On Friday, October 10, Alice and Charlie are awakened by a call from Sam announcing that she and Percy have welcomed a healthy baby girl named Sue, to be called Susie, after Sam and Charlie’s mother. Sam sends photos showing a happy, tired family, which Alice and Charlie admire from bed.

After breakfast, Charlie asks Alice to help him shave because he must avoid lifting his arms post-surgery. As Alice carefully shaves him, Charlie apologizes for his hurtful remarks at the lake—claiming he would get bored and that it would not work—admitting they were lies meant to protect her and expressing deep regret.

For the next week, Alice and Charlie are nearly inseparable except when Alice is shooting or running errands. Their connection intensifies beyond the summer’s playful boundaries into something earnest and barrier-free. Charlie continues to tease, but speaks seriously about his love, making Alice feel cherished and exhilarated.

On Thursday, seven days after his hospital discharge, Charlie turns thirty-six. When Alice wishes him a happy birthday, he says, “I made it,” acknowledging he has lived past the age his father died. Alice reassures him, and then, recognizing Charlie’s modest self-image, she lists everything she loves about him—from his kindness, humor, and family loyalty to domestic habits like making his bed, organizing ties by color, singing in the shower, and calling Sam daily.

Later that day, after Alice finishes a shoot and grocery run for a birthday dinner with Sam and Percy, Charlie greets her with a passionate kiss and shares good news from his doctor. With an hour before guests arrive, he leads her to a candlelit bedroom strewn with rose petals and briefly plays Rod Stewart’s “Have I Told You Lately,” leaning into playful cheesiness.

Amid laughter and tenderness, Charlie tells Alice he wanted to do something more romantic than the darkroom and vows, “I’m in this, Alice. I’m so in this.” Alice reciprocates internally and explicitly, committing her time, devotion, and heart, affirming that Charlie—her best friend and the man she loves—is remarkable.