After returning from Thailand, Jack went home to visit his father, Wilkes. Wilkes was upset that Jack had left him without a word and missed his mother’s funeral. The two argued, and Wilkes even shut Jack out of the house. But as soon as Wilkes entered, he fainted. Jack hurried to take his father to the hospital. When Dr. Melendez and his team arrived in the ER to diagnose Wilkes, Shaun also rushed over—and he accidentally noticed a patient in the adjacent bed.
The patient in the next bed was a teenage boy named Evan, who looked exactly like Shaun’s late younger brother. Shaun unconsciously walked over. Through their conversation, Shaun learned that Evan had tripped during PE class and broken his arm. Shaun felt suspicious, so he arranged for a brain scan for Evan. The results revealed that the reason Evan had broken his arm so easily was a tumor at the back of his cerebellum.
Shaun told Melendez the result and also informed Evan’s parents. However, Evan’s parents revealed that Evan had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma a year earlier—his bones were extremely fragile, and he often suffered fractures. Doctors had said Evan only had one year left to live. They had chosen not to tell Evan about his condition to let him live happily for the rest of his days. Shaun felt dejected and left with his head down.
Wilkes’ initial diagnosis for fainting was an allergic reaction, but many of his symptoms did not match this condition. So, Melendez asked Jared to arrange a series of tests for Wilkes. Jack stayed by his father’s hospital bed and explained that he had left without a word to take care of his girlfriend, who had been seriously ill at the time. Wilkes refused to believe Jack’s explanation, and the rift between father and son deepened.
To ease the tension between Wilkes and Jack, Jared tried to persuade Wilkes to forgive his son by sharing his own experiences, but Wilkes would not listen. Jared then turned to Jack, urging him to be honest with his father and explain what he had been doing during his absence. He added that Wilkes’ condition might be very serious—if Jack did not cherish his father, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
After examining Wilkes, Jared discovered four tapeworms in his brain. The tapeworms had severely affected Wilkes’ brain function and caused multiple cysts; if a cyst ruptured next time, Wilkes would be in life-threatening danger. Dr. Aaron decided to perform the surgery himself to remove the tapeworms from Wilkes’ brain. Jack, who had heard about his father’s condition, was deeply worried. Finally, with Jared’s encouragement, he confessed the true reason for his sudden departure to his father.
It turned out that after his mother’s death, Jack had been unable to face the responsibilities at home. He had chosen to run away, leaving all the hardships to his father. He apologized to his father and begged for forgiveness. After hearing the truth, Wilkes finally let go of his resentment and was peacefully wheeled into the operating room. Under Aaron and Jared’s scalpel, all the tapeworms in Wilkes’ brain were removed, and he gradually recovered.
Late at night, Shaun stayed up reading books, hoping to find a way to treat Evan. Fortunately, he noticed that Evan’s symptoms might not be osteosarcoma. He hurried to discuss this with Melendez. To further confirm Evan’s condition, Shaun decided to draw Evan’s bone marrow for testing—but just then, Evan’s parents walked in. They stopped Shaun, and in his urgency, Shaun shared his suspicion. However, Evan’s parents did not believe him; they even blamed Shaun for revealing Evan’s illness to him. As they argued, Evan suddenly began coughing violently, and Shaun quickly called for other doctors.
Melendez performed surgery on Evan. During the operation, he confirmed that Evan did have osteosarcoma, and the disease had spread to his lungs—hence the hemoptysis (coughing up blood). Shaun, standing nearby, felt utterly defeated; he knew Evan was beyond treatment. To fulfill a personal wish, he brought a book to Evan’s ward. It was the birthday gift Shaun had given his younger brother when they were children—his brother had never finished reading the last part before he died. With Evan’s permission, Shaun read the final passage aloud. Then, with tears in his eyes, he left the ward.