- [Dirk] Your husband's having an affair. - What?
You deserve to know the truth.
Are you in love with her?
Yes. I'm in love with her.
- [cries] - [Tim] I want a divorce.
[Kari] No! I won't give you a divorce, Tim!
- [door opens] - [Elizabeth] We never truly forget our first love.
It's normal that you would still have a place in your heart for Ryan.
I'm not trying to come between you and Tim.
I just want to really understand where we went wrong.
[Angela] There is no future between me and you.
Stay away from me and Tim.
I'm pregnant.
[Angela] You said we deserved a happy ending.
- [smashes glass] I hate you! - Angela.
How do you feel about guys that have have four older sisters?
- You're thinking of Luke? - Are you, uh... Do you have a...
No. No, I'm single.
[Ryan] I got a call from the Giants.
The "Giants" Giants?
Yeah. They want to offer me a coaching job.
Come on, Ash, talk to me.
Look, you've never even been to my house, ever!
[Ashley] And now, you're here trying to fix this
like you can't look me in the eye ever since...
- Go. Ever since what? - Ever since your best friend died and I didn't.
[Reagan] I didn't know that she was driving the car.
Poor Ashley.
The pain and the guilt that she's probably harboring inside.
Between that and Paris, the amount of stuff that she's been through,
- it's no wonder she's so complicated. - [sniffles]
You are my husband, and we are having a baby.
We have to find a way to forgive each other.
I think we need to go back to the way things were.
I love my husband. Goodbye, Ryan.
Hey, Coach. I think I'm ready to accept that offer.
[Elizabeth] Ashley, you can run way from your feelings,
and you can run away from us.
But we won't allow you to run away from your son!
[John] Let us help you.
[principal] I know that Angela was important to you.
She's the one. I would do anything for her.
- [Kari] If you want Angela to love you... - [whimpers]
...you have to earn that love.
- [gunshot] - [Dirk] It's too late now.
She's gone. I'm never gonna get her back,
because your husband is a liar and a cheater...
And you'll be a murderer.
You're the greatest gift God ever gave me.
- [Kari crying] Tim, please. - [Tim] I love you, Kari.
I love you too.
[theme song playing]
♪ 'Cause life has a way Of pulling us under ♪
♪ But we'll stick it out ♪
♪ If we got each other ♪
♪ When it all feels too much ♪
♪ I know you'll come running For me ♪
♪ Through the highs and lows We'll find our way home ♪
♪ Family ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Family ♪
[Kari] Hi, Tim. It's us again.
Jessie's already three months old. Can you believe it?
[Jessie coos]
I'm trying so hard to be strong.
For her.
For you.
Every time I think I'm taking a step forward,
every time the cracks seem to get a little smaller...
the sun comes up,
and she opens her eyes...
and all I can see is you, and it hurts, all over again.
[sighs]
The sun'll keep coming up.
And I'll keep getting stronger...
And even if we can't come by every day...
just know, a piece of us is always with you.
And a piece of you is always with us.
[toy siren wails]
[knock on door]
I brought stimulants.
Hmm, you know you could just say coffee.
And miss the opportunity to flaunt my natural flair for the English language!
I don't think so. Hey, Cole.
- [Cole] Hi, Erika. - Glad to see you're a little humble today.
Hmm, someone's extra sassy this morning.
I like it.
Which emotion do we have to thank?
Confidence or nerves?
It's too early for so many words.
The latter it is.
Cole, we're leaving in two.
Okay, Mommy.
Please tell me you're not actually thinking of wearing sneakers
- to a job interview? - What?
[Erika] What do you mean, what?
[Ashley] They're sensible and quirky.
They're lazy and hideous.
You are not helping.
Trust me, I am helping.
Look, do you want this job or not?
Yes. Of course, I do.
Maybe.
I don't know.
Look, I want to be able to check the mail without having a panic attack
that something's overdue.
[whispering] I want to be able to afford daycare
without having to take charity from my parents.
And I really just want you to tell me what to wear,
because I don't have the energy to figure it out.
Music to my ears.
Now, we'll keep the jacket. Scratch the rest.
Hmm.
- [seatbelt clicks] - There we go.
High five!
See you later.
- Ta-da! - Nice.
You're a lifesaver.
Caffeine and style tips.
That's why I was put on this earth.
Listen, if I get this job,
coffee's on me for a month. Promise.
When you get this job.
I wish I was as optimistic as you.
I wish you were too.
I'm really gonna have to start charging for these pep talks.
- Love you. Mean it. - [chuckles]
[kisses]
[car door opens and closes]
Okay, what have we got?
Burn victim. BP 180/100.
Pulse 89.
We got a lot more coming.
Yeah. Okay.
Get her to the trauma bay.
[chuckles] Wait, why is my face so small?
It's only like that on your end, Dad.
Besides, would you rather look at yourself or your favorite son?
Uh, I don't know.
I cannot figure this thing out.
How is it that you're capable of saving lives,
and yet smartphones just completely baffle you?
Oh, okay, big shot. You show me a smartphone
with a nice bedside manner and a comfortable pension, then we'll talk.
Hey, Jack, we've got burn victims pouring in from a nearby apartment complex.
Word is they've lost track of two firefighters.
Dad, is that Landon Blake's unit?
I don't know, son. I'll call you back.
- [Ashley] We're here. - [ends call]
- Uncle Luke! - Hey, what's up, buddy?
Hey, sorry, we're late.
Got halfway down the street and realized I left my curling iron on.
Could have burnt down the whole house.
- What's up? - Nothing.
- Who wants to learn how to dribble like a pro? - Me.
[chuckles] All right, lead the way. Come on.
[Elizabeth] Ashley, is that you?
Hey, Mom!
Oh, you look nice.
- Yeah? - I have a surprise for you.
Oh, wait, let me guess, another life-changing book
from America's latest self-help guru?
I'm gonna pretend like you didn't say that.
Good. And I'll keep pretending like I read them.
Look, I found them in the garage.
It must have been a Christmas gift that slipped through the cracks.
I haven't seen you pick up a brush in ages.
- [Kari] Hi, Mom. - We're back here.
Oh.
- Hey, Ash. - Hey.
I thought you had your big interview this morning.
Yeah. No, yeah, I do.
Um, I'm gonna go.
- Mom, I'll call you after. - Good luck.
I think she's nervous.
- [Kari] Hey, Ash. uh... - Hi.
- [Jessie coos] - Hi, darling Jessie.
- Ash, wait up. - What's up?
I just wanted to give you some interview pointers.
Cool. But I'm good.
Hey, I've interviewed a lot of people,
and I know it can be tough getting back out there.
So you're really just trying to point out that I haven't had a job in a while?
You're gonna be great. Just take a deep breath
and try and focus on being positive.
Okay. I'll try.
And I told Mom if this doesn't work out, I can get you some hours at the showroom.
[sarcastically] Oh, thank you.
Look, I don't need a pity job.
I don't need a pep talk. I just need you to let me live my life.
- [car door opens] - [scoffs]
Any word on the second firefighter yet?
No. Not yet, but paramedics are en route.
- I want to know the moment they blow through that door. - Yeah.
[paramedic] We have an unresponsive male with severe smoke inhalation.
Oh, Lord!
Okay, let's get him to the trauma bay.
I want a chest x-ray stat!
My buddy, Landon, saved your boy's life.
We need to save his.
I've known Landon since he was very young.
I'll do everything I can.
We need two cc's of morphine. Let's go, people.
All right...
[cell phone ringing]
Hey, B, it's Kari. Mom's out back with Luke and Cole.
What? Is he okay?
Okay. Call us back when you know more.
What is it?
Landon Blake was hurt in a fire.
He's in critical condition. We should call Ashley.
Well, she's at her job interview.
We'll tell her when she gets home.
[sighs]
[tone beeps]
[woman] Sunset Hills.
- Hey, it's Ashley Baxter. - [woman] Come on in.
- You must be Ashley. - Hi.
I'm Lu. We spoke on the phone.
Nice to meet you.
You're early. I like that.
[door opens]
Welcome to Sunset Hills.
- You're gonna have to get used to the smell. - The smell?
Moth balls and urine seem to be the popular consensus.
But I prefer to think of it as the scent of yester year. [chuckles]
You know, people come thinking they're going to spend the day
baking cookies or watching soaps with Grandma,
but unfortunately, that's just not the case.
Patients in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and dementia are often...
confused, disoriented.
Keeping them grounded in the here and now is no vacation.
Follow me.
[heart monitor beeping]
[John] God, are you watching over him?
He needs your love and your strength.
- [sighs] - How's he doing?
[sighs]
Blood tests came back negative for carbon monoxide poisoning.
How about his lungs?
Hasn't broken the 90s off the ventilator.
I hear the little boy's doing better.
Barely a scratch.
Yeah, he said...
Landon gave him his mask.
Risked his life.
He's a hero.
So are you.
[scoffs softly]
Do you remember Mrs. Angers?
The realtor that lives at the end of the street?
[chuckles softly] Yeah. He used to pick her flowers.
Every week.
And he'd bring them to Ashley when they were kids.
Is that why she put up the fence?
- Probably. - [both chuckle softly]
He has loved her his whole life.
Come on, Landon.
Come on!
This is Belinda. She's the office manager.
- Hi. - Too pretty.
Uh, nice to meet you.
Pretty girls never last.
Too much lifting.
Ignore her. I do the hiring around here.
All right, let's talk about your resume.
Little bit of a gap here.
Yeah. I have a son.
Cole. He's four.
Taking the time to raise a child
is one of the most selfless things a person can do.
It says here that you worked at an art gallery in Paris.
That's incredible. Tell me about that.
Oh, it was just for a summer.
So you're an aspiring artist?
No.
I, uh... I used to be.
I used to paint.
I don't really--
Eventually, you will have to finish a sentence.
- I'm sorry. - Don't be.
- Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. - Would you stop?
She wouldn't be here if there wasn't a reason.
What do you suppose that reason is?
Um, well, uh, the schedule is great.
And the pay is always a plus.
Well, certainly there are more enticing options out there.
[Ashley] Maybe. But...
But what?
I guess I just...
I wanna do something important.
Something other than bouncing calls and making coffee.
Why do you feel that working here is important?
[breathes deeply]
The other day, I was driving through town,
and there were these older ladies crossing the street,
probably in their 90s, hunched over,
arm in arm, and I couldn't take my eyes off them.
I pulled over, and I stared at them for the longest time.
And they were so unassuming...
and fragile.
Cars honked at them, and they moved as fast as they could.
And I couldn't help but wonder
if that was the only attention that they got on a given day.
And how lonely that must feel...
to be invisible.
Anyway, the next day, I saw the ad online,
and...
[chuckles softly] I guess it just felt like a sign.
I have no doubt it was.
And as for the heavy lifting, some of us pretty girls are a lot stronger than we look.
- [scoffs] - [Lu] Belinda.
She's more delusional than the patients.
When can you start?
[chuckles softly]
Thank you.
[gate opening]
Hey, it's me. I guess coffee's on me
for a month because I got the job!
Thanks for the fashion advice.
Call me back and we can go shopping for some new work clothes. Okay, bye.
[exhales sharply]
- [John] Hey. - John.
I'm here with Kari.
- How is he? - He's in a coma.
It's critical. His parents just got here.
Does Ashley know?
[Elizabeth] No, but she should be home any minute.
Elizabeth, he may not make it through the night.
No, he'll wait for her. He always has.
[softly] Yeah.
- [door opens] - [Ashley] Hello!
[door closes]
Mom, guess what?
She's here. I'll call you back, okay?
- Where's Cole? - He's in the back yard with Luke. He's fine.
[Elizabeth] There's been an accident, sweetheart.
It's Landon. He may not make it.
Ash, hey.
I'm so sorry.
We're doing everything we can.
Hey, your timing is good. He just got out of surgery about an hour ago.
Uh, is he going to...
We're doing everything we can to help him pull through.
But you don't know if he's going to--
He's... He's suffering from severe smoke inhalation.
By the time he got to us, his airway had almost completely collapsed.
His breathing is stable, though,
so that's encouraging. That's a huge step.
But there are some complications that can arise
from a loss of oxygen for this long.
In Landon's case, he slipped into a coma.
So all we can do now is wait to see how his body responds.
So, you're not sure. That's just your doctorly...
- way of saying that you-- - Ashley, listen to me.
He's critical, yes. But he is fighting,
and right now, he needs all the support he can get.
I'm sorry. I know... I know you're doing everything you can.
It's okay. I know this is hard.
I don't think I can...
Yes, you can. And you will.
Do you know why? Because he needs you right now.
Ashley, I know you care about Landon a lot.
And you need to tell him that.
Research shows that comatose patients can often hear when they're being spoken to.
And positive reinforcement, I mean, that... That has a huge impact on recovery.
So why don't you go in there and talk to him, okay?
- Okay. - Come on.
[inhales sharply]
Hi. It's Ashley.
Wish you could hear what everyone's saying about you.
They're calling you a hero.
Just get better, okay?
[sniffles]
[Elizabeth] Next time on The Baxters.
- I'm Ashley. - [Belinda] Sit down, Irvel.
[Belinda] Don't indulge their delusions.
Your job is to feed and care for them on your shift.
Not to be friends.
But I also sense God calling me to scale back my work as head pastor.
Wait, you're not thinking about retiring, are you?
My dad loves bowling. I'm really excited for you to meet him in a few weeks.
- Hey, I am ready. - And I've always known that you love me.
[crying] You have to pull through this, okay?
Landon, you have to.
- [rapid beeping] - Ashley...
[theme music playing]