Christmas Under Wraps

Dr. Johnson, thank you for allowing me to assist in there.

You did more than assist, Brunell.

You performed the operation.

Which is why you should be the one to talk to the family.

Your husband is out of surgery.

Dr. Brunell here will fill you in on how it went.

How's Adam? Is he okay?

Everything went really well.

Can we see him?

What's your name?

Maddie.

Hi, Maddie. You can call me Dr. Lauren.

I was lucky enough to perform your daddy's surgery.

You took his 'pendix out?

I did. We took his appendix right out

'cause it was making him sick.

We used a little teeny-tiny camera.

He was sleeping, so he missed it all,

but his appendix was on TV.

Can we see his 'pendix on TV?

No, probably not,

but you can have ice cream with him tomorrow,

if that's okay with Mom.

Yeah. Sounds perfect.

You should be able to sit with your husband in a few hours.

Most likely he'll be ready to go home tomorrow.

Thank you.

Excited for sunny LA?

Oh. If I can get outside. The program's intense.

Hey, Lauren, where are you going?

Oh, I applied to Charlestown Memorial in Boston.

The general surgery fellowship?

That's the best in the country.

My father was a fellow there.

I knew before I even applied to med school

that I'd follow in his footsteps.

What if you don't get in?

That's just not part of the plan.

Luckily, my dad has a friend at Charlestown,

and he's keeping an eye on the application process.

He said I'm a shoo-in, so...

What's Scott gonna do when you go all the way to Boston?

Well...

- No way! - What?

Do you think he's gonna propose?

I think so!

We've talked about what I see for my future,

and... I see him.

Plus there's lots of law firms in Boston where he could work.

Everything's coming together.

And Dr. Johnson let me do the entire procedure.

It was amazing.

Amazing. Right.

Scott, is everything okay?

Well, it's just...

I've been thinking a lot lately...

about you and me and your career...

Yes?

And about the last eight months.

Which have been so great.

And I was thinking that we should...

Yeah, I think we should get married too!

You thought I was proposing?

I mean...

if we're gonna be together in Boston,

shouldn't we be fully committed?

Actually, and I'm sorry, Lauren, but I think we should break up.

Wha... But we discussed the future.

No. You discussed the future.

You planned our future, Lauren. You... You plan everything.

I don't plan everything.

Come on.

Okay.

I... I have goals.

And that's my favorite thing about you.

You're dedicated, you're reliable,

you're so good at what you do.

But I feel you're checking off a to-do list.

That's not what love is, Lauren.

Love's inconvenient. It's all-encompassing.

I want to feel that with someone.

And I want you to have it too.

Mom? Dad?

Lauren? Hi, honey. I wasn't expecting you tonight.

Can I warm you up something to eat?

No. I just came from dinner with Scott.

Is something wrong?

Is that Lauren? Ah, Lauren.

It's good you're here.

I was just about to call you.

I talked to Richard at Charlestown Memorial.

Yeah?

And, um,

you were edged out at the last minute by another candidate.

What? No...

I did everything that I could. My resume was impeccable!

I know. This other fellow did Doctors Without Borders.

The committee liked that out-of-the-box thinking.

Honey, I have friends and colleagues

at every major hospital in the country.

I'll make some calls.

We will find you a fellowship that's worthy of your talents.

Your dad is right. Surely there are other fellowships.

You don't have to do exactly what your father did

I'm gonna go. I can't have this conversation

after the night I just had.

What's so wrong about our daughter

following in her old man's footsteps?

- I'm proud of her. - So am I.

But I want her to live her life, Henry, not yours.

- Lauren... - Mom, I just need to be alone.

I know, but I want to make sure you're okay.

Okay? Yeah, I'm great!

Everything I've worked for my entire life is gone.

Maybe missing out on this fellowship

will open you up to some new, interesting possibilities.

Perhaps you've planned things in your life a little too much.

That's what Scott said to me

right before he broke up with me.

Oh, Lauren...

I just wish that you and Scott could understand

how important all this is to me, like Dad does.

Sweetie, believe me, I understand.

But there are other things in life.

And how will you ever discover them

if you're unwilling to look outside your original plan?

Remember what Grandma always used to tell me?

You can listen to your mind,

but you have to follow your heart.

I know.

Thanks, Mom.

Your mother's worried about you, you know.

Why is it that she was able to be so supportive of your career

for all these years, but when it comes to me,

she just doesn't get it?

You're her baby girl.

Yeah, but I'm not a baby.

I'm a grown woman and a doctor,

and I have a career to get on with.

What am I gonna do, Dad?

I'm not ready to accept

that the door's closed at Charlestown.

I know too many people over there.

Meanwhile, I've started to make calls to other programs.

Thanks, I appreciate it,

but I just can't sit around and wait.

Where are you going?

There's gotta be another option.

So as you can see there, I was top of my class.

And Golden Gate is an exemplary residency program.

I'm surprised you weren't offered

more than one fellowship.

Well, I only applied to one.

So what can I do now?

I won't sugarcoat it. Deadlines have passed.

Candidates with less impressive credentials than yours

have filled slots you would've easily gotten

if you would've applied a few months ago.

There's nothing left. What you're gonna have to do

is get a job to bide your time

until you can apply for next year's fellowships.

That's strange.

There is one open fellowship slot after all.

It appears to have just become available.

- Garland, Alaska? - It's adjacent to Anchorage.

You'd be running the whole program,

so it'd be a great opportunity to shine.

But this is in general medicine, not general surgery.

There's always a need for family doctors.

You'd never be out of work.

I know. Small-town Alaska isn't what you had in mind.

Most people can't imagine a life in a less traditional,

out-of-the-box environment.

Wait.

A small-town hospital in Alaska

would be an out-of-the-box experience.

Yes, I think it would.

Then I'd like to apply.

Hello?

- Dr. Lauren Brunell? - Yes?

Hi! Good morning.

I'm Billie,

the hospital administrator

at Garland General in Alaska.

Oh, wow, that was fast.

We received your very impressive application

and couldn't let another moment pass

without offering you the position.

Wow, that's very flattering.

And since you're coming from out of state,

it would be our pleasure to arrange for and pay

for your travel and accommodations here in town.

What do you say? We could use a doctor with your talents here.

Garland's a unique place, isn't it?

It absolutely is.

Well, then, yes, I accept.

Wonderful, Dr. Brunell!

Okay, let me get some of your information.

Don't you worry.

I'll have you out of Alaska in a matter of weeks.