The Hardest Part - Recap

Sheldon wakes up in bed with Vi's nemesis, Marla (the evil critic). She
doesn't want to talk about Vi. She doesn't want to talk at all.

Sam got paged on an incoming arrhythmia. Pete asks about Allison, and he
says she's fine. In Seattle, delivering a baby. Pete asks if everything
is okay, and Sam considers lying for a brief second, but then tells Pete
Addison wants a baby, and he's not ready. Before Pete can answer, his
brother and mother arrive. She's the one Sam is here to see.

Vi and Sheldon are having a consult with three women about their
daughters, who apparently made a pact to get pregnant together. They
give a variety of reasons, such as instant status, babies love you no
matter what, that's awesome. One felt loved, until her mother tried to
make her have an abortion. Sheldon points out that her mother may have
been trying to protect her. She says that's why the girls need each other.

Pete and Sam try to work on mom, and Adam won't shut up. Pete tells him
if he's going to stay, he needs to shut up. He won't, so Pete tosses him.

A kid tells Cooper he won the Belarus competition, first American ever,
playing Rachmaninoff's Third. Coop says that's like the hardest concerto
ever. The older man in the room says not "like", "THE". Coop tells him
he must be very proud of his grandson, Patrick. Coop asks him if the
numbness is constant, or comes and goes. He says it comes and goes. Coop
asks him to close his eyes and extend his arms, palms up, eyes closed.
He does so, and Patrick's right arm flips over and drops. Cooper
recommends an MRI.

The mothers and daughters meet all together. The moms are raging, except
the one who is running late. She barrels in, badmouthing Vi about the
book and saying she's not the therapist for them. She'd share why, but
she doesn't want to embarrass her. Jamie and her mom leave.

Cooper fills Amelia in on Patrick and his grandfather. She says
classical music puts her to sleep. She sees something on the MRI that
she doesn't want to see, and they sit down with Patrick and his
grandfather. It's not good. The growth is in the part of the brain that
controls hand function. Patrick asks if he's going to die. No, but it
needs to be removed. However, if they go the safest and easiest route
would be right through the center of the motor strip. But if they do
that, they will likely destroy all function in his right hand. He
wouldn't be able to play anymore.

The grandfather acts about other options. Amelia says she could do an
awake craniotomy. If she did so, he'd be awake and able to talk to her,
and she would be able to much more closely monitor his hand function,
and try to avoid damaging any of the corresponding nerves. What are the
risks? Because of the longer, indirect route, he might wind up with some
degree of paralysis in his right leg. Patrick's grandfather is
concerned, and Patrick asks him to let her do it. He doesn't need legs,
but he does need the piano.

Pete confronts Adam. What is mom doing out of jail? Well, after he
wouldn't sign her compassionate release, mom's health got worse. She
discovered congestive heart failure, and since she's obviously not a
threat to anybody, the prison doctors let her out. At any rate. This
morning, she was having a hard time catching her breath, so Adam called
911. Sam asks if anything brought it on. Does she smoke? Just a few a
day. How about drugs? Anything new? Adam gave her drugs to make her sick
enough to get her out, at her request. Adam gives them the name of the
drug, and Sam runs back into her room. Pete does too, but not until he
tells Adam that he poisoned their mother.

Sheldon and Vi discuss what happened with the girls. She doesn't think
her book will take away from her helping the girls. Sheldon disagrees.
Therapists need to be blank slates. There's a reason they're judicious
about sharing their personal lives with their patients. It distracts
them. They waste time focusing on their therapists, instead of
dedicating their time to their own problems. Sheldon feels the situation
was tainted. The girls don't want to be there, so it's all going to be
an uphill battle. Vi feels she can do it. Last time she checked, between
the two of them, only one is actually a mother, OR a former 16 year-old
girl. Sheldon tells her that owning a vagina doesn't give her a degree
in psychiatry, and whether she believes it or not? Her book is a
problem. Vi just reiterates that she can handle it.

Adam tells Pete again that he was trying to help. Pete says he almost
killed her. Frances says that she told him to do it. She had no choice,
she says, because Pete wouldn't help her. Pete doesn't even look at her
when he says she's not his responsibility. Adam doesn't agree. Parents
are there for their kids when they are little, and they return the favor
at the end. Isn't that what he's going to teach Lucas? Pete orders Adam
to leave his son out of it. Pete was the one who got them fed, and put
them to bed. Not her. She was drunk. She tells him not to talk about her
like that, she's still his mother. Pete retorts that she was at the
birth, he'll give her that. Vi hears from the hall. Frances asks how he
got to be so cold and he tells her, as he leaves, that she made him that
way.

Sheldon is beaming, and Charlotte says he looks like the cat who got the
cream. He says he is most definitely that cat. Who's the lucky girl? He
tells her that it's Marla Tompkins, the girl who trashed Violet's book.
Charlotte is supportive. What happened with Vi has nothing to do with
this. Coop walks in, and Charlotte tells him. Coop can't believe his
ears. Sheldon would really do that to Vi, after what Marla did to her
book? Sheldon excuses himself, and Charlotte asks who put a bug up
Coop's butt.

Amelia arrives for coffee and says that would be her. They fill
Charlotte in on Coop's piano virtuoso, and Amelia's recommendation. Coop
says he's 14. This is too young to make an informed decision. Charlotte
wants to know what the right age IS to choose between an arm and a leg.
Apparently, Coop was an artist when he was a kid, which Charlotte never
knew. She never knew because his interests changed, which obviously
could happen to Patrick. This means that someday, his leg might trump
his arm. Amelia says he has a gift, who are they to take that away from
him.

Vi plants herself across from Sheldon. Believe it or not, her day got
worse. Sheldon tries to interject that he's meeting someone, but since
Vi is talking right over him about Pete and his mom, she gets to be
planted in Marla's chair when she arrives. She shakes Marla's extended
hand, and asks Sheldon if they're dating. He doesn't like labels, but
Marla firmly says "we're dating."

Patrick's grandfather says they discussed it, and they will go with the
safer surgery. Coop is happy to hear it until Patrick says they didn't
discuss it. Grandpa just told him what they would do. This means they're
up against a brick wall. They can't do the surgery Patrick wants without
his grandfather's consent, and they can't do the one his grandfather
wants without Patrick's consent. It would be a matter for the courts,
which would likely back his grandfather, but as Amelia points out - they
don't have weeks. Patrick won't back down. Either his grandfather lets
him have the surgery he wants, or he lets him die. End of discussion.

Coop finds Patrick playing. He's amazing. Cooper asks if he gets nervous
when he's performing, and he says he's so focused on the playing, that's
all there is. Coop thinks maybe that's what he's doing with this
decision, only seeing one piece of the puzzle. Patrick points out that
only five people in the world can do what he does.

He reminisces about the night his folks died. All these people showed up
and asked if he wanted ice cream, or pizza, or a movie. He thought it
was a party. He saw his grandfather looking sad, and he tried to hug
him, but the man didn't know what to do. He never really looked at
Patrick after that, until he started to play the piano. It's how they
speak to each other. Coop says Patrick can learn other ways to
communicate, and of course he's right. But Patrick's grandfather can't.
He goes back to his playing.

Vi goes to speak with her mother-in-law. Francis is very happy to think
that her son married such a beautiful woman, both of them doctors. She
asks if Lucas is smart, too, and Vi says smarter. She asks about Pete's
dad. He wasn't around long enough for Pete to know him. She asks if she
can get her anything, and his mom asks if she can get Pete to talk to
her. She can't erase what she did, she'll be judged for that. But she
needs Pete to forgive her. She asks Vi to help her.

Charlotte badges Coop about why he gave up the piano. He says he was
quite good, and something he shared with his dad. Yeah, okay; so why did
he quit? Coop asks if she remembers about his brother, Andy. The one who
died before he was born. Well, when Coop was about 15, he found a
picture of him tucked in some sheet music. He couldn't have been more
than 4-5 and he was sitting on his dad's lap. His dad was holding his
hands on the keys. Every time he practiced, he wondered if his dad was
in the other room, pretending it was Andy playing. So he quit. She
expresses regret, but he says it's nothing. Long time ago. She wanted to
know, and he told her.

Vi talks to Pete about strained family dinners. The last time she went,
her mother interrupted to ask why she didn't become a lawyer, like her
cousin Trudi. Pete thought she was a teacher. She is. She practiced law
for two years, then she quit, a fact which Vi's mother is well aware of.
Pete gets it. Nobody pushes our buttons like family. She suggests he
heal his inner 12 year-old by letting Frances off the hook. She's sorry
for what she did. Now how does Vi know that? She tells him she spoke to
her. Pete reacts in anger. If she wants to make peace with some parents,
then why doesn't she start with her own. Violet says if he forgives
Frances, then she won't be able to control him anymore. It's up to him.

Coop walked away from his conversation with Patrick having somehow
reached the conclusion that Patrick thinks his grandfather won't love
him anymore if he can't play. He's making a decision based on fear.
Amelia doesn't buy it. The man has been raising the boy on his own for
ten years. Their relationship can't be that tenuous.

Sheldon tries to excuse Marla to Vi, but she's a bit busy right now with
Pete and his mom so she really doesn't need to have this discussion.
They go on to meet with the two remaining girls from the pregnancy team,
who are hostile toward Vi about babies being cut out of you. They know
Vi's whole story, and they use it against her. She finally returns fire,
and Sheldon tries to stop her. She's not going to stand there and be
abused. One of the girls goes into labor and is bleeding. They tell the
other one to call Casey's mom, but she says no, she doesn't want her
there. Vi speaks calmly to her that her baby is in danger and needs to
come out, right now.

Lisa watches Casey go through a c-section. She panics, says she can't do
this, and runs.

Pete brings Lucas to meet his grandmother. He tells her he blamed
himself for her drinking. Now that he's had Lucas, he knows that's not
how parenthood works. How could she not feel that for Adam and her? She
explains how drugs and alcohol affect who one is, fundamentally. She
apologizes again, and tells him she loves him. Is it too late to start
over? Pete introduces Lucas to Frances. She says he looks like Pete. Sam
arrives, and asks for a moment.

The damage to her heart is very extensive, and untreatable. How long are
they talking? Sam says not long.

Amelia explains to the grandfather that they don't have time to play
these games. Patrick needs to know that his grandfather will be there,
music or no. He takes affront. He understands death, he's lost most
everyone. If the feeling is there, it shouldn't need to be given voice,
it should be seen. He's leaving when Amelia tells him that when she was
a kid, her dad was shot in front of her. It was her mother that kept her
going. Every night, she said good night. I love you, and I will see you
tomorrow. He needs to talk to Patrick. He says "If Patrick wants the
surgery, do it."

Pete tells Vi he's not going in today. He used to wish his mom would
die. But since they connected yesterday, when she dies now, it's really
going to hurt. No way around it, he's just going to have to go through
it. But it's a good sign, because that means they've healed a bit. Maybe
the patients he comforted while they died, maybe they were just practice
for helping his mother.

Patrick is sure his grandfather won't show up. He's only interested if
Patrick can play. Coop offers to gown up so Patrick won't be alone. He
says he won't be, he has Dr. Shepherd.

Sheldon apologizes to Vi. He doesn't want them to be adversarial. She
says he should have thought about that before he started smooshing that
venomous - Sheldon interjects and tells her not to make this about
Marla. She says let's keep this professional. Sheldon retorts that's
fine. It's his professional opinion that she's not in any position to
help those girls right now. She says she's on top of her game, what's
she supposed to do. Sheldon says she had a lot to say, and she said it.
It's probably going to help a lot of people. But there's a price to be
paid, and these girls are part of that.

Patrick plays while Amelia figures out her course of action. She found
an area she needs to avoid when he stops playing. She's ready to begin.
He stops playing again. This time, it's because he wishes Coop had been
right, and his grandfather would have come.

His grandfather arrives, and waits with Coop. He feels he should not
have agreed to the surgery. He fears he will miss his chance. Coop
brings him in and he says I love you. Bleeding in the brain. the
grandfather says do something, I can't lose him. Coop takes him back out
again.

Pete sits with his mother. Adam comes in, blaming himself. Pete lets him
off the hook, but now it's time. She passes with her boys at her side.

In the waiting room, Coop reassures the grandfather that whatever
happens, Patrick did hear his grandfather tell him he loves him. Amelia
tells them that she got the whole tumor. He asks if Patrick will walk
again, and she says they won't know until the swelling goes down. It may
be as minor as mild weakness in his leg, but he will play again. All
things considered, this was a success. She brings him to visit his
grandson.

Casey holds her new baby. Lisa never came back. Jamie called, she's
giving her baby up for adoption. So much for the pact. She doesn't think
her mom is going to come around. She doesn't know how she can do this,
all alone. She's scared. Sheldon says they can work on that.

Lisa arrives in Vi's office. She read the whole book, she can't believe
what Vi's been through. She must be very strong. When she saw that
little person come out of Casey, it all became real. She feels like she
really screwed up, and she really needs her mom. She doesn't want to be
any more of a burden, she doesn't know what to do. Her mom doesn't
deserve this. Vi says her mom will be fine. She already knows what Vi
has been trying to tell Lisa. From now on, her primary focus will have
to be this child.

Vi explains that she left her son with his father, because she couldn't
take care of him, and he deserved better. Just like she said in the
book. Lisa doesn't know if she wants to keep the baby. She needs to talk
to her mom. Vi says they can talk to her together.

Coop gets home and finds Charlotte standing in the doorway. She explains
to him that he's not a replacement child, and points at the piano she
bought him. He hugs her as she tells him he can't give up on the things
he loves. Not ever. He sits down and plays. He's awesome. They kiss.

Sheldon and Marla try to hash out what happened with Violet. Her
interaction with him is personal, and with Vi it's professional. There
is no conflict, unless his relationship with Violet is personal. Marla
says she likes him a lot, but she doesn't want to have to fight for
either his loyalty, or his affection. He says he's not asking her to,
but she feels like she is. When being with her is more important than
what Violet thinks, he can give her a call. She grabs her purse and leaves.

Pete tells Vi that Adam took it pretty hard. He just keeps talking until
Vi makes him stop, and then he cries.

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