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	EPISODES ~ Season 2
	Do the Right Thing #216 ~ February 25, 2000 by PapaC
	Syd~ Syd has a patient with a terminal illness, whom they bring to the hospital. His only concern, however, seems to be that he lost his briefcase. He has no ID on him and no one knows who he is, and he cannot or will not identify himself. He begs that she keep him alive 3 more days. Syd tries to find the man who came in with him, but he leaves before she can catch him. He approaches her outside. He is an attorney who has been following this man (Malcolm Elliott, I think the name was?). Mr. Elliott has embezzled a large sum of money from a loan institution, leaving very many people penniless, and hidden it away in an account with a password no one can break. The statute of limitations on the lawsuit against him runs out in 2 days. This lawyer has given up his job in Boston to continue pursuing him. He asks that she help him by telling him if Mr. Elliott utters anything that might help him. She says she cannot do that, as it breaks patient-doctor confidentiality, although she understands his position. Syd finds Mr. Elliott's briefcase at the clinic, where he left it. She brings it to him, and instead of thanking her, he brusquely asks if she looked in it. She said of course she didn't. She makes him aware that he knows about his situation, but will not violate his trust. He tells her that, when he was 8, his family's farm was foreclosed upon and he has bitterly hated the loan officer ever since. The same loan officer is the holder of the loan from which he embezzled, and this is his payback. In his briefcase is a crayon drawing of a boy (himself) and his horse, Shadow. He refuses to reconsider returning the money. The lawyer hangs around and continues to beg Syd for help, but she won't budge. He comes to her house and gives her a letter from one of the people left penniless by Mr. Elliott's act. She reads it after he leaves. When she returns to the hospital, Mr. Elliott has checked himself out, without her consent. He is dying and she needs to help him. She goes to the lawyer who has followed him for so long and asks him for his help this time: she needs to find Mr. Elliott. He tells her the hotel he stays in. She thanks him and finds her patient. She later visits the attorney, the morning after the statute of limitations has run out. He is packing up all his boxes, and rethinking his career. She tells him Mr. Elliott passed away. However, she had given him the letter the attorney had given her: a letter from an 8 year-old boy whose farm had been lost because of his embezzlement, begging for Mr. Elliott to help them by returning the money. He realized he had hurt innocents, and he gave her his password - "Shadow" - and signed over power to her before dying. Joannie~ The police come to the Barkery asking for information pertaining to the whereabouts of Doug, her extremely odd former employee who relates all too well to dogs. She told them he left town months ago, but they say he is back. She goes to find him, and is miffed that he never said hello. She finds him walking dogs in the park. He says he has come by the Barkery every day, but just hasn't had the courage to come in and talk to her. She believes him when he knows what blouse she wore the day before. She tells him he should turn himself in instead of hiding, and he'll likely only get community service - after all, he didn't knock over a bank! She says she'll come with him, so he agrees. At the hearing, the judge orders him to community service: working for the dogcatcher! He refuses, and he is given $1000 bond and two months in jail. Joannie goes to see the judge with Doug and begs him to reconsider. The judge is determined. He doesn't seem sympathetic towards Doug's love for dogs. The judge's wife comes in, holding a small dog, and tells him to hurry or they'll be late. The judge mutters that it's ridiculous how she carries that silly dog around with her everywhere. Doug recognizes the dog - it's one he set free from the pound truck! Somehow, she'd gotten out of the house... The dog loves Doug. The judge's wife and the dog leave, and Joannie puts two and two together and tells the judge that if he doesn't dismiss the charges against the judge, she'll tell his wife who let the dog out of the house that night: the judge himself! He realizes he's been caught and the charges are dropped. Robbie/Heather and Charlie~ Heather prepares for her wedding to Charlie. Her mother is still trying to break them up, and tells Robbie that Charlie has been married twice before, something that would hurt Heather. She says Heather should be informed, but by her friend (him), not by her. Robbie talks to Heather and gently tries to tell her what he's learned, but she knows more than they thought she did: she asks, "What is it? The prison term or the two former wives?". Robbie tells her about her mother being behind the grant Charlie got and that she had done that hoping they'd split up, and that she'd gotten him to help. She asks why he would do that, and he says he wanted another chance with her. He tells her that her mother is not going to give up, so if she wants to do this they should just do it quickly. She thanks him and runs off to plan her wedding for a few days later. Charlie talks to Robbie. Charlie loves Heather and wants to marry her, but is nervous that it's suddenly happening so fast. Heather is very sad about leaving Dr. Hansen's clinic and all her friends. Jim talks to her and tells her he doesn't want to butt in, but he hopes that she isn't rushing into this just to get away from her feelings for Robbie. He says that Robbie can drive them all crazy, but he is a great guy. That said, he won't butt in again. Robbie decides he really can't be best man, so he has his father do the duty. While everyone is at the church, Heather's mother comes by and gives him a ring to give Heather - it's one from one of her own weddings. She's leaving town, and is on her way to the airport instead of the wedding. She asks why he has given up on splitting them up, and he says because he just wants Heather to be happy, and he wishes her own mother could feel the same way. She just wants what's best for Heather, and Charlie isn't. Why? Because Heather doesn't love Charlie: she loves Robbie. Robbie makes a mad dash to the church, borrowing a car from a co-worker, running out before he hears his friend tell him it's low on gas. He runs out of gas, but can run the last little bit. He gets there and the door to the chapel is locked, so he runs upstairs to the balcony and interrupts right as they're about to be proclaimed man and wife. He asks Heather if she loves him. She says "Yes!", and apologizes to Charlie, kisses him on the cheek and runs out with Robbie. They rush from the church onto a bus (since the car's out of gas) and sit on the back row. [If you've ever seen the Jon Secada video like this, you're probably laughing! I was.] The driver gets in and tells them this bus is out of service. They laugh and kiss. No previews for next week.
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