Private Practice

I guess I should've called first.

No. It's fine.

So you and Addison...

I'm sorry. I didn't even...

Addison, hello.

He's gotten so...

He's so big.

I'm crying. I know. I know. I'm crying.

But look at him. He's, like, 15.

- He's not 15. - He's 15.

And I haven't been here.

I was in the crazy and then... I was in Costa Rica and then

- New York and... - You were in New York?

Then I got out of the crazy and I came back here, he's 15, and,

now I'm just a stranger to him, and...

- And you and Addison are... - It's okay, Violet...

No, it's not.

I'm his mother.

I am his mother.

And I haven't...

I'm so sorry I didn't...

I'm so sorry...

That I couldn't...

I am so, so sorry.

Would you... like to hold him?

Can i?

Come here, pal.

Come on.

Here we go.

Look.

That's your mom.

That's your mommy.

- Stop hovering and come in here. - I said that we shouldn't be hovering,

- but Charlotte... - I said you needed space.

- We didn't want to pressure you. - I'm fine. I'm fine.

Violet, she's here. You're back.

Come on. You knew I was back. Somebody called you.

There may have been a text from Charlotte on...

I'm fine, you guys.

But go ahead and ask. I know you're dying to ask.

So you're not all messed up and freaky anymore?

She said we could ask.

I had this amazing breakthrough while I was away, and...

I know better than anybody that it doesn't happen overnight, but...

Yeah, I'm ready...

to be Lucas's mom.

That's my girl.

- Morning. - Good morning.

I'm gonna go do...

some work.

I got ten weeks of patient notes to catch up on. Thank you.

You seem a little old for a pediatrician, but...

Oliver had to use the restroom.

I'm Kelly. This is my husband Scott.

Nice to meet you.

It says Oliver has a stomach ache. Is that just today or

- has that been going on? - It's a little more than stomach ache.

It was kinda hard to see.

Look at you.

- You a hockey player? - No.

Okay. I'm Dr. Freedman. We're gonna have to take this off so we...

I can't. My parents don't let me.

Season 03 episode 20 Second Choices

He eats things.

He eats things like ice cream and too many cookies?

- He ate part of his pillow last night. - It started out small,

pieces of the couch cushion, stuffed animals.

It started after Kelly and I got married last year.

I don't know if it's the change or...

I think of Oliver as my own.

And I hate to think my coming along has set him off somehow.

Will you help him? Please.

I thought I'd stop by and see if you were okay.

I'm fine.

I know that this is weird.

No, it's great that Violet's back.

It's great that she wants to see Lucas.

It is great, right?

She called me this morning. She wants to see him again.

I told her I'd bring him to the office tomorrow. Is that okay with you?

You're his father. You have to do what you think is best.

I'm not his mother. Violet is.

You're always putting him to bed, play with him, feed him, give him a bath

hold him. You're not nobody.

Yes, but he's her child.

I want you to be okay with this...

Me letting her try.

This is scary for me.

I don't even know if Violet is ready.

But if she is,

I need you... to help me be okay with it.

I'm okay.

Really, I am. This is...

This is gonna be good for Lucas.

Thank you.

This is embarrassing. If the guys in my unit knew

I was being checked out by gynecologist, they'd never let me live it down.

You smacked your head passing out on the toilet.

This isn't the embarrassing part.

The gyno gave you a referral. I promise you, I only do brains.

I'm fine. This is crazy.

I probably passed out cause of too much R&R.

I talked my way into 3 weeks to come back, see the baby born.

I'm not used to living like this.

Clean sheets, no gunfire... It's not normal.

Has anything like this ever happened before?

Sometimes I get dizzy.

- The summers in Iraq are brutal. - Have you noticed any visual changes?

- Numbness or weakness? - Nope.

I'm U.S. Army, top grade-a specimen.

There's no evidence of a concussion.

- His head's fine. - See, I told you. Clean bill of health.

But your screening E.K.G. is showing some subtle abnormality.

I don't understand. You said his head was fine.

She's saying that there might be a problem with your heart.

Hi. Oliver.

Am I a freak?

- Do you think you're a freak? - I ate part of a book once in class.

No other kids do that.

So I got in big trouble with the teacher.

You see what I mean?

Kids eat like you do,

weird stuff, it's usually something called pica.

- Other kids do it, too? - Yeah.

I mean, it's rare, but that makes you pretty special.

So it's a thing? You can cure him?

I can prescribe fiber for the stomach ache.

But pica can have all sorts of causes.

Do you know why you do this?

I don't know.

I can't stop.

What do you know about pica in 10 year olds?

If a kid's got a mouth full of splinters,

and you're missing a box of tongue depressors, it's pica.

It's not really that simple.

That kind of behavior could be O.C.D. or a nutritional deficiency,

neurological or trauma response. Sometimes, we never figure it out.

I'll give you a head start. He got a new stepfather.

The problem started around the same time.

The stepfather's solution is to lock a hockey mask on his face.

I was talk to Violet about it, it's her first day back. I don't wanna...

- Could you see him? - Sure.

- I'm happy to be second choice. - Thanks.

See ya.

I'm glad Sheldon is thorough,

but next time I go out of town,

remind me to have someone cover my patients

who takes less copious notes.

So...

So?

- What's up with you and Charlotte? - I was asking about you.

- You said so. - Which means how are you?

I'm good. Can't I be good?

Two months, no phone calls, no e-mails, no postcards...

- Now, you're good? - I am.

I'm good.

I would be better if I had known that Pete was

sleeping with Addison before I came home.

I'm sorry about that. I should've... Wait. No phone calls,

no e-mails, no postcards.

- I'm sorry. - Thank you.

So what is up with you and Charlotte?

I'm maintaining a mature, professional distance. She wants to be friends.

And what do you want?

Life is sucky and hard.

Preaching to the choir, baby.

I'm glad you're back.

I know that you're worried about Carl.

But if there is a problem with his heart, Dr. Bennett will find it.

- I hope so. - He's the best.

No, I mean, I hope he will...

find something wrong.

This is his fourth tour of duty.

When I hear on the news that a roadside bomb went off killing six,

I wonder if one of them was Carl.

When officers come around,

I pray that they don't stop by my house.

I just feel like I'm waiting for him to die.

I'm not sure what you're asking me to do.

If you could find something or say there's something,

something that means he can't go back to Iraq at all...

I love him.

Help me keep him alive.

Are those, Carl's cardiac C.T.S.?

So what, are you not talking to me now either?

Cause you know what? I can't handle that today.

- So be a grown-up. Use your words. - Vanessa and I broke up.

I'm sorry.

I am. I know that we didn't always get along...

You hated her. You hated that I was with her.

So don't say you're sorry.

It's a lie. You know it, and I know it.

See... You want to have your cake and eat it, too.

But you know what? You can't, because I'm the cake.

From here on out, I'm taking the cake away. No more cake for you.

I'm good cake, too.

Double chocolate, cream-filled with the little raspberries on top.

So no more cake for you. So just shut up.

Carl has a block in his L.A.D. It's called a widowmaker.

We're lucky we found it. Coulda killed him.