The Midnight Club

The next chapter.

That's something people say a lot,

talking about the stories of their lives.

Turn the page.

The past is prologue.

The next chapter. Like it's already been written.

Like, the words are already there waiting for us.

But I disagree.

We are the authors of our own stories.

Sure, we can't always control the plot, but we can decide who we want to be.

So to me, the next chapter just means

the endless possibilities of the blank page.

New beginnings. It doesn't matter who you...

We were in high school.

The jock, the nerd, the weirdo, the criminal or the princess

or what plot twist got tossed our way.

It's time to turn the page and write the next chapter ourselves.

It could be the compressor. Sure.

No, no. That's just the fan running.

How old did you say the unit is? For 4,000 square feet.

Uh, yeah, I could take a look at the wiring,

but we may be looking at a replacement.

How's 9:00 a.m. tomorrow?

Of course. Yeah, no problem.

Okay. Yeah.

All right. All right, Bill. Yeah. I'll see you then.

New client?

New hair?

Wow, looks great.

You'll look great in a cap and gown, too.

Damn. I wish Maggie was here to see this.

That's all she ever wanted, you know? For you to have your best go of it.

Salutatorian means second best.

Oh, just a second. Get out of here.

Ilonka, you've done great, and you need to celebrate it.

And you should also break a few rules, I think.

You know, just like once in your life. Just...

Stop it, Tim.

Holy shit! You did it.

The red looks badass.

Where's Josie?

Uh, she chickened out, and I kind of get it.

What if they don't let us in?

- I mean... - Lauren, this is our chance

to get a jump on a real college party.

Or we could start with a high school one since we kind of missed that boat

when we were being total nerds.

Fuck high school.

Um... Vodka soda, please.

- He's not a bartender. - It's fine.

You go here? You look a little young.

- Uh... - Thank you.

Oh, there they are.

I don't know why they need six types of rum over there and no water.

Yeah, half the water bottles in the kitchen

were being used as ashtrays.

So you... you pace yourself. Or are you winding down?

Uh, I'm waiting for my friend. She's busy.

I think she's trying to make a couple of mistakes.

Uh, I'm Brian.

- Ilonka. - I don't think I've seen you around.

- I've kept to myself most of the year. - Hmm.

What's your major?

- English. - Me too.

You don't say.

What were some of your favorite classes this year?

I'm gonna go with Romantic and Victorian literature.

- Yeah. I know that sounds like a line. - It sounds like a line.

But it isn't.

No, I... I know it isn't, I do.

Romance and terror in the age of Victorian England.

That was one of my options for my senior thesis.

- One of your options? - See, I'm a sucker for Oscar Wilde.

A little "meh" on Stevenson. I still love, just polite love.

My favorite is Shelley. Mary, not her husband,

Mary Shelley, the teenage girl who wrote Frankenstein.

A teenage girl did that.

She was... She was 19 when she became the mother of modern horror.

I mean, she... she wrote the first major work in the science fiction genre.

Frankenstein is not only the first creation story to use science that way,

but to deal with the ethics of experiment and experimenter...

Sorry, that's, uh...

That's why I went with Shakespeare for my thesis. I...

I tend to ramble when I get going on Shelley.

Jesus. Where have you been all semester?

Uh, so... so tell me about you.

What are some of your favorite...

Excuse me. What were...

Here. Here you go.

Ilonka, did you hear me?

Sorry, I was just, um...

I'm sorry. I'm just distracted.

Can you say the name again? Like the name...

Can you say the real name again, please?

Papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Right. Thyroid cancer.

Uh, you said treatable?

It can be. We need to know more.

But the biopsy results tell me we should do an immediate thyroidectomy

and start you on radioactive iodine treatment.

You want to remove my thyroid?

No, I'm... I'm going to Stanford... in the fall.

Stanford? I...

If we start this now, will it...

Will it be finished before the semester starts?

It's hard to say.

We should just schedule the thyroidectomy.

So just walk me through the worst case.

Worst case. Just...

...paint a picture.

Talking about it is the best way to make sure it doesn't happen, isn't it?

Am I going to need chemo?

Oh, kiddo, let's... let's not go there.

Ilonka, there are a lot of steps between here and chemo.

- Are the odds in my favor? - It's not quite that simple.

I... I was number two in a class of 900.

Youngest in my class, too, and I skipped a year to get here.

I was in the top two-tenths of 1 percent.

I'm good with odds.

I got this.

What am I supposed...

I mean, the candles aren't lit.

Well, hospitals aren't exactly in love with open flames, so...

Okay.

- Yay. - Happy birthday, kiddo.

- Hey. Don't you have an install today? - It's...

No. This is more important.

Don't lose another job for me.

This is more important.

How is it?

Honestly? College is easier than high school.

I mean, less bullshit and more things that actually matter.

- Tim, can I borrow you? - Yeah.

So, how are things with you?

Well, the food is shit, and, um, my foster dad is my only friend.

But there is an orderly that has the hots for me though.

- Well, is he cute? - Ugh! I'd rather die.

So I win.

Look, I got to go, but...

- Uh, cool. - Thanks for calling.

- It means a lot. - Happy birthday. And...

Basically, I'm afraid this round didn't do it.

The tumors in her lungs didn't respond the way we'd hoped.

So we... we do it again? Another round.

Another round isn't going to make a difference at this point.

What, so you're saying that...

You're saying she's terminal.

Yes.

Hmm.

How long?

It's tough to say.

It's tough to fucking hear, too, Doc. Give it a try.

I really prefer not to. Everyone is different, and...

She's 18 years old today.

Could she make it to 19?

Yes, she could. It's possible.

Yes.

And, um, 20?

We should talk about what you want to do next,

though there isn't much else on my end besides making her comfortable.

It's a special program and it's fully funded.

I mean, all of this, it's adding up.

Brightcliffe Hospice. You know what that means, right?

Of course. But it's specifically for young people.

One of the only places like it in the world.

They should be with their family, Ilonka.

Lots of them don't have families according to the Web.

Lots of foster kids. I mean, kids on their own.

It's a place for teenagers to transition on their own terms.

This means no more treatments. No more trials, no more...

None of that's working.

I promised Maggie...

I promised Maggie that I would take care of you.

And you did.

You did so good, Tim.

Like I said, just a trial period.

So, like cancer sleep-away camp.

I'll be at the Motel 6 in town.

So, you know, just in case you change your mind, which you can,

of course, change your mind.

Come right home to Sacramento. Remember that.

Ilonka. Hey.

Hey, are you okay, kiddo?

Yeah, just, uh...

deja vu.

Sorry. You're gonna think I'm a freak, but...

do... do I know you?

Yeah, I... I think so. You went to Franklin High, right?

Or you were a... a patient at Seattle General?

No, I'm from Sacramento.

Weird.

No, I've never been.

Uh... what are you in for?

Papillary thyroid carcinoma with lung metastasis,

so, um...

thyroid cancer, I guess.

Leukemia, I guess.

It's nice to meet you.

Should I just call you Thyroid Cancer?

Sorry, I'm, um, Ilonka.