"_" "(Mrs. Clemons) What I'm saying is, open adoptions are negotiable." "It's just a matter of deciding what makes each of you comfortable." " Well, whatever Judi needs..." " I'm gonna be really busy with school, so..." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Go ahead." "No, I was just going to say," "I am so grateful to you, Judi, so whatever you need to feel comfortable..." "I feel comfortable." "I-I mean, it's..." "Um..." "I don't know." "I'm sorry." "Mildred, is there some sort of model for this?" "I mean, what do people usually do?" "I-I want Judi to be a part of Henry's life if she wants to be." "Um, I'd like him to know where he comes from." "But, uh, maybe some guidelines would be helpful." "Sure." "A common setup is weekly photos, monthly visits." "Judi?" "Sure." "Yeah, okay." "This is an open adoption." "I have to be open, and I don't feel open." "I feel like I wanna... (Lowered voice) take Henry and run." "I mean, what if she hates me?" "What if she thinks I'm doing a terrible job?" " That's not gonna happen." " Yeah?" "Well, then why did she come now?" "I mean, no visits in eight months." "No replies to any of my e-mails." "Why now?" "Well, maybe it's taken her this long to wrap her head around all this." "I mean, she did have a baby and give him away." "Oh, so you're saying not everything's about me?" "A little bit, that's what I'm saying." "But only if it makes you feel better." "It does." "Thank you." "Okay, Henry." "Let's go meet the lady who made you." "Hmm?" "(Henry coos)" "Judi." "Hi." "Um, I-I brought a..." "Wow." "He is advanced in all milestones except peekaboo, but we'll get there." "And he loves, uh, tigger and mashed carrots." "I mean, well, all things orange." "(Laughs)" "He's so big." "Yeah, not too big, though." "I mean, he's a fat baby, but in a healthy fat baby way, not in a bad fat baby way." "You know, he's good." "I'm doing a good job." "I'm... talking too much." "(All laugh)" "Um... would you mind if I held him?" "Of course." "Um..." "Hi." "Hi." "Hi, Henry." "Hey, remember me?" "I'm..." "I'm Judi." "Yeah." "Hi." "Yeah." "(Jake) Okay, Henry." "Look over here." " Look at tigger." " Wave to tigger, honey." "(Camera beeps) That's a good boy." "Oh, honey, I gotta get a new memory card." " It'll just take a minute." " Okay." "Oh." "Did you, um, want to give him the bunny?" "What?" "I noticed you brought the stuffed animal." "Did you want to give it to him?" "Oh, yeah." "Um... no." "It kinda seems like he's got everything he needs." "Thank you for saying that." "I was, um... (Chuckles) I was really nervous before you got here." "Why?" "Um, you're the most together person I've ever met." "I..." "I just think you wanting to see him, it just, um..." "it surprised me, you know?" "I mean, you haven't shown much interest until now." "I mean, I sent you photos, you didn't reply." "And you haven't scheduled any visits until now." "I'm just..." "I don't know." "I'm just wondering what..." "what changed." "I don't open most of your e-mails." "It's not that I'm not interested, but, um," "I don't know." "It-- it's been hard." "(Babbles) (Laughs)" "Oh." "Oh." "You know that thing where you're afraid you forgot something?" "I-I mean, you do other stuff, but all you can think about is that you forgot something." "Yeah." "I hate that feeling." "Since I gave Henry to you," "I-I feel like that... all the time." "I mean, e-except now." "Just seeing him and how well he's doing..." "(Babbles)" "I don't know." "The feeling's gone right now." "(Babbles)" "(Chuckles) Well, I can send you photos every day, and you really can schedule monthly visits." "I'm still open to that." "Yeah." "That would be cool." "But, um, I was hoping, if it's not too much or whatever, maybe I could see Henry again sooner?" "Like tomorrow?" "Sure." "(Sam) Wait." "So she hasn't visited in eight months, and now she wants to visit two days in a row?" "It's too much, and she knows it." "Is Judi regretting her decision to put Henry up for adoption?" "I didn't get that impression." "(Mouth full) Well, maybe seeing that her child's well cared for will actually help her move on." "(Violet) The point of open adoption is not for the birth mother to move on." "The point is to have the birth mother involved in the child's life, which... can be a powerful thing." "It's a douchey thing." "Cooper." "You don't give a kid up and then hang around confusing everybody." "I mean, I can't imagine what that would've been like." "(Violet) Just because you can't imagine it doesn't mean that it's an invalid choice." "Is anybody else here adopted that they know of?" "No?" "Okay." "Then I get more say than any of you people." "And I say it's douchey." "Addison, move to Burbank." "Sell the house, disappear." "Henry doesn't need this kind of confusion." "(Sheldon) Judi's presence could be beneficial to Henry." "If he knows her, he won't have fantasies that his birth mother is a spy or a queen or a supermodel." "Those sound like your fantasies." "The point is, if we remove the element of mystery," "Henry won't have any illusions that Judi would've made him a better life than the one he has now." "(Sam) What if the birth mother is a bad influence?" "Well, that's relatively rare." "These women tend to be selfless, envisioning a future for their baby that they are unable to provide." "They also tend to have goals that are incompatible with premature parenthood." "Premature parenthood?" "Is that a thing?" " It is now." " Oh." "(Sheldon) The arrangement can be good for everyone involved, provided adequate boundaries are set." "(Charlotte) Oh, that can be tough, though." "If Judi's around all the time, she might start weighing in on parenting decisions." "(Violet) It's not about weighing in on parenting decisions." "It's about making sure that everyone in the adoption triad is..." "Addison." "Sweetheart." "(Sniffles)" "(Voice breaking) I'm his mom." "I just want to be his mom." "Dr. Carlsmith, I'm Dr. Peterson." "I understand you're having some abdominal discomfort." "In the right upper quadrant." "Start an IV." "It could be a few things." "It could be, but it's not." "I have gastric cancer." "Okay." "Let me see what's going on." "Where'd you go to school?" "USC residency and fellowship." " Med school at Stanford." " Thank goodness." "I was afraid you'd say one of those quack schools." "My first day, my first ER rotation, a woman in labor presented in Frank Breech." "I had just read your paper on the external cephalic version technique." "The description was so clear, I performed it flawlessly." "Hmm." "I saved her life and then the baby's." "Sounds like you got lucky." " With your help." " Ohh!" "(Gasps)" "(Panting) Fentanyl, 50 IV." "And let's get an abdominal CT." "Vivian, is there someone we can call for you, someone who can be here with you?" "No, no." "No need to call anyone." "I don't want to be a bother." "Okay, just give me a call when she's at 7 centimeters." "Now we take it all for granted, but at the time, there was no treatment." "She's the one who actually came up with the idea to put the temporary plug in the fetal trachea." "Are you talking about Dr. Vivian Carlsmith?" "Yeah." "She's in the ER." "(James) I'm going to admit you." "Oh, I've already spent too much of my life in hospitals." "Yeah, but we have really good pudding." "Vivian." " Addison." " Sorry, Addison." "The chart didn't indicate you're her doctor." "Oh!" "No, I'm not." "She's my friend, my mentor." "Oh, that word makes me feel old." "Oh, no." "She taught me everything I know." "Why are you in the ER?" "What are you doing in LA?" "I'm fine." "UCLA hired me as a part of their guest lecture series." "And I thought you were still in Seattle with Derek and Richard." "Yeah, well, I took a page out of your book and decided to move to a warmer climate." " Mm." " I just, you know, didn't wait until I retired, that's all." "The pupil surpasses the teacher." "(Laughs)" "Oh. (Groans)" "Can you give her something?" "Already did." "Another 50 fentanyl IV." "Okay, Vivian, what's going on?" "You tell me." "Acute abdominal pain, nausea, bloating" "You want me to play find the diagnosis now?" "Mm." "All right, fine." "Uh..." "Choleocystitis?" "Pancreatitis?" "Wrong, but in fairness," "I left something out." "Family history of C-H-1 mutation." "Gastrocarcinoma." "You always were my smartest student." "(Sighs)" "This can't be right." "When's the last time you saw her?" "Too..." "long ago." "What's your treatment plan?" "I ordered an abdominal CT and I'll admit her for pain management." "Good." "That's good." "But my fear is that her symptoms mean the cancer has metastasized to the liver." "It's an easy diagnosis to miss, and it's almost never caught in time." "She said she didn't want to be a bother, but she really should have family here." "All she had was a sister, and she died years ago." "There's no one left." "(Man) Dr. Peterson!" "What happened?" "She was upstairs in PT." "She tried to walk and she fell, hit her head." "Mommy, it hurts." "I know, baby." "I know." "It's gonna be okay." "What's your name, sweetie?" " Gwen." " I'm Dr. James, and we're gonna fix that right up, okay?" "I promise." "(People speaking indistinctly)" "You did this." "This is your fault." "I-I'm sorry?" "You don't even recognize me, do you?" "Sean Patruchi." " Eight years ago..." " Right." "In utero surgery" "Spina bifida." "I'm sorry." "It just took me a minute." "You said my baby would be okay, promised me she'd have a good life." "You lied." "Listen to me." "I can see you're upset" "Don't patronize me." "I have been through hell since Gwen was born." "You were my doctor." "You should've..." "You should've told me to have an abortion." "I should've had an abortion." "Well, what about family names?" "If there's a girl, I like Marjorie." "(Chuckles) Yeah, but-- but Marjorie's not a family name." "That's the name of your horse." "Whom I loved more than either of my brothers." "(Laughs)" "Any good grandparent names?" "Walter, Miriam, Irving, and Rivka?" "It's too waspy, though, right?" "Mm." "I feel bad for Addison." "It cannot be easy with Henry's birth mom coming around all the time." "It's hard enough for us to make parenting decisions, and we chose each other." "Right?" "I mean, if you make the honorable decision to give up your child so they can have a better life, then you need to back off and let them have that life." "That's a little harsh." "Everybody's needs are different." "Okay, you're right, but, like, I've imagined what it would be like if, you know, one day my birth mother just knocked on the door..." "You are curious about her." "Well, yeah, of course I am, but nobody gives up a child unless they're in crisis." "So who am I to go and... try and find her?" "I mean, what if that made her life worse?" "I've had an amazing life, and she's responsible, so I want my birth mother to have a good life, too." "You were adopted?" "Yeah." "Yeah, I w" " I was." "The woman who gave birth to me couldn't take care of me" "Well, I-I know what adopted is." "What's her name?" "I don't know." "I don't know anything about her." "Nothing?" "Nope." "I don't want to be late for school." "Are you ready?" "Yeah." "Let's go." "(Henry babbles)" "(Chuckles) He's beautiful." "(Laughs) He's perfect, right?" "I know you went back and forth about it, but I always suspected you'd decide to have children." "(Laughs)" "You didn't go for that natural birth malarkey, did you?" "Actually, I didn't deliver." "I mean, technically, I did, I guess." "I was the OB on the case." "But the birth mother" " Judi-- is the one who actually pushed him out." "I..." "I adopted Henry." "You did?" "Yes, I did." "Actually, Judi came to visit us yesterday." "Wait." "The birth mother visited you?" "Why?" "I don't know." "I mean, I hadn't heard from her in months." "I thought I would, but I didn't." "And then yesterday, she wanted to visit." "It w" " I-- it was..." "it was actually okay." "(Henry babbles)" "I don't understand." "She wanted to see Henry, and you let her?" "Yeah, it's part of our adoption agreement." "To hold a child you gave up..." "Are you okay?" "(Voice breaks) To know your baby is safe..." "Vivian, are you all right?" "I can't." "I..." "I've never told anyone." "Well, you can tell me." "What is it?" "In 1954, I had a baby." "I was 15." "I never got to hold her." "The nuns gave her to a catholic family." "(Cries) I had a baby, and they took her away from me." "Sam, when is your TV show gonna be on the air?" "Oh, it's just a pilot, so... they have to decide on..." "things." "Damn." "I was excited to start calling you the situation." "(Laughs)" "Excuse me." "I'm looking for a Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery." "Oh, that's me." "You've been served." "What is it?" "I'm being sued by my former patient" "Sean Patruchi-- for wrongful birth of her daughter." "What does that mean?" "It means the patient believes her baby shouldn't exist." "Yeah, but she's not a baby." "Gwen is 7 years old." "What's wrong with her?" "When Sean was pregnant, I diagnosed Gwen, her baby, with spina bifida." "I gave her options and I recommended fetal surgery." "Well, it was a cutting-edge procedure at the time." "It's not a surprise if that wasn't a success." "(Addison) No, it worked." "She just hit her head in PT." "She's starting to walk." "That's a miracle." "Apparently not miracle enough." "No, I ran into Sean yesterday in the ER." "She flipped out on me and she said she wanted a normal life for her daughter and because she didn't get it, she thinks I should've advised her to abort." "Well, some parents are not equipped to care for a less-than-perfect child." "I've read lots of blogs by moms whose babies are less than perfect." "The majority believe that parenting a special needs child is-- is a blessing." "All of us are less than perfect." "People just want guarantees." "That's why they have the genetic screening and the prenatal testing." "(Cooper) Those tests are done before birth, and sometimes even before conception." "This child is 7 years old?" "You know, none of this is new." "I mean, the ancient Romans left their disabled kids out for the wolves to eat." "Oh." "What?" "I said the blessing thing." "(Charlotte) Who cares if a kid can't walk?" "Neither can Stephen Hawking or Itzhak Perlman." "Never stopped them from being an overachiever." "How does a mother say her own child's life is not worth living?" "I mean, how do you say that about any life?" "It would be one thing if I had done something wrong or made a mistake, but I didn't." "I helped her." "You did." "You gave her a child." "It's not your fault she can't handle being a mother." "(Baby-talk voice) Wee!" "Yeah." "You're having a swing, aren't you?" "(Laughs) Wee." "(Normal voice) Oh, Henry." "Look at him smiling." "(Laughs)" "Addison." "My God." "(Indistinct conversations)" "Hi." "Hi." "Um, I hope you don't mind, but I-I brought someone." "Addison, Jake, this is Donna." "She's my, um" "I'm Henry's grandmother." "God, Judi." "He looks exactly like you." "Just exactly like you." "It's like going back in time. (Laughs)" "I hope this is okay." "Maybe I should've mentioned" "(Jake) You definitely should've mentioned" "No, no, it's okay." "I mean..." "I'm fine." "I'm just a little surprised, that's all." "Sweetie, that makes two of us." "Believe me, I never thought I'd be the mother who didn't know her kid was pregnant." "We didn't talk for almost a year because she didn't like my boyfriend." " That wasn't why." " Mom." "Please." "You two, you're adults." "You think a kid should disappear from her mom's life and fail to mention she'd had a baby because of a disagreement?" "It was more than a disagreement." "(Henry coos)" "Would you mind?" "Could I hold my grandson?" "(Babbles) Hi." "(Jake) Judi, is this why you wanted to see Henry after such a long time, because you wanted your mother to meet him?" "No, no." "Or yes." "I don't know." "Look, I wanted to see him." "Every day, I wanted to see him." "But after mom and I made up and I told her," "I guess how bad she wanted to see him gave me the courage to call." "I wish you could've come to me." "(Voice breaks) If you had just told me..." "Gin." "Are you cheating?" "In my day, ER docs were better losers." "Your deal." "You said best of three, then we could talk about your test results." "Another hand." "The cancer has spread... to your liver." " We need to talk about" " We don't, actually." "You're going to tell me the cancer is stage IV, which means I should die soon, right?" "Yes." "But I've been a doctor longer than you've been alive." "And I know sometimes, greater forces are at work." "Are you talking about faith?" "I'm saying, I'm a crotchety old broad and I don't accept your diagnosis." "I'm not even your patient anymore." "Don't you have traumas to deal with?" "It's my day off, and I'm partial to crotchety old broads." "Then deal, and let's make it interesting." "A buck a point." "Don't do it." "Do what?" "You're going to stare at Henry so that he can make you feel better." "He's a baby." "Babies need to be checked on." "He's a sleeping baby, and sleeping babies need to be left alone." "(Sighs)" "All right. (Groans)" "Okay, so which thing is it?" "Because no person in your situation would be able to sleep right now." "Did you see how Donna went after Judi right in front of us?" "And then she-- she referred to herself as Henry's grandmother." "It doesn't matter what she calls herself." " You're his mother." " You're damn right I am." "And I would do anything for my boy." "I'd walk through fire." "I would give up all my limbs-- every limb." "And why, why the hell didn't..." "I stay in better touch with Vivian?" "It wouldn't change her diagnosis." "You don't know that." "Wait." "You can cure cancer?" "That-- that's awesome." "Oh, shut up." "Everyone just wants me to be-- why... is this happening to me?" "I mean, why is all of this happening to me?" "My-- my lawyer says that we can't win in court so I should go into mediation and act contrite so we can settle." "She can't even speak in mediation." "Not that she would get a word in edgewise." "Okay, but no, I just" "It's too much, Jake." "Okay?" "I can't lose my son and I can't have Vivian die and I cannot settle for millions when I haven't done anything wrong." "You will not lose your son," "Vivian will die someday-- we all will-- and you didn't do anything wrong." "But as doctors, we have a tendency to go in fighting, and if we just opened ourselves up to hearing the other side, then the-- the amount of money in lawsuits, the level of hostility, it-- it might all change." "I didn't do anything wrong." "No, you didn't, but regardless, if there were a way to make Gwen's life easier, wouldn't you do it?" "Because you're not just a doctor, Addison." "You're a mother, a mother who would walk through fire and give up her limbs." "But maybe, just maybe, so is Sean." "You lost?" "ER's on the first floor." "Actually, I was looking for you." "I have a 74-year-old patient, stage IV gastric cancer." "She's been on fentanyl, but it's not enough." "What do you think about spinal cord stimulation or intrathecal pain pumps?" "I think they're both terrific options for pain management." "Great." "Well" "But not for a 74-year-old woman with stage IV gastric cancer." "Surgically implanting a device at this point, it's too invasive." "She might not survive the procedure." "Yeah, I figured it was a long shot." "This a relative of yours?" "Never met her before yesterday, but she's just one of those patients." "I don't know." "I just wanted to help." "Anyway, thanks." "(Knock on door)" "How long does she have?" "Could be hours." "Could be weeks." "Maybe a month." "Not more." "But she doesn't have an advanced directive, won't consider hospice." "You know her, so I figured maybe you could get her to stop being so stubborn." "(Knock on door)" "(Judi) Sorry." "Um..." "I need to talk to you if that's all right." "I'll catch up with you later." "James." "Thanks." "It is not all right." " You can't do this." " What?" "You can't show up at my work." "You cannot ambush me with your mother." "You are not a child." "You made a choice." "And I will always be grateful, but you have to stop now." "Stop ambushing me or I will disappear." "I will pack up Henry, and I will move, and I swear to God, you will never even see a picture of my son." "I'm sorry." "I'm really sorry." "I d" "I didn't realize..." "I was just coming here to say that I can't see Henry anymore." "It's too hard and it hurts too much." "So..." "I just-- I wanted to say thank you." "You're a great mom." "You're a great person." "And... (Voice breaking) and I'm sorry." "I won't bother you again." "(Sighs)" "My job as mediator is to facilitate a conversation between the two of you." "I'll start with questions, okay?" "Addison, how many in utero spina bifida surgeries do you do in a year?" "A handful." "Five, sometimes more." "Please explain to Sean why you believed, with your treatment," "Gwen would be able to walk." "By repairing the spinal column while the fetus is gestating, you increase the likelihood of muscle tone developing in the lower extremities." "And judging by Gwen's chart, it looks like she's starting to walk." "She hoists herself up out of her wheelchair with her arms, hovers for five minutes, and falls back into her chair exhausted." "I don't know what that is, but it's not walking." "Sean, by suing Addison for the wrongful birth of your child, you're saying that if you had understood" "Gwen would never be completely ambulatory, you would have terminated your pregnancy." "Is that correct?" "It's not just the walking." "Gwen will never have a normal life because you lied to me." "I did my job." "You're not happy with the way your life turned out, and you're looking for someone to blame." "You are to blame." "You didn't prepare us for this reality." "I know you didn't prepare us because my husband left before Gwen was 2." "He wasn't prepared." "I wasn't prepared." "And now I have spent every day of my life since Gwen was born caring for her, feeding her, clothing her, wiping her." "And I will spend every day of my life doing that until I die or she dies." "You begged me to save your daughter, and I did." "Taking care of your child, dealing with pain and disappointment, being afraid every second, every day-- that is motherhood." "I didn't think it was my job to explain that to you, but clearly, you don't have a clue, because no mother could come here and do this." "No mother could ever say that her child shouldn't exist." "You will not call me a bad mother." "You will not make me into a villain because you are the one who is heartless." "And when I take your ass to court, the jury will agree." "You're a dear." "How's your pain level today?" "How was mediation?" "(Clears throat) You're deflecting." "In fact, I am." "Well, I attempted to play nice and hold my tongue, but the truth is, I didn't make a mistake, and the woman who's suing me is a bitch, and I don't feel like listening to her" "complain about her life anymore." "Why is it nowadays everyone thinks people need to understand their emotions?" "(Chuckles)" "Everyone has so many feelings." "It's absurd." "(Laughs) Aw." "I've worked my whole life to become a great doctor, and now my reputation's being threatened." "And what's even worse, there's only a few people who do what I do." "So if I can't practice medicine, there will literally be babies... that won't get saved." "I know that sounds egotistical" "Oh, don't you ever backpedal your ego with me, missy." "You're my student." "You deserve every bit of that pride." "(Sighs) Vivian... it's time to put your affairs in order." "You know that, right?" "Did Judi end up coming back?" "You're deflecting again." "Yes, she did, and she brought a surprise guest-- her mother." "That must have been uncomfortable." "(Chuckles) I think it was harder for Judi." "I don't think her mother approves of her giving Henry up." "Mothers try to protect their children." "But sometimes in the process, they do a lot of damage." "What did your mother do?" "Before you leave the maternity home, they let you hold your baby for 30 minutes to say good-bye." "Everything I'd know about my daughter, everything she'd know about me... would come in that 30 minutes." "I practiced what I'd say to her while I crocheted a pair of baby booties." "But... before they brought her in, my mother showed up to take me home." "And when Sister Jo brought my baby... my mother sent them both away." "(Voice breaking) I wanted to hold my baby." "I wanted to be her mother." "(Sniffles) But what kind of life would I have been able to give her anyway?" "Medicine... that became my life's work, and looking after a few special students, like you." "(Exhales)" "Did you ever forgive your mother?" "She did what she thought was best for me." "The truth is, I had to thank her." "I was the only female surgeon in my class." "The male residents just tortured me." "(Chuckles)" "But it rolled off my back." "After your mother calls you a whore, nothing else hurts." "Oh, where did you find... the strength?" "We're women, honey." "The strength finds us." "(Sighs)" "What are you doing here?" "I just want to talk." "I am done talking to you." "She's a fighter." "(Sighs)" "She's been working on taking her first step for over a year." "Sean, there's no way you would've terminated." "I went back and looked at your chart." "You'd been trying for years." "Three rounds of IVF with no luck until you and your husband quit trying, and then the miracle happened." "You got pregnant." "There's no way you would've had an abortion." " Do you have kids?" " Yes." "Do they have special needs?" "No, but" "You're a wealthy doctor with a perfect child." "You don't get to judge me." "But you are judging me." "You're putting my life on trial." "You're trying to take me down for money when you know I didn't make a mistake." "What do you want from me?" "I have to take care of her." "I got laid off." "The hospital where I work cut the social worker staff, and I got laid off." "Something has gotta give for me to be able to make ends meet, and it cannot be her medical care or rent or food." "(Sighs)" "Look at her." "She's amazing." "And of course I don't regret having her." "What else can I do?" "Someday Gwen's gonna find out where that money came from, and it will destroy her." "Look, mommy." "Look!" "I'm walking, mommy." "You are, baby!" "You are." "I am so proud of you." "(Chuckles)" "(Sighs)" "Oh, my God." "That is better than sex." "Okay, I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that." "(Mason) Okay." "I figured it out." "Remember that time we went sailing and you didn't get seasick?" "Mm-hmm." "And on the beach, found this rose quartz?" "Mm-hmm." "It's basically treasure." "Your parents are pirates." "Jewish pirates?" "Maybe not even Jewish." "I was adopted through a Jewish agency." "I'm Jewish." "But if we found your real parents, we could vacationing on their" "Okay, I gr" " I grew up with my real parents." " I think what you meant..." " You have more." "I mean, how could you not want to meet them?" "Okay, Mason. (Sighs)" "Some questions, even when they come from just being curious, they can be hurtful." "You need to think about the person you're asking and how it might affect 'em." "I'm sorry, dad." "I wasn't trying to be mean." "I know, sweetie." "It's just, all those years I spent with mom and nobody else." "I wondered about you." "I get that." "I do." "And it's not like I haven't wondered about my birth mother." "Of course I have." "I even made up a life for her, too." "She's happily married, she's got three kids, she teaches third grade in a suburb of Dayton." "Look, there's a lot of people who were adopted who want to find their biological parents." "It just... it was never me." "To me, my parents are the ones who checked my homework and stayed up with me when I was sick and made me feel like" "I was the most important thing in the world to them." "They're my family, like Charlotte is family to you." "Blood doesn't make a family." "Love does." "That makes sense." "But can we still get the triplets their own pirate hats?" "Vitals aren't so good, are they?" "They're fine." "You need to become a better liar." "(Velcro rips)" "Do you have a wife?" "I haven't found the lucky girl yet." "If only I were 40 years younger." "I was a real beauty back then." "You still are." "No flirting with the patients." "Don't listen to her." "I'm not easily discouraged." "I'll check on you later, okay?" "Did you find the stationery?" "Mission accomplished." "I need you to write me a letter." "Okay." "Use your best penmanship." "Make it legible." "(Laughs) All right." "No messy doctor scribble." "To my beloved daughter... (Eva Cassidy) ♪ in my bed, I hear... ♪" "In my mind, I call you Maxine." "But the truth is, even though I gave birth to you..." "Push." "Good." "(Vivian) I do not know the name you answered to all of your life." "I've spent hours listening..." "(Henry crying) for the sound of your voice." "♪ To warm nights ♪" "But I would not be able to pick you out of a crowd." "Birth mother went through the book of prospective mothers, chose you, wants to see you." "Uh... okay." "You want to comb your hair or do you want a baby?" "♪ You picture me ♪" "♪ I'm walking ♪" "♪ too far ahead ♪" "♪ you're calling... ♪" "Do you want to hold him?" "(Vivian) I do not wish to burden you with the details of my pregnancy or the sadness I felt in losing my right to parent you." "♪ Go slow ♪" "♪ I fall behind ♪" "You are gonna have an amazing life." "♪ The second hand... ♪" "Okay." "I'm ready now." "♪ If you're lost, you can look ♪" "♪ and you will find me ♪" "♪ time after time ♪" "♪ if you fall, I will catch you ♪" "♪ I'll be waiting ♪" "♪ time after time ♪" "(Vivian) I hope and pray you never felt abandoned by me." "♪ I will be waiting ♪" "But I want you to know, there was not one moment of one day or night that I did not think of you and feel love for you." "Though I did not raise you, in my heart," "I was always there with you." "You didn't have one mother." "You had two." "♪ Watching through... ♪" "All of my love, your other mother..." "Vivian Carlsmith." "I have no idea where she is." "And I won't live long enough to find her." "Will you do it for me?" "Yes." "And give her the letter." "I will." "♪ And you will find me ♪" "I promise." "♪ Time after time ♪" "♪ time after ♪" "♪ time ♪" "Thank you." "Hey." "Um..." "what are you doing here?" "I'm not really sure, exactly." "I read, uh, when you adopt a baby, you're supposed to give the birth mother something." "Not... that I could ever give you anything that compares to what you gave me." "But I, um..." "I got you this." "I mean, I don't even..." "Do you even like gold?" "Uh, should I have gotten you silver?" "No." "I like it." "I-I do." "Please don't stop seeing Henry." "(Sighs) Henry shouldn't be around me." "When he's old enough to understand what I did, he'll hate me." "No, he won't." "He couldn't." "What you did was put his welfare above your own, because that's what a mother does." "I'm not his mother." "You are." "No, that's what I'm trying to say." "We both are." "You, Henry, and I, we're connected now." "We're family." "And I get that it's hard, and if you need a break, that's okay." "Or if it's just too much, that's okay." "But you need to know, you have to know, that you will always be welcome in his home, in our home." "(Sighs)" "Um... my break is in ten minutes... and the blueberry pie here is really good." "Maybe if you ordered two pieces, we could" "I'd love that." "(Exhales)" "I'm glad you both reconsidered mediation." "I think if you try to truly listen to one another" "I want to settle." "What?" "Let's stop all this." "Pick a number, and I'll pay it." "But why would you" "Gwen needs to be taken care of." "What you've been through-- I can't change what happened, but I can help." "Let me help." "I can't." "No, it's okay." "Talk to your lawyer, and I'll make it work." "No, you don't understand." "(Sighs)" "You were right." "(Sighs)" "Gwen can never think I didn't want her." "And if I go th" "(Sighs)" "You didn't do anything wrong." "I can't take your money." "(Exhales)" "(Sighs) When?" "About an hour ago." "I texted you." "I was in mediation." "I'm sorry, Addison." "Thank you." "She had that light inside of her that... made you want to catch every word she said." "(Sighs)" "My grandmother had that." "She used to wake up every morning and wave up at the sky and say good morning to the sun, fed the rabbits table scraps." "(Chuckles)" "Drove my grandfather nuts 'cause they tore up the garden." "She died of cancer, too." "I wish I'd gotten to spend more time with my grandmother when she was dying." "But I was in med school." "You know how it is, always putting medicine first." "(Amos Lee's "Mama Sail To Me" playing)" "You save lives." "You allow family more time with their loved ones." "You made a sacrifice for the greater good." "♪ But I never thought... ♪" "Anyway... that's what Vivian would have said." "(Chuckles)" "♪ Sail ♪" "♪ to me ♪" "♪ oh, mama ♪" "♪ sail ♪" "Hey." "I got the resume you left." "Good." "Interesting candidate-- Sean Patruchi." "She's extremely qualified." "You know what else is interesting?" "We haven't had an opening for a social worker since the last set of budget cuts." "And then I get Sean's resume." "And what do you know?" "An hour later, the board informed me we've been given a substantial endowment earmarked for just that purpose." "Well, then I guess my timing was good." "Uncanny." "I'll make sure her resume is at the top of the list." "♪ No more time for coffees ♪" "(Jet engines whirring)" "(Bell dings)" "(Woman over PA) Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our initial descent into the Portland area." "Please make sure that your seatbacks and tray tables are in the fully upright and locked position." "(Giggles)" "♪ And his lit cigarette ♪" "(Woman) Get it!" "Get it!" "♪ No more time for teas or regrets ♪" "Oh, well, thank you for coming." "I'm very interested." "♪ All your memories just set ♪" "♪ my whole damn world on fire ♪" "♪ oh, mama, sail ♪" "♪ to me ♪" "♪ oh, mama ♪" "♪ sail ♪" "♪ to me ♪" "♪ across this great wide sea ♪" "(Babbles) (Mouth full) But the thing that never made sense to me is calling golf a sport." "Sure, it's a skill, but golfers aren't athletes." "Now basketball players, that's a different story, right?" "Because you run up and down the court for 48 minutes... (Normal voice) You're an athlete." "Hmm?" "You're an athlete." "Hey, sweetheart." "I didn't hear you come in." " Hi." " Hey." "(Addison and Jake) Mmm." "(Henry babbles)" "Hi." "Hi, Henry." "(Kisses)" "Mama's home. (Laughs)" "So how did it go, huh, with, uh, Vivian's daughter?" "Good." "Uh..." "You know, she invited me inside, and we talked about Vivian." "She's led a full... rich life with a big family." "I just wish that Vivian would've known that." "Mm." "Hey, you hungry for dinner?" "I got pizza." "Oh, do I have spit-up on my face or something?" "What?" "I love you." "And you're the last man I want to say that to." "Let's get married."