(panting)
(exhales)
(growling)
Stella? (chuckles)
We got to get Theo to school.
(barking)
(elevator bell dings)
Excuse me.
What floor? Uh, six, please.
(barking)
I'm so sorry. I don't know what's gotten
into her this morning. Oh, no worries at all.
You're just trying to protect your mom, huh?
(barking)
(continues barking)
(bell dinging)
(bell dings)
* *
Good morning. Good morning...
and apologies in advance.
What happened? Kate insisted
we try this new café that serves
"Chagaccinos."
Come again? Super healthy
mushroom lattes.
She's obsessed, and she wants me to be, too.
Like liquified mushrooms.
Sounds gross. Agreed.
But Kate and I are in a really good place.
I don't want her need to be healthy
to get in the way of that, so drink up.
Ugh.
It tastes like compost.
I promise I'll make it up to y'all.
I doubt it.
Boss wants to see you, by the way.
I'm not that late, am I?
(phone rings)
Agent Boone.
Alone?
He tell you what he needs?
All right, yeah, I'll be right there.
(knocking)
Morning, Lucy. Have a seat.
Here you go. Before you say anything,
I know I'm late and I'm sorry.
I had a hectic morning, but that's not an excuse...
Well, I wouldn't have even known you were late
if you hadn't just told me.
And you're not in trouble.
Then why did you shut the door?
(clears throat)
Yeah. Um...
Because...
you were just awarded the Special Agent Afloat position
aboard the Ronald Reagan.
Congratulations.
How? When...
When I applied last year, they turned me down.
Well, there was a medical emergency with the current agent
who had to be evac'd, so your name popped up
to the top of the list as a replacement.
Is there any way we could unpop it? (chuckles)
I-I don't mean to be
ungrateful after you supported me
through the whole application process last year.
And I-I was
so excited about the prospect of being the sheriff
of a floating 5,000-person town...
But life is just a little different now.
* *
I know it's not easy leaving your life behind.
Okay? Even just temporarily.
Look, I struggled
every time a mission took me away from my kids.
(gasps)
I just don't want any regrets. I get that.
But, look, this is a door that swings both ways.
Being an agent afloat,
this could be good for your NCIS career.
Is that your way of saying, "Not going isn't an option"?
This is my way of saying I need an answer by tomorrow.
They want you in Singapore next week.
* *
Hey, Brooksy. Where is he? Hey.
Over there. Okay. Thanks.
Theodore?
I go by Theo.
I'm Special Agent Jesse Boone.
I go by Jesse.
The guard told me that you rode your bike
all the way here from Waikiki?
Yeah. I can't get a phone until I'm 12,
so I don't have Uber or anything.
Are you the boss?
Not quite.
But I'm still very good at my job.
How can I help you? I need to report a missing person.
My mom didn't come back from her run this morning.
And my stepdad is on a submarine
and said we should come to Pearl
if we needed help.
Okay, how long has she been gone for?
A couple hours.
And I know it's not official
until someone's missing for 24 hours,
but Google also says you should contact law enforcement
if you're worried about a person's welfare.
And I am.
What makes you think
she isn't just out running an errand?
Because Stella came home alone.
Stella?
Our dog.
She was, she was scratching at the front door,
but Mom wasn't with her.
Jesse, you have to go find her.
I'm gonna get right on it.
But before I can do that,
have you eaten?
'Cause I microwave a mean breakfast burrito.
Come on.
* *
Hey, I got the kid set up in the conference room.
Did you reach his stepdad?
JESSE: He's on a sub off the coast of Myanmar
and there's no nonessential communications allowed.
Any other guardians listed?
No.
I notified the Command Ombudsman
and they're ready to send
a Family Advocacy rep to take Theo
into custody if we don't track down his mom by the end of day.
Did Kai and Lucy turn up anything
at the family's apartment?
Not yet.
But that might be because Theo asked them to fill up
the dog's water dish while they're there. (chuckles)
He forgot to before he rode his bike over here.
Pretty responsible 11-year-old. Yeah.
I keep picturing Jake in his shoes, you know.
I think he'd be freaking out.
So I want to reassure him, but...
I don't want to lie to him either.
Well, listen, it's best to not say anything
until we know exactly what happened.
If it's a simple explanation, there's no need
to worry him.
If it's not, it's better to be specific.
Yeah.
So, what did the building manager say?
Uh, he knows zilch about the Acostas.
Barely sees them.
But he says they pay their rent on time,
they never submit work orders,
so he gives them a thumbs up.
Did you find anything at the apartment? No, nothing of interest.
The next-door neighbors aren't much help either.
Just said that Allie's dog gets so excited
about their morning jog it wakes up the whole floor.
Oh, this is why cats are better.
Owning a cat is like having a psychopathic roommate
who destroys your furniture.
And they're loyal only to themselves.
Cats are very loyal.
They're just more... discerning.
Okay, what about this case?
You really think a cat would look for help
if its owner was kidnapped?
I think you're giving Allie's dog
a little more credit than she's due.
She just came home. She didn't call 911.
You're right.
Ah, that's the fastest I've ever won
the "cat versus dog" debate.
No, no, no. The home part.
Stella rode the elevator, right? Yeah.
So unless she knows which floor she lives on,
either Allie or someone who knows her
took the dog upstairs.
Uh, building manager's sending CCTV footage
to Ernie as we speak.
So that'll show us what happened.
Okay. Oh, and for the record...
Mm?
...cats would know
which floor they live on.
(scoffs)
Why are we using a tiny screen
instead of the big monitor the government provided?
Because her son is sitting in the conference room.
Maybe it's better he doesn't see what you've got,
which I hope is something helpful. Yep.
There's your guy. JESSE: How can you be so sure?
Because of what happens next.
(Stella barking)
Dogs are experts at nonverbal communication.
She's reading the man's pheromones
and body language like a book,
knows the guy is bad news before Allie does.
This is why I bring Pepper on all my first dates.
No better way to vet potential lovers.
Please don't call them lovers. Please tell me you have
something more than a barking dog. (exhales softly)
He was casing the building from his car
for the last couple of days.
Did you run the plates? Car's a rental.
Did the company send over the rental contract? Yep, along with a picture
of the guy's driver's license.
Name's Mitchell Smith.
(scoffs) I'll work on getting a real ID. No need.
This is his real ID.
Which is kind of a relief
because, you know, using a name as boring
as "Mitchell Smith" as your alias is just...
sad?
In any case,
he's one of 72 other Mitchell Smiths living
in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
But ours flew in from O'Hare four days ago.
So he came to Oahu to kidnap someone.
Why isn't he covering up his tracks? You can ask him directly.
According to his rental contract,
he's turning the car in today.
JESSE: Freeze!
NCIS. Put your hands up.
What the hell is this all about?
We're looking for a missing person.
Allie Acosta.
We have reason to believe you know her whereabouts.
She's in the trunk.
You know that makes you incredibly guilty.
I'm a licensed bounty hunter.
An officer of the law, just like you.
(giggles)
You need to surrender her immediately.
Allie Acosta is dangerous.
Look at my eye.
All right.
What the hell?
She was just right... (tires screech)
Wait!
(groans)
So we show up to rescue Allie
only for her to run away from us.
Starting to look like she doesn't want to be helped.
Cuffs? Seriously?
On what grounds are you holding me?
How about unlawful imprisonment?
Oh, please.
I handle myself with the upmost professionalism.
I approached her calmly, explained who I was.
Showed her my license when she asked.
And how do you think she responded?
By punching me in the face and trying to get away.
Again.
(quietly): Something tells me he deserved it.
Allie Acosta is not who you think she is.
So, who is she, exactly?
Allison Perez, a white-collar criminal.
Used to be a controller at an insurance firm,
where she was stealing tens of millions of dollars
until the FBI finally caught up to her.
Then she skipped town the moment she got out on bail.
And I've been on her tail ever since.
Over ten years.
Almost caught her in Cleveland about eight years ago,
but she got away.
How'd you find her here?
One misplaced phone call
after a death in the family gave her away.
I let the bondsman know
and I hopped the first flight to Honolulu.
You travel alone or with a partner?
If a bounty hunter needs a partner,
he's not very good at his job.
(chuckles) Maybe you could benefit from a coworker
'cause from where I sit, all you seem to do
is catch and release.
You know, if it weren't for you people,
I'd have Allie halfway back to Chicago by now.
NCIS cost me 100 grand.
That's not our problem.
What do you want from me?
Your cooperation.
With what?
Look, you're right. We have no grounds to hold you.
But you essentially kidnapped a mother with a minor son
without letting her make arrangements for his care.
So when you find Allie,
you have to let NCIS know right away
so we can place her son with a guardian.
So you want me to do the legwork,
and then just (chuckles) hand her over to you?
Just to resolve the custodial arrangements.
Once that's done,
you are free to bring Allie back to Chicago and get paid.
Yeah. Okay.
Fine.
(Mitchell groans)
Hey, since you guys let Allie get away with my car,
could you give me a ride to the rental place?
* *
Got it.
We can't just wait for Smith to find Allie Acosta.
Yeah, something tells me
he's not gonna honor our agreement
if he finds Allie first. Key word being "if."
He's gonna have a hard time finding her
now that his cover's been blown.
For all we know, she could already be off the island.
Won't be easy for her to get a flight with the BOLO we issued.
And do you really think that she would leave
without her son? (sighs)
JESSE: I hope not.
I don't want to have to tell Theo that his mom skipped town.
Okay, well, don't get his hopes up.
Finding Allie is gonna be though.
She's been a fugitive for 11 years.
She must've had a contingency plan
if the law ever caught up with her.
Yeah. So, what's next?
We're gonna loop Whistler in.
Get the FBI involved.
Allie is a fugitive who's crossed state lines,
so this is their jurisdiction, too.
I'll read her in.
In the meantime, I'm gonna have Ernie build
a full criminal profile on the real Allison Acosta
or Perez.
At least that way we'll have an idea
of what to look for.
Sounds like a plan, boss.
After I'm done on the phone, I'll talk to Theo
and bring him up to speed gently.
Okay.
* *
We had just gotten to Japan
and all my buddy Blake and I wanted to do
was just get off the damn ship for a few hours at least.
So we were about to disembark
when some genius below deck decides to use
a fire main pipe as a ladder.
Was this due to a Navy ladder shortage or laziness?
Oh, laziness, for sure.
So thanks to that,
and the fact that the dude was, he was huge,
Whole pipe buckled under his weight,
triggering an automatic emergency dump
of the bilge tanks. Oh, that doesn't sound good.
Oh, the whole ship listed 45 degrees.
(chuckling): Blake almost fell overboard.
I'll never forget the look on his face.
When I said I wanted to know what life's like at sea,
I didn't mean an exhaustive list of the dangers.
Come on. You knew what you were getting into, right?
Sure, but I didn't know
it'd feel like being one sardine in a giant,
rocking tin filled with 5,000 other queasy sardines,
which is what you're describing.
Wait...
Something tells me your concerns are less to do
with being at sea, and more to do with Whistler.
What's she think about all this? (groans)
I kind of haven't 100% told her yet.
Why are you coming to me before her?
Because I want to figure out how I feel
before dealing with how Kate feels.
Okay, well, um...
You know, being an agent afloat,
it's a, it's a great opportunity.
* *
(game music playing)
My son plays that game. Everybody does.
Yeah.
Well, I'll have to try playing it sometime.
So quick update. We saw your mom.
Can you take me to her? Not yet.
She wasn't quite ready to talk to us.
Why not?
Because she doesn't know we're the good guys yet.
Which means there are bad guys? No.
It just means she's scared.
Did your mom
ever talk to you about being in trouble?
No.
What if you don't find her today?
Where am I supposed to sleep?
Well, we called your Family Advocacy rep.
She can find you a place.
* *
I need to do my homework.
Okay, yeah.
Do you need a notepad or some pens or something?
No. My workbooks are at school.
Can you take me to pick them up?
(clucks tongue) Yeah.
WHISTLER: Lucy!
(gasps) Oh, hey!
What's up? I texted you two hours ago
about having lunch in the park.
I mean, you never responded
so I just came to see if you were okay. Yeah!
No, lunch at the park sounds wonderful.
Let's!
What's going on?
(chuckles) Nothing.
Ish.
You never ignore my texts.
And you're never this enthusiastic
about outdoor activities. Oh, I am if they involve food.
And you. (chuckles)
I-I just haven't looked at my phone all day.
You're literally holding it.
(sighs)
Okay. You're right. I've been avoiding you.
I was selected for the Special Agent Afloat position
aboard an aircraft carrier.
They want me to leave for Singapore next week.
Selected, like, out of the blue?
No, not exactly.
I... applied last year. After we broke up.
(stammers)
You were so mad at me
you wanted to be as far away as you could?
On a boat in the middle of the thing you hate the most?
Everything on this island reminded me of you.
I just-- I wanted to get away.
But that's not how I feel now.
So what are you gonna do? (phone chiming)
(sighs) Tennant wants me in the War Room.
It's perfect timing. I'm sorry.
We're obviously gonna discuss this.
I love you and I'm not gonna do anything
without talking to you first, okay?
Okay.
This is Allie Acosta, back when she was Allison Perez.
Once upon a time, she was a financial controller
at Globe Equities,
a large insurance firm in Chicago.
Then, in early 2011,
the FBI arrested her for embezzlement.
Nearly $20 million stolen over five years. Yikes.
According to social media,
everyone in Allie's life was shocked.
She had always been an incredibly hard worker.
A buttoned-up rule follower
who'd never even gotten a traffic ticket.
Then, in keeping with the seeming shift of character,
Allie skipped bail in late 2011
and has been in the wind ever since.
You find any signs she's spending the money?
Because she didn't use it on her condo.
It's completely paycheck appropriate. Nothing so far.
TENNANT: Theo's around 11 years old.
The timeline makes me think that Allie skipped bail
because she was pregnant.
LUCY: Which begs the question,
why would Allie leave town without her son now?
She won't.
Well, good thing the kid's secure here at Pearl.
Except he's not.
(school bell rings)
Hey, boss. Yeah. Theo just grabbed his stuff.
He just popped into the restroom
real quick before we head...
Let me call you right back.
(door opens) (gasps)
Hey. Sorry.
Theo?
Theo, buddy, come on.
Come on, we got to go.
Damn it.
(indistinct chatter)
* *
Ouch! Watch out!
Hey! What are you doing?
(engine idling)
Why are you hiding from me?
What are you doing in the parking lot?
You were supposed to be in the bathroom.
I was going to meet my mom.
But when I went out the bathroom window,
two guys started chasing me.
Was one of them this guy?
No. Two other guys.
All right, I-I'm here now.
Let's get you back to Pearl.
He's sure there were two men chasing him?
Yeah, and that neither were Mitchell Smith.
I showed Theo his photo.
I wonder if they were bounty hunters, too.
JESSE: Doubtful.
Theo said that these goons knocked over a kid
while they were chasing him.
That's a move that could lose a bounty hunter their license.
LUCY: Okay. Let us know what they say.
So far, no one at the school got a good look at 'em,
but Kai's checking with security.
All right, I'll call the Family Advocacy rep,
see if they have someone that can come tonight.
Best to keep him safe at Pearl until we ID these guys.
Do we think the kidnappers are connected to the bounty hunter?
Smith said he was working alone.
I buy it, as much as I distrust him.
I mean, I think if he had other people working with him,
Allie wouldn't have gotten away so easily.
LUCY: You said your bounty hunter reached out to the bondsman
when he got a lead on Allie.
Could be someone involved in her original crime
bribed the bondsman to get that information?
$20 million's a lot of money.
That was no easy theft she pulled off.
She might have had partners.
And if she double-crossed those partners,
then they'd be motivated to find her.
Hanging out at Theo's school might have been their only play.
So what do they do next?
I don't know.
Knowing who they are will help us figure that out.
Lucy, go help Ernie.
He's digging into the case that got her arrested
11 years ago. Yeah, will do.
Theo and his mom have been communicating.
Jesse, you think you can talk to him?
Yeah, convince him that helping us
is better than lying to us.
Please and thank you.
My dad used to make sundaes like this
when I would get into trouble.
He made you sundaes when you got into trouble?
Eh, well, sort of.
He'd made sundaes and then, if I came clean,
I'd get to eat it.
If I didn't, I'd have to watch him eat it.
All right.
Time to talk.
Man-to-man.
Be straight with each other.
I can go first.
So...
You kind of made me look like an ass
in front of my boss
and you put yourself in danger
when you ran away at the school.
I know you did it because your mom told you to.
'Cause she wants you two guys to be together.
She said she has a plan.
Oh, it'd better be a really good plan
because she's in the kind of trouble
that's hard to get out of by herself.
Then I'll help her. How?
You can't get to her, and she can't get to you right now.
Theo,
I know you don't want anything to happen to your mom.
I don't.
So you can help by telling me
how you're communicating with her.
* *
Go ahead 'cause...
if I eat it, then I'm gonna have to go for a run
or something and I don't want to do that.
(chuckles softly)
(gasps) You've been talking in the game chat?
(sighs)
Okay. Bring your sundae. Let's go talk to Tennant.
ACH for major bills,
credits cards for most other expenses.
The only money going into her account
are the couple's paychecks.
If she stole $20 million,
she's doing a really good job of hiding it.
LUCY: Yeah.
Just like you did with this agent afloat assignment.
I wasn't hiding it. (chuckling)
You just didn't tell anybody.
When I applied, I knew you all would tell me
I was being reactive to my breakup with Whistler.
And then I didn't get picked, so what did it matter?
Now you got it.
How do you feel? (sighs)
Obviously, the timing's painful.
But being
the sole NCIS agent on an aircraft carrier?
All that power and responsibility?
All that fear of falling overboard.
I'd get over that, wouldn't I?
(laughing)
I can't tell if that laugh is good or bad.
Come on. You got to have some advice for me.
Yes. When you got together with Whistler,
you should have pulled your application.
You know,
time travel is your solution to a lot of things.
It's my way of saying it's an unsolvable problem
without actually having to say that.
(typing)
What about the original investigation?
Wow, nice topic bust.
She was accused of siphoning money
out of small business insurance settlements
with the imbalances getting lost
in some reconciliation accounts.
Where'd she siphon the money to? Investigators never found it.
So, settlements, that's payables.
Imbalances, that's accounting.
Reconciliations, that's auditors.
I feel like I'm in that home economics class
balancing my checkbook all over again.
You took home ec?
I loved home ec. (chuckles)
What's your point?
Hmm.
So, Tennant has a hunch
that Allie wasn't working alone.
She was a low-level controller,
and when Globe Equities went bankrupt,
these three guys started a new company
with the same business model.
I'm not following.
How is three executives starting a new company a red flag?
Because the new company went bankrupt two years ago
after $8 million disappeared
into tax shelters and bad investments.
Okay, I'm seeing the flag now. Mm-hmm.
These three guys may have continued
stealing money under a new banner,
which means they may have been Allie's accomplices
at Globe Equities 11 years ago?
It's possible.
Do you think my relationship with Whistler
will work if I take the agent afloat job? (sighs)
You know me, I have an opinion about everything.
On this, though,
I'm gonna take a pass.
* *
I feel like I'm getting my mom in trouble.
I understand why you feel that way,
but you're not.
Okay? We're worried about your mom
and we want to make sure she's safe.
I'm gonna start the chat now, okay?
Okay.
(game console chirps) Okay.
Message sent.
What did you say?
I introduced myself,
I said that you were with us and that you gave me permission
to use your game to talk to her.
Do you think she's mad that I came to you guys?
No, I think she knows you're just worried about her.
And I told her that we were, too.
Usually, she writes back right away.
Do you think the guys who chased me found her?
I've lived long enough to know that, usually,
your scariest worries don't come true.
(game console chirps)
See? She just needed a minute to respond.
(chuckles)
She wants to know what her favorite snack is.
JESSE: Ah, your mom's smart.
She wants to make sure we have you
and not just your device.
Pickles.
(quietly): I love pickles.
(game console chirping)
What kind?
The hamburger slice ones.
What did she say?
She said she'd meet us.
And I'm supposed to tell you that she loves you very much.
(knock at door)
Hey.
Jesse,
can you take Theo to the kitchen
with his half-melted sundae?
Will do.
Hey.
School cops saw two guys sitting in a car outside the school.
They wrote down the plate number.
You get anything from it? It's another rental.
They didn't use their real names.
All right, I'll fill Whistler in.
You and Jesse should go meet her at Kalakaua Avenue
and pick Allie up.
I'll drop the pin. Okay.
Hey, Kai...
She claims she's innocent
and says she has documentation to prove it.
Make sure we get it.
Okay.
* *
So, Whistler, how are you feeling about everything?
I'm not sure.
Aren't you Mr. Sensitive all of a sudden?
Well, it's a big deal,
Lucy thinking about taking an agent afloat position.
What?
You didn't know?
No.
But that doesn't matter.
What matters is how you feel.
Still not sure.
Hey, is that our bounty hunter?
He must have followed us here. Whistler, go find Allie.
Kai, you and I, let's go slam this guy.
(panting)
(grunting)
WHISTLER: Guys, Allie's got a new tail.
Stop! Federal agents!
Copy. Stay with him.
(Allie screaming)
Stop! Let me go!
MAN: Get in!
ALLIE: No!
(grunting)
(tires screeching)
Go!
WHISTLER: Hey.
Are you okay? (panting)
Not really.
I have no idea who those guys were.
How'd they know we'd be here? No clue.
You're the cops. That's your job.
Okay, you understand that agents
of two different federal agencies
are asking you questions?
That if we put our heads together,
we could find a way to put you in federal prison
just for that dumb look on your face?
(chuckles)
I was waiting outside the gate
at Pearl Harbor and followed you.
Did they follow you? Not that I saw.
And I was checking 'cause I wanted to make sure
that you folks weren't following me following you.
(groans) You said you got close to her once.
Where was that?
Cleveland.
She was living in some dumpy apartment,
working as a bookkeeper
on some mom and pop dry-cleaning operation.
When you almost caught her,
did you think someone else was trying to find her?
No.
KAI: Hey.
HPD found the car empty less than a mile away.
Got them doing a search of the area.
Hey, can you take these cuffs off me?
Not until you've been booked.
For what?
U.S. Code Chapter 73.
Obstruction of Justice.
Allie told Tennant that she was innocent.
That she had the documentation to prove it.
And now that some hired guns just kidnapped her,
I'm thinking she's telling the truth.
The guys who grabbed her are probably working
for whoever really embezzled that money.
They want her proof.
They don't seem nearly as stupid as that bounty hunter.
Ernie needs to figure out how those thugs knew where we were.
And fast.
* *
Did you get her?
Where is she?
Look, Theo, we weren't able to get... Where's my mom?
We're still working on it.
You're supposed to make sure she's safe.
I know, bud. We're trying.
No, you're not.
Hey, hey, where are you going? To find my mom.
She's in trouble. We're doing everything we can, Theo.
You're not!
You need to stay in the conference room.
All right? If I have to watch you,
that's one less person looking for your mom.
* *
There was a tracking device
on the bounty hunter's second rental car.
That doesn't help us much, since we have the bounty hunter
in custody and don't need to find him.
True, but I'm betting
that the tracker belonged to the guys that grabbed Allie.
And this particular tracker connects to a phone app.
You think they'd be dumb enough to leave it running?
I am counting on the general forgetfulness of people
where technology is concerned.
(electronic chirping)
Yes!
They left the tracking app connected? They did.
Now where are they?
Got 'em.
They're at Allie and Theo's apartment.
That must be where she left her proof of innocence.
Call Jesse. Tell him I'm on my way upstairs.
* *
If both of the thugs are in her apartment,
how are we going to get her out safely?
It's a good question.
Why don't you go around back, Luce,
in case they get past us.
Let's go see the building manager.
That's your plan?
Ask the building manager to talk to 'em?
If that would work? Then, yes.
Apartment next to Allie's. You think this is a good idea?
Not really, but you have a better one?
No.
All right. On the six. On the six.
I'll see you in 30 seconds. I hope so.
* *
(Allie screaming)
(siren wailing)
Okay, thanks.
So, agent afloat?
(sighs) I'm sorry I didn't tell you.
You were bonding with the kid,
and I didn't want to mess with your head. (glass clinks)
You wouldn't have.
Because you don't care if I go? No.
Because you'll only be gone a few months,
and the photos of you green around the gills
will be totally worth it.
(laughs)
So... I should do it?
What's your reason not to?
Whistler.
She's solid.
If you've got reasons,
they're yours, not hers.
* *
If I go, who's gonna pick glass shards out of your hair?
I'll just leave them in there until you get back.
(laughs)
Once I figured out what they were doing,
I started downloading the reconciliations
at the end of every day. For proof.
Did you ever contact the authorities?
No.
It took me several months
to be sure that they were actually embezzling money.
And, once I was... You were pregnant.
Yeah.
I guess I got scared and sloppy.
I left a trail in the system showing I'd been copying files.
That's probably when they decided to pin it on me.
I don't have any family, I...
I-I just couldn't take a chance on my baby
being put up for foster care for something I didn't do.
Do you still have the proof?
I think so.
They watched me deleting the files
on my laptop,
but they were smart enough to know I had cloud storage.
This was a virus to wipe it out,
but you guys jumped in before it did.
You're gonna need to testify against them.
I know.
And if I have to go to jail,
Theo's got his stepdad.
He'll be okay.
Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
(knock at door)
Come in.
(sobbing)
Jesse.
Yeah.
(chuckles softly)
(mouths)
* *
Hey.
(sighs)
How are you doing?
I'm not good with big decisions.
They sort of make me sick to my stomach. (chuckles)
Hey, well,
whatever you decide, my sweet...
it's not forever.
It just feels,
I don't know,
fraught.
How come?
Well, when, um... (clears throat)
When I was in high school, my first girlfriend
and I... What was her name?
Marcella.
Was she cute? Very.
Are you gonna let me tell my story?
Yes. (laughs) Are you jealous?
No. Yes, you are.
(both laughing)
Anyway, Marcella and I would sit on this
small hill because there were no real high places to sit
in our part of the world,
and...
she'd talk about all the adventures we were going to have
after we left Texas.
Only, I-I didn't want to have adventures.
I just wanted to sit... on the hill with Marcella.
* *
I'm not going anywhere.
It's hard for me to believe that,
'cause I don't know if you've noticed,
but I have trust issues.
No!
(clucks tongue) Oof, best girlfriend ever.
(both laughing)
(sighs)
So...
I think I have to do it.
I have to go on the big boat, if...
you're sure you're okay with it.
Dramamine? Jumbo sized.
Wait, you knew I was gonna go? Yes.
How? Because I was gonna insist upon it.
I mean,
you're conquering your fears
and doing something good for you career.
And...
And what?
We are strong enough to survive four months of your misery.
(laughing): I'm gonna be so miserable, aren't I?
Oh, that big boat is just floating out there,
waiting to torture you.
Come here. (sighs)
* Baby, our love's not lost... *
(sniffles)
I'm really gonna miss you.
(cries softly)
* And before you know *
* I'll be coming home. *
* Ooh. *
Captioning sponsored by CBS
and TOYOTA.
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org