9-1-1 (2018) s06e09 Episode Script

Red Flag

1

(insects trilling outside)
BOBBY: People say that there
are no seasons in Los Angeles.
Imagining all of our days as
perfectly sunny and 72 degrees.
That's actually San Diego.
(wind whistling)
Angelenos know how rainy winter
gives way to a too-short spring,
that summer starts with gloomy skies
and ends with unrelenting heat.
And what happens when
the Santa Anas start to blow.
(crow cawing)
Dry winds that tear through
the mountains and canyons
picking up speed and strength
as they descend on the city.
Downing power lines, uprooting trees
and unsettling psyches.
Blamed for everything from migraines
to a rise in the divorce rate
(whirring)
the Santa Anas wear us down.
Creeping into our dreams
and setting our teeth on edge.
Every gust adding to
the eerie, pervasive sense
that a reckoning may be upon us.
Or, as Joan Didion said
Amen.
"The wind shows us
how close to the edge we are."
- (elevator bell dings)
-
MADDIE: Oh, hey! You working tonight?
I didn't see you on the schedule.
Jamal needs an emergency root canal.
- Said I'd cover.
- Oh.
- You seem very upset about that.
- No. It's just
I hit four detours on the way here.
Two fallen tree limbs, one random idiot
who drove into a fire hydrant,
and for some reason
Alvarado is completely closed.
- Tamale festival.
- Mm-hmm.
- In the middle of Windpocalypse 2022?
- Mm-hmm.
This is why I schedule
around these crazy shifts.
Just like full moons,
somehow the Santa Anas
make people think it's okay
to be dumb and irrational,
and then they go and make dumb choices,
leading to dumb emergencies.
- Did I mention they're dumb?
- I think you might have.
How many calls so far?
Uh, just a few, you know, usual stuff.
Yeah, a few drunk and disorderlies.
Some people hit by a flying umbrella.
- That parrot stabbing.
- What?
- Mm-hmm.
- How does a parrot stab someone?
They were actually stabbed
with a parrot.
It was, like, a parrot statue.
That one was a little weird.
But not the weirdest we've ever seen.
Well, think of it
as your average windy night.
- Mm-hmm.
- How bad can it be? (chuckles)
(fireworks whistling, popping)
MEYERSON (on TV): In a
statement released earlier today,
the LAFD announced
it's going to be enforcing
red flag parking zones
for the first time in two years.
(barking)
They'll be starting
about midnight tonight
Lenny. (shushes)
It's okay. Come on down.
Mom, I can't calm her down.
Why are there fireworks?
What are we celebrating
at 8:00 on a Monday?
Obviously they don't like pets
or the environment.
Maybe your dad will be able
to help her when he gets home.
- Well, isn't he normally home by now?
- It's the Santa Anas.
The company never hires
enough workers to deal with
- all the downed power lines.
- (barking)
(exhales sharply) It's really
kicking up out there.
- No, no, Lenny! Stop!
- (barking)
I'll get the flashlight.
I'll get the treat container.
CARL: I'm so sorry, honey.
She's probably just hiding.
But what if she gets hit by a car?
Or attacked by a coyote?
Hey, hey, we're gonna find her.
(voice breaking):
She must be so scared right now.
You know what, I-I'll go out
and look some more while
you're getting ready for bed.
The fireworks aren't going off,
maybe she'll come out for me.
- That's a great idea.
- Okay. (sniffles)
(sighs)
- Oh, thank God!
- Oh, Lenny, you had us so worried.
What you got there?
(screaming)
A hand?
CHARITY: Yes, a-a severed hand.
No, Lenny. Don't pick it up again.
- Drop it.
- Well, do you know whose hand it is?
No. Our dog ran away
and then came back with it.
- Are you sure it's real?
- I don't know.
I-It's bloody and gross, and I think
Lenny used it as a chew toy
before she brought it in.
Okay. Can you pick up the hand?
Pick it up?
Well, I need you to tell me
- if the flesh is still warm.
- Oh, God.
- Flesh.
- Mom, you're so squeamish.
Is it is it warm?
Definitely.
- Okay, yes, yes, it's warm.
- All right.
That means that it must've been severed
- fairly recently.
- Okay, I've got the cooler.
CHARITY: We're gonna keep it
on ice for you.
No, no, no, wait. Do not
put the hand directly on ice.
What do we do with it?
Put the hand in a plastic bag
and then place a towel
between the ice and the appendage.
And then what?
Wait for the paramedics to arrive
and hope we can find the owner.
Every year, I think, "Well, that's it.
We've seen everything now,"
and then the Santa Anas blow in,
and it's like,
oh, look, something weirder.
It's a severed hand.
We've seen those before.
Yeah, usually in the general
vicinity of its owner.
BOBBY: Hen, Chim, what do we think?
HEN: It doesn't look
like it was cut off.
Wound's pretty jagged. Maybe blown off?
CHARITY: The fireworks. Right
before my husband got home,
someone was setting off fireworks.
I'm not hearing any fireworks now.
You know which house?
I think that way.
Okay, everybody.
Time to go door-to-door.
We have to find the person
who belongs to this hand.
(Fitz and The Tantrums'
"HandClap" playing)
I can make your hands clap ♪
Said I can make your hands clap ♪
Somebody save your soul ♪
'Cause you've been sinning
in this city, I know ♪
Too many troubles, all these lovers ♪
Got you losing control ♪
You're like a drug to me, a luxury ♪
My sugar and gold ♪
I want your sex and your affection ♪
When they're holding you close ♪
BOBBY: No luck?
No. Searched the whole block.
I mean, could've come
from anywhere, right?
Dog could've picked it up further away.
Excuse me.
Can I give you guys
a hand with anything?
Thanks, we've got all the help we need.
Oh, okay. Cool.
(panting)
- Not it.
- (groans)

Come on, kid.
(groaning softly)
Two hands, nine fingers!
- So, who's missing the hand?
- BOOMER: My buddy.
He's in the car.
You got to help him out.
I was gonna take him to the hospital.
Uh, this is Captain Nash, 118.
We're gonna need an additional
ambulance at the location.
We have two victims
with traumatic amputations.
You know where your finger is?
No. I didn't try looking for it.
I was too worried about
my friend Manolo.
Hen. Complete amputation
of the right arm
at the distal position of
the radius and ulna.
Let me get a proper tourniquet on this.
Heart's racing. Starting fluids.
How exactly did you both
manage to lose appendages?
Fireworks fight.
Why didn't you call 911?
My mom's on the neighborhood council.
She's responsible for cracking
down on illegal fireworks.
- Awkward.
- BOBBY: What were you thinking of doing
- with the hand?
- Uh
(Manolo mumbling)
- He's coming around.
- MANOLO: I s
CHIMNEY: Sir, can you hear me?
- I saved it.
- Saved what?
Got the finger!
I got it.
(Chimney groans)
Okay. Thank you.
(Manolo moans)
How are you gonna
explain this to your mom?
BOOMER: Um I don't know.
Okay.
Um, Cap, small issue.
- This is a thumb.
- He's not missing a thumb.
- There's another victim.
- All right.
We're gonna have to start
another search.
Dispatch, this is Captain Nash,
118 again.
I think we're gonna need
a third ambulance.
Things just keep on getting weirder.
Oh, nice!
These ones have a microphone,
so you don't even have to take them off
if we call you to check in.
This one's huge. What is it?
(singsongy): You'll see.
Wow! This is so cool.
Thanks, Mom! Thanks, Mama!
Oh, you're welcome, sweetie.
Can we work on this today?
KAREN: It's your birthday.
We can do whatever you want today.
Whatever I want?
Anything.
Then can I ask about my mother?
W-What?
My birth mother.
Oh. Sure.
Of course. You can ask us anything.
Do you know where she is?
Does she live near us?
She used to.
But she moved away, up north.
Oh. Okay.
Are you disappointed?
No. I just
I saw this woman the other day,
and she kind of looked like me.
It made me wonder if it was her.
KAREN: Well
if you want to know what she looks like,
I think your mom might have
some old photos.
Um, yeah.
They're probably in the attic
or-or something.
I could find them, if you want.
That'd be cool.
Can I go set this up in the kitchen?
Sure you don't have
anything else to ask us?
Nope. That was it.
Okay. Well, uh,
why don't you start setting up,
and I will join you
in a little bit, okay?
- Got it?
- Uh Yeah.
(Denny grunts)
I didn't see that coming.
That has been coming for ten years,
but I think we handled it right.
Answer his questions. Follow his lead.
Yeah.
I think it went okay.
Then why do you still look so spooked?
(wind whistling)
WENDALL: Devil winds.
Always puts everyone a little on edge.
I'm fine, if that's what you're asking.
Just wanted to see for myself,
check in.
Seems like fire season's
getting longer every year.
And more apocalyptic.
That's got to be a stressor
for a firefighter.
Well, lucky for me,
my sponsor once told me
to deal with the emergencies that come,
not worry about the ones
that haven't happened yet.
Ah, he sounds smart.
Probably handsome, too.
- Oh, and very humble.
- (laughing)
I'm glad to see you doing well.
Things at work, things at home.
Coming up on five years sober.
Now, you know I consider it four.
Hey, either way, it's a relief.
Makes me feel like
I'm not a total failure.
Are you doing okay?
Feeling like I need a little break.
Might go see my son's family.
- Oh, New Mexico, right?
- Yeah, Las Cruces.
Probably be gone a couple weeks.
I was hoping you might be
willing to fill in for me.
If any of my people need an ear.
Sure.
(door opens)
- Is that Athena?
- Yeah.
- (door closes)
- (sighs, gasps)
(laughter)
Wendall.
Oh I'm sorry.
I hope I'm not interrupting.
No, no, no, no. I was just
getting ready to say my goodbyes.
I'm glad I got to see you first.
- You're doing well?
- Can't complain.
Take care of yourself.
And him.
I will.
Hey, Wendall.
Are you sure you're all right?
You just don't seem like yourself.
Uh, maybe it's just the Santa Anas.
I hear it makes people crazy.
Yeah.
Take care.
- (Athena sighs)
- (door opens)
(door closes)
Everything okay?
No, I don't think it is.

Whoa, back again?
Cedric asked to trade shifts.
He's going to St. Louis
to see his family.
That is some maximum macchiato
you got there.
Did you get any sleep last night?
(sighs) I approached the edge of sleep.
Never quite fell in.
(groans) I want to go to St. Louis.
Do you think they have crazy, random,
50-miles-an-hour wind there
that make everybody insane?
Pretty sure they have tornados.
- Oh, never mind.
- Hang in there.
It'll be over in no time.
(sighs)
911, what's your emergency?
Thank you for reporting that.
A crew is already on its way.
It's stuck in what? Her mouth?
All right, just hang in there,
paramedics are on their way.
Do not jump out the window.
Let the firefighters come to you.
No, spoiled milk is not poisonous,
but I would urge you
to clear the cups from
your bedside table more often.
- (typing)
- 911, what's your emergency?
(static crackling)
Hello?
Is anyone there?
- (dialing)
- (line rings)
- (beeps)
- AUTOMATED VOICE: We're sorry.
You have reached a number
that's no longer in service.
- Weird.
- (phone rings)
911, what's your emergency?
- (static crackling)
- Hello?
If you can't speak, press a button,
any button on the phone.
Are you there?
Make a sound if you can hear me.
It's like talking to a ghost.
Dispatch to 6-0-9-M-21.
Welfare check at 387 Nottingham.
We've been receiving calls from that
address, but the caller
can't or won't speak.
If there even is one.

The Murder House?
(siren wails)
- (doors open)
- WILLIAMS: I hate this place.
You think someone's squatting?
That or there's a ghost.
WILLIAMS: Go check the back.
Let's check all the doors and windows.

(wind whistling)
(door creaking)
(wind whistling)
Hello? LAPD.
Anyone here?
(rattling nearby)
(screams, grunts)
(wind whistling)
Ugh. This is so embarrassing.
I'm sorry you guys had to come
all the way out here.
He thought I was a ghost.
There was a white, floating
It was a piece of trash bag.
It was blowing around outside.
HEN: Well, look, it's all right.
You're injured, so
let's take a look at that.
(groans) Ah. Everyone
knows this house is haunted.
And w-why were you
skulking around out there?
It's my job?
I heard there was some local teens
who tried to party here.
Next-door neighbors saw
the flashlights in the house,
and next thing they knew,
they were running
out the front door, screaming.
Never figured out exactly
what happened there.
You see?
It's a haunted house.
Yeah. With really good bones.
They're kids. You're a 40-year-old man.
Doesn't look like
you did too much damage there.
Dispatch said you were knocked out?
WILLIAMS:
Oh, come on. You told them that?
Great. Now everyone's gonna know.
JOSH (over radio): Dispatch to unit 118.
Could you please have
the house stop calling me?
The house is calling you?
Somehow the house keeps dialing 911.
I've had six more calls
since the police got there.
Make it stop. Please.
Uh, checking it out, Dispatch.

Bingo.

You're welcome.
All right.
Dispatch, I think I found
the source of the problem.
You shouldn't be getting
any more calls tonight.
Copy that, 118.
And seriously, thank you.
WENDALL (slurring): Bobby, hey, man.
Sorry to bother you, Captain Nash.
I think I I think I screwed up.
I didn't know what else to do.
I thought I could handle it,
but I can't.
(cries): I can't do it.
You ever you ever do something,
and it doesn't go like you planned?
(shaky breath) I tried.
I really tried to be a good man,
but I'm tired now.
So tired.
(message beeps off)
Hey, you've reached Wendall.
Sorry I missed you.
Leave a message and I'll get
back to you as soon as I can.
(beeps)
Sounds like you handled it pretty well.
You answered his questions;
when there's more,
you'll answer those, too.
I guess so.
I just wish I knew
where this was coming from.
He almost lost one of his moms.
It's only natural
that'd get him to think about
the mother he doesn't know.
I hope that's all it is.
It's unsettling,
and this damn wind doesn't help.
Always puts me out of sorts.
That's because we know
what these winds can do.
Where there's wind, there's fire.
You guys couldn't sleep, either?
Starting to feel like it's contagious.
Where's Buck?
Oh, he's fast asleep in
the world's emptiest bunk room.
- What's got you up?
- CHIMNEY: Well
I was looking into that house.
The one where Williams thought
he saw that ghost.
The Murder House?
Yeah, I wanted to know more about it.
Seemed like it hadn't been
lived in for a while.
It's not surprising, considering
it's called the Murder House.
Also, maybe that's why you can't sleep.
EDDIE: What kind of murder?
Triple homicide in the '60s.
Dad came home right before Christmas,
killed his three daughters,
then himself.
Mother somehow got away.
Nobody knows where she ended up.
House has been vacant ever since.
- Can't imagine why.
- (tires screech)
- (loud thud)
- FIREFIGHTER: Hey, watch out!
What the hell?
(tires screech)
No, no, no, stop. Hey.
You can't be in here.
- No, no, no, stop. Stop.
- EDDIE: Is everyone okay?
Whoa.
I'll call Dispatch.
- Sir, no. You
- BOBBY: Hello?
Can you hear me?
Maybe she had a stroke,
or a-a cardiac event?
BOBBY: Ma'am, can you open your door?
Whoa.
Hey, what, uh, what happened?
I heard a shout.
Okay. This is not a
dream I've had before.
Is she
- BUCK: Naked.
- CHIMNEY: And asleep?
BOBBY: Ma'am?
She's out cold.
Maybe she's sleepwalking.
- You mean sleep driving.
- Uh, what should we do?
Isn't it dangerous
to wake a sleepwalker?
Probably not as dangerous
as driving while sleeping.
Okay, here's what we're gonna do. Buck.
Go get a blanket. Chim, let's
check her out, just to be safe,
and maybe she left her ID in the car.
- Eddie, can you check the front seat?
- She's naked.
You really think she thought to grab
her purse on the way out the door?
I don't know. Maybe
it's in the cup holder
or the glove compartment or something.
- Cap, here.
- Yeah. Great, thanks.
Dispatch is sending officers.
Oh.
Okay.
- (screaming)
- No, no. No, no, no.
- (panting)
- You're okay, you're okay.
You're okay. You're okay.
You're in a safe place.
My name is Hen,
and I'm-I'm a firefighter, okay?
We just want to help you.
Can you tell me what your name is?
Uh Lizzy. Lizzy Sampson.
Lizzy, if it's all right with you,
I'm gonna check you out
to make sure you're okay.
LIZZY: It's fine.
BOBBY: So, Lizzy, apparently,
you got behind the wheel
while you were sleeping.
You have a history of
this kind of thing?
Um, sleepwalking, yes.
But this, this is new.
Pupils are equal and reactive.
No sign of head trauma or a concussion.
EDDIE: Pretty lucky.
The way you came in here,
you could've really hurt yourself.
- Or us.
- I don't know if "lucky" is
the right word to describe how I feel.
More like mortified.
Do you remember anything?
I went to bed around 11:00,
like I always do,
and the next thing I know,
I'm standing in a firehouse.
And do you always sleep in the nude?
I like to sleep with the window open
and feel a breeze.
CHIMNEY: Okay, so,
uh, you seem to be fine,
but if it's okay, we're gonna
to take you to the hospital
to get checked out,
just to be on the safe side.
I guess.
BOBBY: All right, Buck, why
don't you check the locked room,
see if we got some clean
T-shirts, sweats, something.
Right, um
what do we do about her car?
My car?
The one you almost ran us over with.
Weird.
I don't have a car.
Oh, my God.
Murder's too obvious.
There's no way that's what it was.
Then why do they call it "Murder House"?
Please don't encourage him.
Because "mishap house" doesn't
have the same ring to it.
Is that what you think happened
to this family, a mishap?
Nobody seems to know.
I've looked up three blogs
and at least one podcast,
and they say four different things.
Oh Looks who's up.
Couldn't sleep either, huh?
Who can sleep when there's cars
driving unannounced into the building?
- Would you prefer an announcement?
- I would.
Why don't you have a nightcap?
Uh, yeah, sure.
Sun should be coming up any time now.
More like a "daycap," Cap.
HEN: Hot chocolate.
Warm beverage will make you feel sleepy.
- The tryptophan in the milk.
- I made it with oat milk.
Close enough. Just go with it.
(clears throat)
BUCK: I feel like the
wind makes my skin itch.
HEN: It's the ions in the air.
It's a thing.
(chuckles)
Everything okay, Cap?
Smell that?
Fire.
(alarm ringing)
(sirens wailing)

(horn honking)
(indistinct chatter)

BOBBY: Okay, we have to work fast.
Properties to the south and east
could be in danger if the wind shifts.
Buck, Eddie, I want you to give me
an inch-and-a-half straight up
on the A-side.
Hen, Chim, you'll be on Zebra.
Okay, I will meet you up top
for the split.

(frantic chatter nearby)
Okay. Quintana, load it!



How's it going?
Our place is close by.
- Is the fire out?
- Uh, just about.
We're gonna keep spraying down the area
with water and fire retardant,
make sure there's nothing
still smoldering
that might ignite
the surrounding vegetation.
Do you know what started the fire?
BOBBY: Uh, not yet.
Arson investigator is on their way now.
Oh! You think that
somebody did this on purpose?
It's standard protocol
for fires of this kind
- near residential areas.
- EDDIE: Hey, Cap!
Yeah?
Thank you.
Got a victim.
(Bobby groans)

(echoing laughter)
WENDALL (echoing):
I'm glad to see you doing well.
Oh, no.
Cap?
I need a second.
What?
I need a second!
What is it?
You knew him?
It's Wendall.
My sponsor.


I'm fine.
Let's get washed up and go home.
Maybe we can all finally get some sleep.
(wind whistling)

You talked to Wendall's family?
He didn't go to New Mexico.
He lied to me.
And his son didn't know
anything about the voice mail
he left for you?
He said they hadn't talked in weeks.
And Wendall, he sounded
- He was high.
- I, um,
spoke with the detective
assigned to the case.
The area where they found him
is a fairly common place
for people to use.
The LAPD is constantly getting
calls from the neighbors.
There's a rehab facility
less than a mile away.
You think Wendall could've been
going to rehab?
Well, he said that he was gonna
be out of touch for a while.
And now you know that he wasn't
going to see his family.
- That, along with the voice mail
- Yeah,
but if that was the case,
why wouldn't he tell me?
When you were in trouble,
you didn't want your team to know.
They look up to you.
Maybe Wendall felt the same.
This is not what we do in recovery.
We don't hide these kind of
things from each other.
We can't. We rely on each other.
Well, sometimes
the darkness is too deep.
You can't see the hands that
are reaching out to help you.
(sighs, stammers)
He just pulled me out of a hole
so many times, I wish that he'd
feel like he could count
on me to do the same for him.
Hey, how's it going?
Have you advanced the horizons
of human knowledge?
Not yet. I'm working on it.
(chuckles)
I, uh, had to go through
the entire attic to find this.
It's been a while since I looked at it.
- What's in there?
- Just some stuff
that Eva gave me before you were born.
My biological mother?
Yes.
I'm sorry, I guess I-I don't
have a lot of pictures.

When she when Eva got sick,
were you sad?
Um
I was the saddest that I'd ever been.
But you're not sad anymore.
Right?
No.
Because I met your mom.
And then we met you.
Can I go look through this stuff
in my room?
You sure you don't want
to look through it together?
No, I'm fine.
Thanks, Mama.

- What's that, number four?
- (yawns)
Whatever it is isn't enough
to balance out the insomnia.
Maybe too much coffee is
why you're having insomnia.
I live on coffee. I'm just
maintaining the baseline here.
What do you guys know
about a murder house?
It called me last night.
A house called you?
Uh, some kind of short in the line.
Well, that house is calling Chimney,
and I need it to hang up.
He is absolutely obsessed with it.
And when I got out of the shower,
he asked me if I wanted to look
at building permits from 1942.
Anything interesting?
- They added a second bathroom.
- BOTH: Oh.
Oh, well, how's it going
with your new second bedroom?
Mm, once you get over
the excitement of, "Hey,
my bed doubles as a movie theater,"
it's not so great.
It turns out it's really hard to sleep
when you're surrounded
by tomorrow's chores.
No more sneaky toddler
jump scares, though.
Oh, no, Jee loves her spacious new room.
I can barely get her up in the morning.
Aw! I'm glad one of us
is sleeping peacefully
in this wind.
JOSH: Mmm.
Mmm!
(Hen laughs)
- God, the Murder House, still?
- That's just it.
I don't think all the lore
around that house is true.
I just emailed the guy who owns it.
What? How did you find him?
- The Internet.
- (Laughs)
Do you think he's gonna respond?
- (phone ringing)
- Uh-oh.
- There goes the ghosts.
- Yeah.
Calling from Buck's phone, apparently.
Well, conference him in.
Hey, I'm on with Hen, too.
Welcome to our pajama party.
Ah, what if I'm not wearing pajamas?
Nobody wants to know
what you're wearing, Buckley.
CHIMNEY: How did you
even know I was awake?
Uh, well, you've been
sending links to that house
about every 15 minutes,
so unless sleep texting is a thing,
which, actually, I don't know.
Is-is that a thing?
Who knows? Why did you call me?
I have news.
Uh, I figured I'd tell you
guys in the morning, but
HEN: You were on Chimney's
Murder House news feed.
So, what's the news?
Uh, give me one second.
Let me, uh, let me grab Eddie.
(phone ringing)
Yo!
Uh, hey, man.
You're on with me, Hen and Chim.
Looks like the winds got us all tonight.
Well, I wouldn't give
too much credit to the wind.
Chimney's obsessed about a house.
I'm worried about my kid.
And Buck's
Officially responsible
for the creation of new life.
Uh (laughs)
I guess maybe that's easier
when you can just say
- I'm gonna be a father.
- HEN: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Kameron and Connor are pregnant?
Yes, they are having a baby.
Congratulations! Uh, wait.
Do we congratulate you?
I don't know. It feels weird
to congratulate him.
CHIMNEY: Feels weirder not to.
Eddie's right. The etiquette
rules are kind of hazy.
BUCK: Uh, m-maybe we should
see what Bobby thinks.
You guys think he's still awake?
Pretty sure after the day he had,
he ain't sleeping.
Well, hang on, hang on.
- (ringing)
- (sighs)
Sir, it's very late.
If you're not
on the approved visitors list
Please, I'm looking for
information about my friend.
As I said, anything related to
our clientele is confidential,
including whether your friend
may or may not
have been a patient here.
Our clients value our discretion
above everything else.
I'm sure they do.
But my friend Wendall doesn't,
because he's dead.
Thank you.
- I have a situation at the front desk.
- Oh.
Thank you.

(echoing): Do you know
what started the fire?
You have to go now.
Got what I'm looking for,
I'll be on my way.
All right.
I'm leaving right now.
All right, all right.
(groans)
(sighs)
Okay, guys.
I'll try and take a nap.
Chris is gonna be up
in an hour.
Hey,
- see you guys tomorrow.
- HEN: All right.
- See ya.
- (call beeps off)
HEN: Hey, Buck, you never said.
How are you feeling about this
creation of new life?
I mean, I'm-I'm happy.
You know, I'm happy for them.
I-I was worried that
what if it didn't work out,
a-and me saying yes just ended up
setting them up for more disappointment?
- So, you're good?
- BUCK: Yeah.
Yeah, I-I think I am.
In fact, I feel like I can
finally go and get some sleep.
Good night.
- Later.
- (call beeps off)
(Hen scoffs)
Can you imagine not knowing
your own child?
Is this about Denny?
I know this is normal,
that he's gonna have questions,
and the best thing that we can do is
be honest.
But you don't want to be honest.
(scoffs) I want to tell him
that we picked him
out of a magical cabbage patch
and never have to talk again
about his biological parents.
He's a smart kid.
He didn't fall for that story
- when he was five.
- It's just
I've spent so much time
thinking about him as mine.
Not sure I'm ready to share.
He's always gonna be yours, Hen.
No matter how many questions he asks.

(laughter)
Great news.
Weatherman said
we're due for a reprieve,
and the winds are finally dying down,
but we might get a dose of rain soon.
Josh? Is everything okay?
This has been
the most draining three days
of my professional career.
I I don't think
I can do this job anymore.
Okay. That seems, um
I mean, you know, in this line of work,
everyone eventually reaches
a breaking point.
I thought mine was
at least a decade away,
and once I was fully vested
in my pension.
Maybe this is it.
- You're probably just tired.
- Mm-hmm.
I mean, it's been crazy.
You've worked a lot of extra shifts.
I think the last straw was
when George called in
saying he had appendicitis.
I think it's a sign.
My work here is done.
I I need to go talk to Sue.
I-I need to tell her that I quit.
W-Wait, wait, wait, wait. D-Don't.
- Don't-don't do that.
- Josh,
there's something
that we have to tell you.
George having appendicitis isn't a sign.
It's a prank.
LINDA: All these years,
you've managed to avoid the full moon,
and you kind of brag about it.
So we thought
you could use a dose of crazy.
A-And it was supposed
to be funny, you know?
We didn't think that
it would affect you like this,
and we're really sorry.
Terribly, terribly sorry.
Please don't quit.
I
knew it.
I mean, not at first. You guys
really had me going for a while,
but once George called in saying
he had appendicitis,
that's when I knew.
- How?
- Because I approved his time off
for the last time
he had his appendix removed.
Three years ago.
It really is good to be the underboss.
And, by the way, an underboss
who works every Christmas
and Thanksgiving.
And I do not brag
about avoiding full moons.
A lot.
So, we're good, then?
You're not mad at us?
I guess you'll have to wait for
the next full moon to find out.
- (groans)
- Mm.

(sighs)
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have
asked about my bio mother.
You-you don't have to apologize.
I just wanted to know where I come from.
Who I take after.
That's perfectly natural.
You didn't do anything wrong.
I sort of felt like maybe I did.
That I hurt you.
No. No, no, no, no.
You didn't.
Don't worry about that.
We just want make sure
that you are okay.
KAREN: We never want you to feel like
there's anything you can't ask us.
Whatever you want to know,
we'll tell you.
(sighs) There's something
I want you to know.
I'm not looking for another mom.
I have you guys, and you're awesome.
- (chuckles)
- (sighs)
KAREN: You're pretty awesome, too.
I think
we're all pretty awesome.
I love you both.
We love you, too.
(laughter)
(birds chirping)

I know it looks a little
rough around the edges, but
It's a lot more than the edges.
What are we doing here?
(chuckles)
I don't know, this house just
- it speaks to me.
- Yeah.
It's speaking to me, too,
and saying, "Run far, far away."
CHIMNEY: Look, some new
windows, a fresh coat of paint.
A series of exorcisms.
You don't believe in ghosts, Maddie.
It's called the Murder House, Chim.
I don't have to believe in ghosts to
know that I do not want to live here.
There wasn't a murder.
Much less three of them.
What? I thought that
the whole family died.
They did, but not inside the house.
Look, the father was driving home
one night, right before Christmas.
He had all three girls in the car.
It was raining,
and the roads were slick.
And another car bumped
them off the road, and they died.
God, that is awful.
Well, what about the mom?
The mom was at home, wrapping presents.
She moved out the day after the funeral,
and she never came back.
And-and the place has been
empty like this ever since?
She didn't want to let it go.
You know, not without letting them go,
so she held onto it until she passed,
which was last year.
How did you find out all this?
I tracked down the current owner,
her nephew.
He hasn't even put it on the market yet.
He didn't want to throw the doors open
to all the vultures and lookie-loos.
He hasn't even been inside in a decade.
That's why it looks like this.
MADDIE: It's a height chart.
Three girls.
Wow.
A family lived here.
I think a family should live here again.
(laughs)
(Marcus Mumford and
Brandi Carlile's "How" playing)

(sighs)
I had wondered what was done to you ♪
To give you such a taste of flesh ♪
Hi, I'm Denny Wilson.
I think you're my dad.
BOBBY: Like all seasons,
eventually the Santa Anas end.
Didn't feel much of a choice
to suppress ♪
The tension and turmoil
they bring are finally released
as they dissipate over the Pacific.
I'm afraid it will take a time ♪
- (snoring)
- The city rests,
and the familiar cycle starts again.
The rain comes,
though less every year now.
To build the walls
of my Jerusalem back up ♪
We wait for the jacarandas to bloom
and curse their flowers when they fall.
And I have reckoned with
what you've taken from me ♪
Knowing that every passing day
brings us closer
to the return of those winds.
I buried him beneath the maple tree ♪
There's no joy
in dancing with the dead ♪
But I'll forgive you now ♪
Release you from all the blame ♪
I know how ♪
And I'll forgive you now ♪
And the one inescapable fact
about this city
that at any moment
the whole place could burn.
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