All I need is for Jacob to ask Lia
one simple question:
Did she or did she not have Lynette killed?
Did I hear you correctly?
You're questioning whether Garland's chief of staff
actually murdered someone?
The same chief of staff who's up to her stethoscope
in a criminal blood plasma ring.
Kat's just spouting out theories.
She listens to one season of Serial,
and suddenly, she's Olivia Benson.
Annalise Keating, thank you very much.
Kat, honey, I've known you since you had braces.
God knows you're brilliant and you've got instincts.
Finally, some credit.
But maybe we leave the experienced detectives
to do the actual detecting.
Lia got herself tangled up in something
she absolutely shouldn't have, but
jumping from a hospital hustle to homicide is a hell of a leap.
Is it? Lynette swindled Lia out of every dime she had.
Yes, she was unfortunate.
Try desperate.
And if Lia's taught us anything,
it's that you never know what someone is capable of,
especially when they're backed up against a wall.
You should back up a little bit.
I don't have to do a damn thing.
But you need to start getting real with me
because I'm starting to think my sister
was right about you all along.
You've been playing both of us.
Playing both of you? As in you and your sister?
And Mom.
To what end?
That's what I'm trying to figure out.
Sorry. Youth.
Always trying to find a cause to rebel against
or a conspiracy to unravel.
Listen, I don't blame you for being suspicious.
Any protective son would be.
But you need to know that I would never
do anything to hurt your mother.
Maybe not on purpose,
but a man like you doesn't need to pull the trigger
to get someone killed.
A man like me?
You heard me.
Someone who knows their way around a shoot-out,
like the one that happened last night.
♪ ♪
Yes, this is Garland.
We need to relocate three post-op patients
to your hospital.
No, I cannot hold. Just put me through to admissions, please.
Hold music.
Oh, I do not have time for this.
Hey, Shanice, why don't you take a break, hmm?
There's too much to be done.
-How is she? -Uh, relentless.
Transfer requests, fielding phone calls from families.
She thinks if she keeps moving,
she won't have to feel Derek's death.
Grief is funny that way.
It'll let you outrun it for a while...
Mm-hmm.
...and then it tackles you hard.
I just wish she'd talk to me before that happens.
But maybe you'd have better luck getting her to open up.
Me?
Yeah. That sounds great. Um...
Yeah, let me... let me think about it,
and, um, I'll get back with you.
Thanks.
Bad news?
Yeah, it is if you're Francesca.
That little train wreck from the cotillion?
What does your call have to do with her?
Um, that was my agent. Yeah.
It seems the editor in chief at Essencesaw
my photos from the cotillion on IG.
They want to do a full feature spread
about the 2026 Barrington County Debutante Society.
Baby, that's incredible.
Yeah, and I told them that Martin or Smitty
probably wouldn't mind me licensing the photos.
Wouldn't mind? They'll be thrilled.
Oh, and Samantha is gonna live for this.
Her face in Essence, while Francesca's at home
pressed and pathetic-- chef's kiss.
Dani, she's a kid.
-Come on, you're terrible. -So is karma.
Yeah, well, I told him that I would have to talk
to Martin and then let him know.
This is huge. Why aren't you more excited?
I just can't stop thinking about Derek.
We were all sitting there laughing
and-and dancing last night while he was... God.
And... and now he's...
Ashley really loved the guy.
I can only imagine the pain she must be feeling right now.
What are you doing here?
I came to check on you.
You must be Grayson.
Miss Morgan, it's... it's good to finally meet you.
If only it were under better circumstances.
Come in.
You'll have to forgive my daughter.
She's still trying to process what happened last night.
We both are, to be honest.
It still... it doesn't feel real.
I'm terribly sorry for your loss.
I just... want her to know that she's not alone.
I'm sorry. Sorry. Just...
hearing how much you care for my daughter just
makes me think about Derek.
I hope you'll forgive me for saying this, but...
...even though I was so upset with him
after he and Ashley broke up...
...I secretly held on to hope that
he'd one day be my son-in-law.
Mother, Daddy, I didn't know the two of you were coming in.
What's wrong?
Oh, nothing, baby, I'm fine.
It's the hospital that needs critical care today, not me.
Your mother and I are here to meet with Ted.
We wanted to touch base before the emergency board meeting.
That makes sense.
With the entire hospital buzzing about Lia's spectacular
fall from grace, the three of you should be on the same page.
I still can't believe she would do something like this.
Turning this hospital into her personal ATM,
stealing plasma and selling it on the Red Market.
Garland's reputation is hanging by a thread
because of that woman.
As board members, you definitely have your work cut out for you.
We should probably get started.
You guys can head to my office. I'll be right behind you.
As a favor for me, please, Nicole, would you...
-talk to her? -Enough with the puppy dog eyes.
-I will do my best. -Okay.
All right, I think you have the wrong idea about who I am
and what my business entails.
What you see out there, that is what I do.
It's legal, it's regulated, and it's boring.
If you don't believe me, just look at the paperwork.
Save it.
We both know this place is just a front.
Okay, now I think you've binged The Godfather
one too many times.
Whatever you've conjured in your imagination about me,
I'm a legitimate entrepreneur.
I pay taxes.
I provide benefits to my employees.
Hell, I just funded a free clinic.
Like that matters.
In this town, you can throw a stone
and hit someone smiling in your face while robbing you blind.
All right, I'm indulging this latest
fishing expedition of yours,
but sooner or later, you and your sister
are just going to have to accept the fact
that I'm in your mother's life,
and that isn't going to change anytime soon.
I know how complicated things once were
between you, Ashley and Derek.
Yeah.
So much history between us.
You can talk to me about anything, Andre.
Even her.
Our marriage might look more traditional nowadays,
but you and I are built on truth.
-Yeah. -That doesn't stop now.
Derek couldn't stand the sight of me.
And I don't blame him.
The man knew there was something between Ashley and me.
And instead of me being a stand-up brother about it,
instead of me just backing off
and giving them space, I kept circling.
You cared about her.
That does not give me the right, Dani.
I made the guy insecure in his own relationship.
And for what? I-I wasn't even sure what I wanted.
I just keep thinking that maybe if-if I hadn't gotten involved,
they'd still be together and...
I don't know. I guess it's too late
for me to apologize to him now.
Are you hungry, Grayson? There's pasta in the fridge.
-I can make you a plate. -I'm fine. Thank you.
Um, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Ashley.
In private. Um...
I wouldn't ask at a time like this unless it was serious.
And-and I promise I will not leave her alone.
Okay, then.
I'll leave you two to talk.
I'm only a phone call away.
-You take care of her. -I will.
-Ashley. -I really don't have
the bandwidth for this right now.
This BS game where you pretend to tell me
what's really going on with you, and you just come up
with a million reasons why you can't.
I-I'm done keeping secrets from you.
I told you, when this was over, I would tell you the truth,
and that's why I'm here.
It's a little too late to come clean now, don't you think?
I wish to God there was something I could've done
-to save Der... -No, don't. Don't.
Don't you dare say his name to me.
You know what? Fine. If you're determined to do this, fine.
Let's just-just get it over with. Just...
Just say what you came here to say.
Lia reached out to me when she heard
about my mom being sick.
She sounded like she genuinely wanted to help.
I was drowning, Ashley.
I couldn't see my head above water.
She offered me part-time work
through the concierge service that the hospital offers.
And it sounded harmless, so of course I took it.
Except it wasn't.
The-the concierge work was real, but Lia...
saw how desperate I was.
I couldn't even afford to put my mom in a decent facility.
It wasn't enough.
So, one day, she took me aside
and offered to make me more money.
Like stealing plasma from a hospital.
I didn't know it was that at first.
And why would I think it was anything illegal?
In my mind, Lia was making plenty of money.
She was chief of staff. She-she was being nice.
She was... she was helping me out.
So when you found out the truth?
It was too late.
I knew too much.
And Lia knew too much about me.
She made it very clear that I could not walk away with this
without suffering serious consequences.
Anita and I strongly feel
naming the new chief of staff sooner rather than later
is the best course of action.
I couldn't agree more.
Then we can move quickly as a united front,
the three of us, lobbying the other board members.
Anita and I have already identified
the perfect candidate.
Dr. Monica McCormick.
We've already spoken with her.
She's sharp, experienced,
and her credentials speak for themselves.
-Mm-hmm. -You disagree?
Well, Monica is capable, uh, no question.
On paper, she's exactly what we need.
So, what's the problem?
Well, if we're talking about the future of Garland,
I think there's someone we're overlooking.
Your daughter.
Can I help you, Dr. Dupree?
Yes. You can have a chat with me.
It'll make the day easier if I know you're all right.
I take it that means I look a hot, chaotic mess?
Okay, let's chat.
Just a little out of sorts, but it's understandable.
I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am, Shanice.
I know how close you and Derek were.
He was one of my best friends.
We didn't see each other or talk that often,
so why does it seem like every minute is about missing him?
Processing the death of a loved one takes a heavy toll.
How would you feel about taking some time off?
Oh, no.
With Garland in crisis,
it would make me even more miserable.
Shanice, you are human before you are a nurse.
You have to be responsible to yourself first.
It's advice I am sure you have given a hundred patients.
-[laughs softly] -Probably even Derek.
I did.
We both lived for our jobs.
Being a firefighter was everything to him.
He lost himself when he couldn't do it anymore.
And to think...
...he died doing the very thing he loved.
Saving people's lives.
I know I ultimately don't get a say in what my mom does
in her personal life.
It still hurts to be at odds with her kids.
I'm not gonna make her choose between me and you
like Deanna's been doing.
Well, I'm glad to hear it.
The estrangement's been painful for her.
Don't do that.
-Empathize? -Change the subject.
We both care about my mom. That's a given.
But just because I'm not gonna make her pick sides
doesn't mean I'm done asking questions.
I need to know who you really are, Joey.
Ask away.
I'm an open book.
I'm telling you, it all lines up perfectly.
Lia finds out that the woman
who stole her retirement nest egg,
everything she's worked for, is now in the DMV,
being represented by Bill's firm
for the exact same financial crime,
so she reacts.
Alleged crime, which Bill cleared her of.
Okay, but Lia doesn't strike me
as an "innocent until proven guilty" type,
more of a "by any means necessary" kind of woman.
That doesn't mean she'd take a life.
This is the same Lia who attended
all those social events, who sat on committees with us,
who seemed so composed.
That actually makes it more convincing.
Imagine trying to keep up with the Joneses,
and then this woman who ruined your life
shows up living her best one?
Like what she did to you never happened.
That's a lot of speculation.
Maybe we should change the subject
before we start making a scene.
Uh, did you enjoy yourself at the cotillion, Vanessa?
Yes, it was a lovely evening.
Until my daughter showed up
and had another one of her now infamous meltdowns.
You'd think she was raised by wolves
instead of in a home with manners and standards.
What is it, Kat?
Don't tell me you've come up with another theory.
No, this time, I'm keeping my mouth shut.
And you should, too.
You claim to be a legitimate businessman.
Let's start there.
All right.
My father.
Not a great guy,
but he was still a self-made man.
He started with nothing
and worked himself into something respectable.
I wanted that for myself.
I was determined to be my own boss
and never have to answer to anyone.
A casino, a clinic,
real estate investments with my mom...
...and whatever else you got your hands in
that you haven't mentioned yet,
and you came by all of that legitimately?
Well, like any captain of industry worth his salt,
I had to cut some corners.
Just some?
You're gonna find out soon enough
that the world just isn't as cut-and-dry
as you'd like it to be.
There's a lot of wiggle room
between being a saint and a sinner.
[clears throat]
Deanna, sweetheart, how much of that did you hear?
Enough to know that you find me to be an embarrassment.
You're taking that out of context.
Believe it or not, Mom, I actually came to apologize,
to say I'm sorry for flying off the handle last night.
But now I see why I do.
You just... you never think there's any truth
to anything that I'm saying.
And now I hear you talking crap about me behind my back?
I would much rather converse face-to-face.
I reached out every way I knew how.
I called, I texted, I...
I did everything I could to get through to you, and...
now you want to barge in here
and stage a performance, but you ignored me then?
No, no, no. No. I will not be your audience.
Not here, not today.
I will see you both later.
She's dating a walking RICO violation,
yet I'm the problem.
Babe, um, don't you have an appointment this afternoon?
An appointment?
Oh. Yeah, that appointment.
-Mm. -I should go.
Don't want to be late.
Hang in there.
Wow.
I cleared this table faster than a fire alarm.
Hey, luckily for you, I don't scare easily.
Nicole is one of the most accomplished physicians
here at Garland.
In the DMV, for that matter.
The problem isn't Nicole's qualifications.
It's her lack of interest.
She's made it very clear
she's not the administrative type.
Which is why she isn't on the board with us.
You're both right, but hear me out.
This staff has been through hell.
A criminal operation running right under our noses
has left morale in the gutter.
Which is exactly why we need Dr. McCormick.
A clean slate to get this hospital right back on track.
But what if she takes six months,
a-a year to get her footing?
What if she tries to shake things up too fast,
and the staff, which is already traumatized,
is now worrying about their jobs and their futures?
This is not about optics.
This is about people.
This staff needs to know there's someone here
who understands them,
who won't just make policy.
Nicole is that person.
She knows every department, every doctor, every nurse.
She's already earned their trust.
Might as well give her the title, too.
That's a compelling speech.
Very passionate.
Almost rehearsed.
It's one I genuinely believe.
Is it?
Be honest, Ted.
Is this about Garland's healing
or about you getting back into our daughter's good graces?
That's enough, Andre.
-Enough what? -Enough punishing yourself.
Enough reliving the story,
thinking that the ending is gonna change.
It won't.
You don't get it.
-If I hadn't... -Hadn't what?
Hadn't existed? Hadn't cared?
Hadn't been human?
That is guilt talking.
That is not common sense.
We all know that the issues between Ashley and Derek
were not all about you.
-Yeah. -The only people responsible
for a relationship imploding are those two people inside.
Nobody else.
-Maybe... -No. No maybes.
It has taken me a long time to realize that for myself.
Yeah.
When my marriage to Bill fell apart,
I blamed Hayley for every little issue,
but she wouldn't have been able to ooze her way
into the cracks of our marriage
if those cracks weren't already there.
So you're saying that I was the Hayley
in Derek and Ashley's relationship?
Don't compare yourself to that viper.
I got in the middle of something that I shouldn't have, Dani.
Ashley wasn't married,
and you sure as heck weren't best friends
with Derek's daughter.
What you had with Ashley wasn't deceit.
It was unfinished.
Look...
...there is nothing
that you could or could not have done
to change the trajectory of Derek's life.
His death was a senseless tragedy,
there is no doubt about that.
But even if he and Ashley had made a go of it...
...there is no guarantee that things
would have turned out any different.
Yeah.
Even if they threatened you,
you should have gone to the police
the second you found out what Lia was actually doing.
I mean, look what happened anyway.
They did hurt you.
They threatened my mom, Ashley.
What if someone threatened Jan?
Okay, you know what? I understand.
-You don't have to... -And they threatened you, Ash.
You are not allowed to call me that.
-What did I say? -You called me Ash.
That is Derek's nickname for me.
-I didn't... I didn't mean... -No, you know what?
Stop apologizing, stop rationalizing,
stop making excuses for what you did.
-I'm just trying to explain. -It doesn't matter!
I don't care!
It doesn't matter anymore anyway.
Derek is dead.
And it's all your fault.
For the record, I am not trying to run game on Nicole.
I gave up on trying to put our marriage back together
a long time ago.
Regardless, asking us to trust your judgment
when it comes to Nicole,
that's a hard sell.
I understand, but...
Then how do you expect us to believe
this has nothing to do with your guilt?
Because you'd be overlooking
how much I care about this staff,
this community.
The people are hurting.
What Garland needs right now is stability.
They need a face they can trust, a voice who can calm the storm.
Nicole is all of that.
Well, I still think Dr. McCormick is the safer bet.
But if you feel this strongly about throwing
Nicole's name into consideration,
don't you think you should discuss it with her first?
Anita's right.
You know how our daughter feels about surprises,
especially coming from you.
You can't be surprised I have doubts about you, Joey.
I'm not.
I just thought we put it to rest months ago.
What changed?
I looked you up.
-You looked me up? -Yep.
Comment threads on Reddit, D.C. blogs.
If even half the stuff they're saying about you is true,
that means you've buried more bodies
than this casino has customers.
This isn't about what you read on the Internet.
This is about someone whispering in your ear.
-Meaning? -Your sister.
Deanna.
Her hatred for me is starting to rub off on you.
DEANNA: Can you blame me?
My mother moved on with that old head
before the ink on my father's death certificate
was barely dry.
I do know something about watching a family fall apart
at the hands of an outsider.
Trust me, I feel your pain.
So you thought your parents had the perfect marriage, too?
Oh, my God, I used to think they were the blueprint.
Now look at us.
I mean, how am I supposed to get over
my mother sleeping in the same bed as that lowlife?
He's got her giggling like she's 25,
and he's even managed to brainwash Donnell.
Like, how is this happening?
[sighs] You know...
...I used to scream from the rooftops about Eva.
Said she was bad news from the jump,
but then I was the villain for calling out the truth.
That's insane.
Yeah.
But it didn't help
that I was also judging my mom for dating two guys at once.
I thought I was protecting her, but...
really, I was just driving her away.
Hmm.
So you're saying that I should just shut up
and pretend it's not happening?
No. No, no, no, no.
Maybe it's not about pretending.
Maybe it's about protecting your peace.
God forbid Joey actually does hurt your mom,
she's gonna need you more than ever.
But you can't push her away in the meantime.
Thanks, Kat.
You've given me a lot to think about.
Yeah.
That makes both of us.
Thanks for letting me get that out.
That's what I'm here for.
You know, I've got an idea for how you might start
feeling a little better.
What's that?
Go check on Ashley.
You won't relax until you see she's okay.
In that case, why don't we go together?
-I can see that you're upset. -You think this is upset?
Grayson, a man I used to love with my entire being died...
...because you told him my life was in danger.
-It was. -So he followed you...
...you,
into a situation he was not prepared for
and he risked his life to save me and Jacob.
And now he's gone.
Forever.
Do you know the worst part?
I had to call his parents.
I had to tell them that their pride and joy died...
...trying to protect me.
Do you have any idea how gut-wrenching that was?
-I can't even imagine... -No, you can't. You can't.
I am done with all of this, Grayson.
Please just go.
Please.
So, look, um...
...there just isn't anything more for us
to say to each other.
Well, there is for me, Ashley.
I know that you're hurting. I just...
-I thought maybe... -What?
That once this was all over, I would just forgive you?
That we would somehow just find our way back?
Maybe.
It doesn't work that way, Grayson,
because then what happened...
...happened.
[sniffles] And now every time I look at you,
that's all I see, just...
...just a series of bad choices that took Derek from this world.
Well, if that's... if that's what it takes
for you to heal, I-I can live with that.
I'm not gonna...
walk out of here and leave you alone.
-I promised your mom that. -[scoffs]
[knocking on door]
Problem solved.
I'm not alone.
-Hi. -Hey.
-DANI: You holding up? -ASHLEY: Uh...
[laughs softly] I'm trying to.
Now can you go?
I guess we got here at the right time.
Come here.
[crying]
I left before it went nuclear.
Deanna overheard me talking to Kat and Tomas
about her behavior at the cotillion.
Uh, you mean her reaction
to Donnell wearing Joey's cuff links?
I heard about that.
Like Joey committed some unforgivable sin
by loaning my son something so thoughtful.
It's bad enough my daughter hates him.
Now she's bound and determined
to make sure her brother does, too.
I know I promised not to judge...
And I intend to hold you to that.
All I'm asking,
as your most brutally honest friend,
is if you're sure Joey is worth all of this friction.
[scoffs]
He isn't the one causing it.
Deanna's just so damn unreasonable.
Why can't she be more like Kat?
And what is that supposed to mean?
Kat got over her issues about you dating
both Carlton and Kial.
I just wish my kids would extend me the same courtesy.
I know my sister can come off as overly dramatic.
Look, I-I... trust me, I have been dealing
with her dramatics ever since we were born.
But usually, her instincts are pretty spot-on.
What about your instincts?
Forget about the Reddit threads and Deanna's theories.
Forget everything you think you know about me.
What if I said, right here in this moment,
would you believe that I love your mother?
You love her?
I do.
-That's just... -Yeah, before you dismiss it,
just know that's not an easy place for me to be.
I don't like being that exposed.
Well, what about my mother's exposure?
What happens when someone decides
they want to get to you through her?
Then you should know that I would lay down
my life for Vanessa.
No second thoughts, no hesitation.
I would take a bullet for her without blinking.
Okay. I believe you.
Glad we understand each other.
We do.
So I alleviated your concerns.
Hold on.
I'm not finished yet.
Before I go...
...I want to revisit the night my dad died.
You made a reasonable suggestion.
-You should take it. -We'll be in touch.
Huh. All right.
WOMAN [over P.A.]: Nurse Johnson to room 201.
It still doesn't feel real.
One minute he was here, and the next...
Yeah. But he was here.
And the impact he made and the lives he touched,
that doesn't just disappear because he's...
he's not physically with us anymore.
-Yeah. -ANDRE: Yeah.
No, logically, I know you're right, I just...
My heart.
My heart hasn't caught up.
-[sniffles] -Speaking of hearts...
...who was that guy here earlier?
I'm not trying to pry. I just...
couldn't help but sense some tension.
He's just this guy that I've been seeing recently, and, um...
...you know, he-he didn't...
...turn out to be who I thought he was.
Story of my life, right?
Well, whoever he was,
you don't owe him any more space than he's already taken up.
Dani's right.
You've been through more than enough already.
You being here is helping.
Even just sitting with me.
Then sit we shall.
I hear what you're saying about wanting your kids
to be more like mine, but I had to check Kat
and put her in her place before she finally backed off.
You've always known how to check your children with class.
Oh, I don't know about class. More like practice.
And as much as my divorce to Ted hurt the kids,
they didn't lose their father.
True.
Donnell and Deanna are still grieving.
I'm grieving, too,
even if it doesn't look like it.
But...
I am also trying to live.
Trying to find some happiness in the midst of all this pain.
I am not telling you you shouldn't live your life,
but you should acknowledge what you're asking of them.
Acceptance, support, enthusiasm?
It might all be a little too much right now.
I just want Deanna to stop acting
like Joey's trying to destroy our family.
I mean, at least Donnell's stance has softened.
He actually listens now.
Are you sure Donnell is any more accepting of Joey than Deanna?
Or is he just playing the good son
and telling you what you want to hear?
You got something else on your mind, kid, spit it out.
Yes, my sister has been in my ear.
Deanna's got a way of making me think twice,
even about things I already made peace with.
And what would those things be?
My father.
I've been trying to let the past stay where it is, but...
something about this,
about you,
it just keeps bringing me back.
So I'm gonna ask you this one last time,
and I just need the truth.
Did you have anything to do with my father's death?
Thanks for making yourself scarce
so I could talk to Deanna.
I could tell you needed that time.
How'd it go?
Better than I expected, actually.
We're both seeing things more clearly now.
-Deanna. -[gasps]
[gasps]
-Let's get to it. -Yes, please.
Oh!
Daddy, is this real?
Are you just gonna stare,
or are you gonna come over and see for yourself?
You know we can talk about anything, right?
Even sex?
I told the board you would make an excellent chief of staff.
Are you out of your mind?
You're playing the long game.
I'm not playing at anything.
You just haven't gotten caught yet.
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