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The show begins with Syd having a dream in which she is on the
Dating Game, and all three of her bachelor contestants are Kyle; there's jock Kyle, nice limo driver Kyle, and
new amputee Kyle who's a bit hostile. Her mother is urging her to choose which Kyle she wants.
The Barkery and Jim's TV Appearances
[I'm a little foggy here, having missed last week]. Robbie and
Joannie have gotten some TV time, and are having their father do spots about pet health filmed at the Barkery,
through which they get free advertising. [I gather they tried this on the previous episode, and the father got
stage fright.] The taping goes poorly, as Jim is now monotone, expressionless and boring. Joannie and Robbie are
disappointed, but their father is pleased with the results and forces them to watch the tape of his spot over and
over. They try to find a way to tell him they should give up on the idea, but he is enthusiastic and has even hired
an a coach. The next taping begins, and Joannie and Robbie are gritting their teeth. Suddenly, a dog in the live
audience begins choking, and Jim rushes over to perform the Heimlich maneuver; a ball is expelled, and the audience
is captivated. Robbie and Joannie are thrilled.
The next morning, patients are lined up at the clinic. Joannie is holding down the fort, answering call after call
and trying to manage a very full waiting room. Robbie and Joannie begin talking about all the attention the spots
are getting, and they dream of branching out all over the country. Then, they realize that, without an emergency,
they're probably back to a very boring taping next week.
Syd and Kyle
Syd goes to pick up Kyle at the hospital. She meets his "perky"
occupational therapist, who will be making house calls.
At home, Kyle tries to adjust to doing basic functions without his arm. Learning to write, tie his shoes, make
the bed, etc., are all big challenges now, and he becomes very frustrated. In addition, he is signing a new shortstop
who is well known - Ted Shannon - and his signing Shannon will make or break his career. Shannon has a history
of alcohol abuse, and he asks Syd as a favor to do his medical exam, saying that an objective outsider will have
more influence than a team doctor. She agrees.
Things are awkward between them, and Kyle seems to distance himself from Syd. She tries to talk to him about it.
He attributes some of it to the pressure on his job, and he keeps pressuring her to sign off on the medical papers
for Shannon.
She goes to Shannon's apartment to drop off the paperwork, and finds him completely inebriated. He falls down and
cuts himself. She sees him the next day at the clinic for the exam, and she gives him the third degree about drinking
again (which is forbidden by the team). He tells her he hasn't drunk in three months, but he was just so upset
about "the test results". She inquires, and he hesitates, but she tells him it is confidential between
doctor and patient. He tells her he just found out he has the gene marker for Huntington's disease, and his father
just died of it last year. She is tempted to tell Kyle, but cannot.
Kyle continues to press her for the papers, as he is being pressed for them. She tells him she's awaiting lab results.
Shannon's agent meets Syd for lunch, to further press her. He tells her that he knows Shannon told her about the
Huntington's. He then gets a call from Shannon on his cell phone, and goes off to take it. Syd meanwhile calls
on her cell phone to the lab, and adds a Huntington's marker to the routine blood tests.
The occupational therapist comes by the house, and has Kyle working on his writing, which is taking a long time
to learn. Syd tries to step in and tell the OT she is working Kyle too hard, but Kyle tells her it's okay, so Syd
leaves. She nods off later, and dreams that she and her mom are peeking in through the guest house windows, watching
Kyle and the "perky" OT; the OT is being a bit friendly, massaging Kyle's shoulders. It begins to hurt
him and he yells, and Syd wakens, realizing Kyle really is yelling. She goes to him, and he is having phantom limb
pain and is in agony. She holds him.
Syd and Kyle get together later, and he opens up champagne. He becomes offended when she says she's impressed,
but she doesn't let it spoil the mood. They embrace, and Syd starts to unbutton Kyle's shirt. He jumps up and asks
her what she thinks she's doing. She tells him he is still the same person, but he says he doesn't feel like he's
the same anymore and asks her to leave.
She meets him later at the waterfront. She tells him she'll have Shannon's paperwork soon, but he tells her they
had to hurry up and they got another doctor. He says he must go, as Shannon and his agent are waiting to celebrate
the signing at the bar.
Syd tells her dad about the Huntington's, and tells him she's tempted to tell Kyle. He reminds her that she can't,
and says it's an odd coincidence that a well-known basketball player recently announced that he has it, and his
father died from it a year ago. She thinks that's very unusual to see two such similar cases. Just then her cell
phone rings, and it's the test results.
Syd goes to the bar, and says she must talk to Kyle immediately. She asks Shannon if he wants to tell Kyle or should
she. Kyle asks what's going on, and she says she knows that the Huntington's was a story made up by the agent to
cover up Shannon's alcoholism. Kyle can't believe they lied to him, and Shannon tells him that without this deal,
he (Kyle) would just be another gimp. Kyle slugs him.
Later, he and Syd are walking along the waterfront. Kyle tells her he has quit his job - baseball is his past,
and he needs to find his new future. He thanks her for putting up with him the last few weeks, and gives her a
sheet of paper with his shaky handwriting, saying "Kyle + Syd" in a heart. They embrace.
Note: Previews for next week indicate a
final farewell for Kyle - it appears they'll split up, after all.
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