Xavier recounts that most of Samantha’s visit was spent in the hospital, and he was discharged Monday. On Tuesday he drove Samantha to the airport for her return to California and, still physically weak but fever-free, went straight to his clinic to avoid returning to an empty home. Upon arriving, he observed the practice running smoothly under Hank, who was in scrubs with Xavier’s tablet, and felt disoriented by seeing his life continue without him.

Staff greeted Xavier warmly, including his dog Jake from State Farm, and Hank invited him to lunch. In the break room with Tina’s lasagna, they discussed Xavier’s recovery and Hank’s willingness to continue covering. The talk turned personal as both men acknowledged avoiding the void at home after loss or absence; Xavier had little appetite and felt mounting depression after Samantha’s departure.

Hank gently probed Xavier’s situation and suggested Xavier’s illness was tied to heartbreak. When Hank asked why the couple didn’t close the distance, Xavier explained Samantha was the primary caregiver for her mother and could not move, while he felt unable to leave Minnesota because selling the clinic would be financially ruinous. Hank challenged these barriers, sharing his own history of failed clinics and bankruptcy, and insisted that buildings and credit are replaceable while true love is not.

Hank pressed Xavier to consider whether pride and fear were driving his decisions, suggesting he might not love Samantha enough if he wouldn’t choose her. Xavier silently acknowledged he did love her but feared arriving with nothing, letting down employees Maggie and Tina, watching his work be dismantled, and—most painfully—his parents’ satisfaction if he failed. Overwhelmed, Xavier put his head in his hands.

Hank then shifted, asking if Xavier spoke to his parents. After Xavier said no, Hank revealed a personal connection: years ago his clinic, then called New Hope Veterinary on Main, treated a collie mix named Winnie for a young man with “shit parents.” Hank identified Xavier as that teen. Xavier, stunned, realized it was true and told Hank he became a veterinarian because of him.

Hank offered paternal affirmation, saying the people who raise us maintain a hold, not all should be parents, and that he would have been a good dad. He told Xavier he was proud of him and had become a good man. Hank suggested Xavier might be stalling to prove something to his parents, keeping them from seeing him fail, but that this also kept Samantha and Xavier waiting. He urged Xavier to make memories while he still could, declaring he would be disappointed if Xavier didn’t act. Hank cleared his plate and left Xavier to absorb the message.