go through.

I brought a couple of boxes.

They're downstairs.

So, why don't you bring them up?

It was hard, Marie.

Seeing all those boxes.

And your handwriting, Magic Marker.

So... neat and...

And organized.

My God. [SIGHS]

That was so long ago.

How long?

What's that?

Well, when exactly did you pack up all my stuff

and put it in that warehouse?

♪

I, uh... I don't... I don't know.

I... It must have been [SIGHS] around when...

I moved in here.

I guess like seven years ago?

Mm.

This place is so small.

There was nowhere to put any of it.

♪

Yeah, I understand.

It's just, seeing a life's worth of stuff in...

[SIGHS]

I just...

♪

I don't know.

♪

♪

♪

♪

I saw my mother for the first time in 9 years.

♪

She hugged me, I didn't feel anything.

♪

I wasn't there for you.

Can you forgive me?

♪

Trust can be lost,

but it can also be earned back.

We always said we'd have each others backs.

How am I supposed to move forward

when I got your stench in my bed!

♪