- Cathy finds that her experience with the great Dr. Atticus Sherman isn't anything like she thought it would be. In addition to not appreciating his bedside manner, not believing that he pays any attention to her file, or not believing that he sees her anything more than another nameless face in his office, Cathy learns he is conducting a clinical trial, about which she learns from another of his stage 4 patients, an extremely positive woman named Nadine, in which he has no space for her. Meanwhile, Cathy and Sean's relationship is still strained over the fact that she kept her illness a secret from him for so long. As such, he is functioning even less well than normal, which means that Cathy is replacing him in many of Rebecca's "baby partner" functions. Rebecca makes an unusual request of Cathy, and further tells Cathy of a decision that doesn't sit well with her. And Cathy's return to work, where everyone now knows of her illness, places both her and Adam in an uncomfortable position.—Huggo
- Frustrated at not being able to land a spot in the clinical trial of a new treatment by a respected oncologist, Cathy resorts to supernatural aid; Sean becomes assertive around the house; Adam capitalizes on his classmates' sympathy about his mother's illness.—Showtime Publicity
- At school in the fall Cathy walks down the halls to odd reactions from the kids. One girl over-excitedly says hi and a boy tells her she looks great. She finds two girls selling cupcakes for Cathy with giant red C's on them.
Cathy returns to her classroom after three weeks away to find a hip young sub winning over the students. She reclaims her territory and Cathy grimaces as the students hug her good bye. Andrea greets her and assures her she hates the sub, too. She tells Cathy she looks awful. Cathy appreciates the honesty and blames the treatment. Andrea suggests mascara might have helped.
Adam comes to school and gets the same overly-friendly reaction from his peers. He goes to his locker, which is full of C cupcakes. Andrea comes up and asks him if he wants to go to lunch. He rants that she should just ask him what she really wants to know, how's he feeling, etc. She says she just wanted to know if he was going to lunch.
That night, Cathy complains about the popular sub. Paul looks at the bill for her most recent round of chemo and asks her to guess the price within $100 without going over. She guesses $1,252. It was $2,047.33. They each do a shot. Insurance covers 90 percent, she writes a check for the rest. Their appointment with Dr. Sherman is tomorrow. They do another shot.
Rebecca leaves for work and stops to say good bye to Sean in his yard tend, where he is lounging pantless. She tells him he should start coping.
At Dr. Sherman's office, Cathy complains about having to write "Stage 4" repeatedly. A woman in the waiting room hears and laughs, saying she just started writing "royally f'ed" each time. She tells them Dr. Sherman says she's in great shape and just got into a melanoma trial. She's Nadine, she gives Cathy her card and an angel coin for good luck.
They wait in the waiting room for 27 minutes for Dr. Sherman (Alan Alda) arrives. He looks at Paul and tells him there's a heart attack in his tubby belly.
Sherman listens to Cathy's lungs and tells him her doctor sounded like he was 16. Cathy asks about the trial, but he says it's full. Sherman goes to leave, but gives them his card with his email when Paul points out they waited 27 minutes. He's also "the Great Shermtini," who does magic tricks for kids. And with that, he promises to study her scans and be in touch. He leaves.
Paul and Cathy complain about Sherman on the way home. They don't think it's fair that Cathy couldn't get into the trial when the much older Nadine is in. Paul tells Cathy her life is really unfair right now.
Cathy goes to Rebecca's sonogram appointment with her. Rebecca worries that she'll catch Sean's bi-polar disorder through the umbilical cord and asks if melanoma is hereditary. Cathy tries to get her to focus on the happy aspects of the moment.
Adam comes home from school bearing a giant glitter "We're thinking of you" sign that was on his locker, signed by everyone. Cathy thinks it's sweet but Adam finds it creepy. He gives her the giant Ziploc of cupcakes.
Rebecca strolls in, telling Cathy she's considered what she said about focusing on the positive. She wants Cathy to throw her a baby shower. This week. She doesn't care that she's only 11 weeks along.
"We have to do this now before I get all fat and you get all 'cancer-y'," Rebecca argues. "Sean is in a tent and you're dying, having a little fun wouldn't kill us," she says.
Cathy relents. Then Rebecca suggests Cathy apologize to Sean for lying to him. Cathy tells her to back off, saying she's done enough.
Rebecca goes home, shouting to the tent Sean is in that they're having a girl. He comes out and gets upset she left him out of it, but she tells him he's ruining what should be her happy time. "How do you expect to be a decent parent when you won't even put on a g -- d--- pair of pants?" she asks.
Paul finds Cathy going through their garage, looking for a hand-me-down to give the baby. She rants to Paul about Sean not even coming out of his tent. She finds a box of her old baby clothes. They find a Big Wheel.
Adam strolls up with his girlfriend Mia. He wants to keep his Big Wheel. Cathy tells him if he can ride it he can keep it. He squeezes in and pedals down the street.
At the baby shower, Andrea wins in a diaper-making contest. Adults drink out of sippy cups.
Rebecca compliments Andrea's diaper-making skills and suggests she should hire her as her nanny. "Why? Because I'm black?" Andrea asks. Cathy changes the subject by asking a young girl named Ruby what colleges she's looking at. Ruby says they're in town so her mom can take her to rehab.
Andrea brings out the cupcakes. Cathy starts to apologize for the cupcakes with big red Cs on them, but Rebecca thinks it's perfect because she wants to name the baby Cathy. Cathy doesn't like it. She says she's not dead yet. Rebecca announces to all the guests that Cathy has cancer. Rebecca thinks it's an homage. Cathy leaves to answer the phone. She comes back and says the baby might get her mail when she's older because she's going to be around for a while. Dr. Sherman's office called to say he added a spot for her in the clinical trial. Sean sees them celebrating from across the street.
Adam finds Ruby in the basement smoking a joint. She asks him if he'd like to feel better. He says he doesn't smoke. She tells him that's not what she meant. She unzips his pants. He tells her he has a girlfriend. "So do I," says Ruby. She drops to her knees. Adam drops his soda.
In a dream sequence, The Great Shermtini does a magic act with Cathy as his lovely assistant. He puts her in a box and opens it to show she's all out of order. He closes the doors, makes the boxes float through the air and restack. Cathy comes out whole.
She wakes up smiling. She contemplates her angel coin and calls Nadine. She gets someone else and tells them she met her mom in his office last week. Then she freaks out and hangs up.
Paul comes downstairs and Cathy tells him Nadine died. She realizes that's how she got into the clinical trial. Paul's trying to reassure her when Adam comes downstairs. She asks him if something happened in the basement yesterday. He plays dumb. Paul says the Cathy thinks ruby was smoking pot down there. Adam says she was weird.
Cathy finds Dr. Sherman upstairs in the middle of a magic act for kids with cancer. He stops when she asks if she got Nadine's spot.
He tells her he thinks the trial could save her life. Cathy accuses him of not knowing his patients. He recites her specifics, including that she has a tumor behind her kidney that wasn't on her last scan. He knows she's very sick. She tells him that if he's going to be her doctor, he has to be honest with her.
He tells her the truth is, people die. He expects many people in his trial will die. He tells her if she's too short-sighted just because she doesn't like his bedside manner, there are hundreds of people waiting to replace her. Cathy thinks about what he said as she looks at the kids with cancer.
Sean comes inside the house and proudly announces he's wearing pants. He finds the sonogram picture. Cathy comes over with a box of baby stuff for Rebecca. She apologizes for lying to him but says the cancer is hard for her.
He wants to be better. She tells him to take his meds. But he hates how he is on the meds. "I don't want Numb Sean to replace Fun Sean," he says.
Cathy tells him she's jealous of him because he can take a pill and spend time with his kid. "How the hell can you not fight to be better, when that's all I'm doing right now?" she asks. She thinks he could make a good dad. He nuzzles up to her and tells her he's sorry she's sick. She tells him Rebecca wants to name the baby Cathy. He thinks that insane. They laugh like old times.
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