Heart of the Country Page #4

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I didn't even know you could cook.

- What does that mean?

- Nothing, it just means I'm...

I'm surprised, that's all.

That's all it means.

Listen, I'll tell you what, um...

Why don't we go home,

we'll saddle up old Silver

and you can take him for a ride.

Just like the old days, what do you say?

- Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that.

- OK.

Dessert.

You're such a sweet boy.

Yes, you are. You're so good.

You know, you can

give me the reins.

Old habits die hard.

I still feel like that

little girl that I used to

lead around on

the back of this old horse

is gonna come walking

back up that road one day.

- Yeah.

- She's still here, Daddy.

- You ever gonna call him?

- Who?

Luke knows where I am.

If he wants to find me, he can.

Well, that's fine. As long as you're

OK with the idea that he might not.

You know, Luke and I

are great at the fairy tale.

It's the real life part

we have trouble with.

Well, I think that's probably

true for everybody, you know?

I asked him about that job 100 times.

Where was all this money coming from

when it seemed like everyone else

we knew was cutting back?

And all he could say was, "We're just

looking in the right places. "

Or "We're smarter. "

I even asked him point blank

about a Ponzi scheme.

He looked me

right in the eye and denied it.

So is it over?

How do you look past all this?

Well, I imagine you said something

to him about for better or for worse.

Of course, I wouldn't know,

cause I wasn't there.

- I'm so sorry, Dad.

- No, no.

You don't have to be

sorry with me, baby.

I just want you

to be proud of who you are.

- I'm proud of you.

- OK. OK, now.

All right, enough of that.

Somebody wants to go for a ride.

- You think he's up for it?

- I think Silver's never been better.

Come on, Silver.

- Yeah, that's a good boy.

- There we go.

That's a good boy.

All right, come on.

Come on, baby, come on.

Good boy.

That's a good boy,

that's a good boy.

Daddy. Daddy! Go!

Oh, my God! What happened?!

Everybody stand back. I'm sorry.

You're gonna have to follow.

Will he be OK?

- What do we got?

- Sixty-year-old man, new onset seizure,

blood pressure and pulse

are through the roof.

- Wait a minute.

- Do you know him?

Yeah. Get the CT guys

ready upstairs. Calvin?

Squeeze my finger.

Looks like you're gonna go two-for-two.

I don't think so.

Listen, get him sedated.

I need that CAT scan right away.

Get some rest.

- Hey.

- How's he doing?

He's OK. Uh...

Calvin's test results are showing

a high-grade astrocytoma.

It's a malignant form of brain cancer.

I'm sorry.

Listen, I'm just an ER doctor.

We're gonna need to verify this with a

neurosurgeon, but it's pretty textbook.

His CT scans here show his tumor

in this discolored area in the...

All right, that's it. I get it.

No.

I'd like to refer him

to a neurosurgeon.

His insurance referral is

to a Dr. Waylan in Wilmington.

I'll get him in tomorrow.

As for tonight,

he's OK to go home.

I gave him some medication,

should take care of his seizures.

- Can we see him?

- Yeah.

He's... He's in room 207.

- Thank you.

- Mm-hm.

- Lee...

- Mm-hm.

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

You know what?

Here's my card.

When I was in New York, I did my

residency with a guy named Dr. Gordon.

He's the best

in treating stage IV tumors.

That's great.

Can you get us in to see him?

Honestly, no.

You have to have some pretty serious

weight to get him in there.

You have to be Austin Carraday's

daughter-in-law.

Lee, Luke and I haven't

spoken since I left.

I don't know what to tell you.

All I know is if it

were my dad in there,

I'd call whoever I could

to get him in.

My number's on the back.

So, tell us the good news.

They're willing to give you a plea deal.

No prison, not one day served.

Just five years probation,

some community service

and he loses his brokerage license.

Absolutely not.

No, we need full immunity. Full.

No admission of guilt of any kind.

That is going to be very hard.

Yeah? We don't pay you

to do things that are easy.

Let me see the document.

Give me it.

This is a good deal, Jake.

Doesn't sound like it.

Excuse me.

- Is he serious?

- You don't ever worry about him.

All right? You worry about us.

It's a good deal.

He's not going to do any prison time.

That's what's most important.

He's asleep now.

I put his prescriptions

on the kitchen counter.

He still needs to take his cholesterol

medicine. He may forget, though.

So, you need to remind him

to take it every morning.

OK.

I'll come by in the morning

to check on the both of you

and make sure everything's OK.

I'm gonna have to

take him to New York.

Why?

Because if he doesn't see the best

surgeon in the country, he's gonna die.

- I talked to Lee.

- We can't afford that.

No.

But Luke can.

I called him today.

Oh, my God.

What did he say?

Oh, you know, that he'd do anything

for me, and that he loves me,

and that he wants me back,

you know.

All the usual stuff.

I can't remember the last time Hardy

said those things to me.

Come on, Hardy loves you.

Of course he does.

But he doesn't say it.

Did he lie to you every day for years?

If you expect to spend a lifetime

with a man, and he never lied to you...

...then you need to change your name to

Cinderella and move into a fairy tale,

'cause that ain't gonna happen.

I thought you hated Luke.

All that matters is that I love you.

I'm so sorry that I left you here

with all of this.

Don't be.

That's enough of that.

Can't get along too well,

what's the fun in that?

I can't get a good look

when you're looking at the TV.

- Come on, Daddy, help him out.

- Doctors don't make house calls.

Not usually.

Then exactly what is it

you're calling on here?

Listen, I'm just trying

to do the right thing.

Uh-huh. And what is the right thing?

If I wasn't doing the right thing,

I wouldn't be sending you

to New York, now would I?

Two laps remaining.

There's Carl right behind.

It's now seven-tenths of a second.

She is on thin ice.

Be careful.

I'm the good guy here.

Is that a fact?

All he has to do here now

is negotiate two more corners.

And he's gonna do it again.

Thanks for putting up with Daddy.

I know he's not

the easiest of patients.

Yeah, he hates me.

- Daddy?

- Yeah.

No. No, no. That's...

That's just how he is.

He never told you, did he?

What?

Uh...

When your mother died,

I was the EMT with her.

I was working the ambulance

while I went to the community college,

and I was with her.

I think he blamed me for that.

No, no he wouldn't do that.

It's OK, I'd feel the same way.

She, um... Did she say anything?

Yeah.

Faith. Play your song.

No, no, no! Ma'am, ma'am! Full fluids!

I never knew what that meant.

I do.

Yeah, I figured you would. OK.

It's time for me to go.

Um...

Thanks for everything

you've done for us.

Yeah, my pleasure.

All right.

Hey, let me know if your husband

gets you in to see Dr. Gordon.

I still know some doctors back there.

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