Chapter 25

Four months after the shooting, Charly notes that only her mother visits her, while Jamie is frequently visited by his father. Jamie fixates on his bar’s finances despite his impairments, and his father reassures him the business is being handled.

At dinnertime, Jamie’s father arrives, followed by Jamie’s mother with Jamie’s son, Sam, despite Jamie’s insistence that he doesn’t want Sam to see him before he can walk. Sam runs to Jamie, and the reunion is joyous yet painful for Charly to watch. Jamie introduces Sam to Charly, who gently deflects Sam’s question about her helmet with a playful ice hockey excuse.

Sam begs to play immediately, exposing Jamie’s physical limitations when the wheelchair rolls. Jamie promises future play, a vow Charly doubts he can keep. When Sam asks about his mother, Jamie’s alarmed reaction prompts his parents to take Sam to Jamie’s room, revealing that Sam has recently seen his mother, Karen.

Alone with his parents, Jamie learns Karen wants to “work out an arrangement,” escalating to a request for joint custody. Jamie, recalling her past drug use, vehemently refuses and declares he will never agree, while his father argues shared care could ease the family’s burden when Jamie returns home. The conversation ends with Jamie’s hardline stance, signaling looming custody and caregiving conflict.