Polly pauses by the basement, recalling how she and Hank converted it into a hospice for her mother, who died in her care. She feels a lingering presence that comforts her and remembers her mother’s support for her nursing career, highlighting the depth of her loss and solitude.

Her phone rings: Angela, her closest former colleague, shares hospital news, including Carol’s retirement. They discuss the incoming blizzard and preparations, grounding Polly’s life in routine and isolation away from the hospital community.

Angela then announces she is pregnant with a girl due in August. The news wounds Polly, who forces enthusiasm to mask her pain. A knock at the door gives Polly an exit from the call; afterward, she blocks Angela’s number, choosing distance rather than facing the emotional trigger.

Expecting a neighbor or Hank, Polly opens the door to Mitch Hambly, Sadie’s father, who reeks of whiskey and forces his way inside. He is enraged that Polly bathed Sadie and washed the girl’s clothes, insisting Polly stay away from his daughter and invoking Polly’s past psychiatric hospitalization to shame and intimidate her.

Polly tries to de-escalate while assessing escape and defense options as the snow begins to fall. Before she can act, Mitch advances, threatens that she will learn a lesson, and seizes her wrist in a painful grip, trapping her and escalating the immediate danger as the storm closes in.