Previously on "Finding Carter"...
Baby, you do not look at all well.
I've got it under control.
You knew eventually it would come to this.
The truth has to come out.
This is Madison.
She's my friend from back there.
Remember back with Lori?
You could come and go whenever you wanted.
Nobody was telling you what to do.
- Don't you miss that? - Yeah.
I guess I just try not to think about it.
Well, she thinks about you all the time.
- How do you know that? - I've been talking to her.
I don't want to be apart.
We had a really great thing going.
We should have it again.
You love her. You two are so good together.
I've been thinking about something.
About why you're not feeling any better.
I think it's about Lori.
About her being our biological mother.
I couldn't get pregnant.
And we decided to look for an egg donor.
They chose me.
Lori told us the truth,
and then things just started to fall apart.
Like with Max and Mom and Dad.
I hate that she's my mother.
Please don't shut us out.
It's okay.
It's about Lori.
She tried to kill herself.
Morning.
- Good morning. - Coffee?
Thank you.
Carter come down yet?
No.
She didn't sleep.
Her light was on all night.
Every time I think we're finally done with Lori,
she manages to find a way to worm her way back into our lives.
Yes, she does.
But I'm worried about Carter
and why she didn't want to talk last night.
She's probably in shock.
No, I can't, I'm sorry.
No, look, I've made up my mind.
Okay. Bye.
Who was that?
Lori's doctor.
He wants me to come and meet him.
- Why? - Because they always try
and talk to the family after something like this happens.
Well, she's not really our family.
Yeah, I know, Taylor.
That's not what he was saying.
Well, then what was he saying?
I think it's pretty simple, Carter.
She's insane. She always has been.
Okay, yeah, well.
I think there's a little more to it than that.
You're not going, are you?
No, I made plans with Max.
He was always good to talk to when nothing made sense.
Yeah. Yeah, he's the best.
All right. I'll see you later.
Hey, Carter.
Mom and Grandma and I are doing that charity thing
at the country club tonight.
Will you be there?
Oh, um... yeah.
See you there.
Look who's here.
What's the matter? You look like someone died.
Not quite.
What does that mean?
Lori tried to kill herself.
- What? - They found her in time.
I don't understand.
She was fine, I thought she was doing better.
- Have you talked to her? - No, and I'm not going to.
- Why not? - Because I'm not getting
sucked into her drama again.
That is exactly what she wants.
She's obviously sick.
Seriously, if she had cancer, would you abandon her?
That is not the same thing, and you know it.
You can't even compare those two.
It's obviously mental illness.
You guys act like she has control over this.
Look, I know she's done awful things,
I get that, but...
I mean, she could have died,
and you're acting like you wouldn't have even cared.
It's not a good idea.
- What? - You going up there to see Lori.
Madison doesn't know what it's like
to be lied to for all those years.
It's not just about what Madison said.
Carter, I know how much Lori meant to you.
You don't owe her anything.
She's not your responsibility.
Look, the doctor just wants to ask me some questions, okay?
Maybe I could tell him something that would help her.
I get that.
Would you take me?
If that's what you want.
Yeah, that's what I want.
Why does it look like a beauty pageant blew up in my house?
Um, fundraiser? Charity fundraiser at the country club
this afternoon, you remember?
I completely forgot.
Well, it's been a little nuts around here.
Taylor told me that crazy has reared her head yet again?
I mean, what was that woman thinking?
Can you imagine doing something like that?
- Thankfully, no. - You guys are never gonna believe this.
- What? - Max just called me.
He and Carter are on their way
to the mental hospital to talk to Lori's doctor.
What? No, I talked to Carter this morning.
She wasn't even thinking about doing that.
Well, now she is.
Voicemail.
Carter, it's me.
Please, when you get this, will you call me?
I'm worried.
- Where's your dad? - He went to the office.
Honey, I am so sorry, but I don't think that
- I can do this today. - What?
- I'm chair of the committee. - I understand that,
but I think that we need to go up there and be with Carter.
- I'm sorry. - No.
No, Lori doesn't get to do this.
She doesn't get to stop our lives
every time she does something crazy.
She's right-- otherwise, we're just playing right into her hands.
But this isn't about Lori.
This is about Carter.
Carter didn't ask you to come.
She didn't even tell you she was going.
Mom, I'm sorry, I just...
I made a commitment, and I'm not gonna
disappoint people because of something this crazy woman did.
You're right.
You're absolutely right.
I'm sorry.
You look beautiful.
Thanks.
Carter.
Carter...
It's okay, Mommy's here.
What are those?
Her letters.
She's been writing me, like, twice a week.
What do they say?
I don't know, I never open them.
I don't know, David. Maybe you should go after her.
Liz, I don't think that's the way to handle it.
We both know Carter, and if she didn't
ask one of us to go, it's because she...
wants to handle it on her own.
I just don't get what that doctor thinks
that she can tell him.
I spoke to him, and he thinks it will help.
Well, his priority is Lori, not Carter.
No. He seemed concerned for everyone.
If he was concerned about Carter,
he would never have asked her to go up there.
I've been to those places, David.
- They're horrible. - She's with Max.
She'll be all right.
Lori doesn't deserve her.
Liz, I know you're afraid, but she's coming back.
She's ours.
Yours and mine.
If I'd have written back even once,
she might not have done this.
No, Carter, she's in an institution.
You can't hold yourself responsible for Lori hurting herself.
Yeah, but I should have answered her.
Well, you went through a huge ordeal with her.
And you're allowed time to figure that out.
Yeah. Except I didn't take any time to figure it out.
I shoved it all the way in a drawer to cope with later.
13 years you've lived with her,
and you had no idea what was really going on.
Hurting herself was her choice.
Nothing you did made her do it.
Carter.
Carter...
Carter, baby. Wake up.
Mommy, what's wrong?
I just had a really bad dream.
I dreamed that we were in a huge crowd of people,
and I was afraid I lost you.
No. I'm right here.
Yeah. Yes, you are.
You're right here. Good as gold.
Oh, I'm sorry I woke you up.
It's okay, Mommy. I'm sorry you had a bad dream.
It's just that there's this lady across the hall,
you know, the one that gave you candy the other day?
There's something about her.
The way she watches us just makes me...
makes me a little scared.
So I think it's time to leave this place.
We're gonna move again?
Yeah. Yeah, we're gonna--
We're gonna blow this one-Starbucks town.
And you know what? Before I tell you where we're headed,
we're gonna play a little game.
- What game? - We're gonna play a game
in which we only have 20 minutes
to pack everything we're gonna take with us.
- Right now? - And know this.
Anything that can't fit in the suitcase
has to stay behind for good.
Come on, set, go!
Go, go, go!
Are you okay?
I just wish the timing of this pageant wasn't so bad.
I think Mom's really freaking out.
Yeah, how are you doing, hmm?
Oh, I'm fine.
I have more important things to worry about
than Lori's mental problems.
This is a joke, right?
Mom, that is so...
If the word you're looking for is "Slutty," I agree.
I'm not wearing this.
Oh, you're kidding. You look fantastic.
By all means, let me get it.
- Come on in. - Thank you.
Ask him what he thinks.
What's up?
There's this great new Thai restaurant
that just opened up in my neighborhood,
so I was thinking we could have dinner later.
There's something I want to talk to you about.
Oh, Kyle, I'm sorry, but this isn't a good night.
I have a lot going on, and Carter...
well, it's a long story,
and I'm a little bit wrapped up at the moment.
Liz, are you coming?
No matter how much I'd rather be doing anything else.
You know what? It's okay.
We could just do it another time.
Alterations now, please?
So, we'll talk soon?
Yes. Definitely.
And, yeah,
someday I would love to see that dress in all of its glory.
No answer?
I feel bad, I just want to apologize.
You will.
Carter's not the type to hold a grudge.
I just hated hearing them badmouth Lori.
I don't know, Mad.
Double kidnapping, suicide?
I'm kind of thinking it's well-deserved.
- I don't know anymore. - What do you mean?
She sent me here.
Lori-- I mean,
she asked me to come to see Carter,
and that's why I showed up out of nowhere.
I thought you came because your parents kicked you out.
They did.
And when I told Lori, she's the one who...
told me to come, she said that...
Carter and I could find a place together,
and I think she was just trying to get me
to lure Carter away from the Wilsons.
That is diabolical.
Then she asked if I could
convince Carter to forgive her.
I just feel like I might have been used.
I think that's maybe something that Carter should know.
I know, I'm gonna tell her.
I didn't think that Lori would go this far.
I honestly thought that I was helping her.
Well, I have an idea.
There's an event tonight at my parents' country club.
Yeah?
And Taylor's on a committee
for some charity fashion show or something,
and Carter's gonna be there.
We should go.
What's that for?
This is gonna suck
all that mean little bee poison
that hurts so much right out of your arm.
How?
I don't know how it works.
It just does.
See? Doesn't that feel better already?
A little, but what if there's another bee?
Well, that's where I come in.
I will always take care of you
no matter how many bees there are, I promise.
Me too.
You too what?
I'll always take care of you, Mommy.
You okay?
Yeah.
I keep remembering things.
I think she was sick all along, Max.
Like, her whole life.
It's important to tell the doctor that.
It might help.
Carter?
I'm Dr. Fox.
I think I'd like to see her.
Could you let her know I'm here?
Are you sure this is what you want?
I have to, Max.
Don't let her mess with you anymore.
No, I won't, I promise.
Do you know what you want out of this?
No.
But Max, that woman raised me.
She's such a huge part of who I am.
Look. If she had actually killed herself
and I had never seen her again,
I just know I would spend the rest of my life wondering
why on Earth I didn't at least try and help her.
Please, can you understand that?
Yeah, I can.
And I do.
You don't know what condition she's in,
so you gotta look out for yourself, okay?
Okay, look.
Let's just talk to the doctor.
If he doesn't think I should go in, then I won't, I promise.
Okay.
This is a big deal.
Too much?
No, no, it's great.
We should get on the list for hair and make-up.
You know, I do not want a rush job.
Well, I have to call Carter again and David,
and a drink would not be the worst idea.
I'm sure there's some champagne around here somewhere.
Yeah, that's not gonna cut it.
Honey? I'll be right back.
- Okay, great. - Great, okay.
She was here for three seconds.
Nice digs.
Welcome to West Oak.
Playground to the rich and judgmental.
You two are a refreshing sight.
Oh, I didn't know you were working today.
You guys look like twins, that's cute.
You say that like you don't really mean it.
Wrong. I actually love men in uniform.
Even a polyester one?
I'm Madison. I'm with her.
- This is Damon. - Have you guys seen Carter?
No, no. She'll probably show up, though.
Taylor put this whole thing together.
All right. How about, uh, calamari and two Mimosas?
I got you on the calamari,
but the new manager has the alcohol on high security lockdown.
- What? - Apparently...
someone's been pilfering
the liquor from behind the bar after hours.
Yeah, that'd be me.
Damn.
Damon shows some hidden depth, okay.
We'll have a calamari and two mixers, then.
Young man? Young man.
We're waiting on our menus.
- Save me. - Save us.
So, are you impressed?
We're surrounded by grandmas and screaming children.
Oh, yeah.
Looks like the country club gossip about my parents
is in full swing.
What? Where?
- Doesn't matter. - Yeah, it does.
Can we help you?
Yeah, I thought so.
Thank you for that.
I'm sorry your parents left you in the line of fire.
Thanks, but I'm used to it.
Yeah, I get the whole unexpected orphan gig.
When my parents found out I was gay and made it clear
that they didn't support me,
I had no one.
Well, I mean, except Lori.
She was nice to you, huh?
Yeah, that's why it's hard.
I don't know what to think now.
To be honest, I've never met an adult who hasn't let me down.
Not one.
Maybe that's why fate brought us together.
To soften the blow.
I wonder where Carter is.
She talks about you a great deal.
I think it would be helpful for her to see you.
- How's she doing? - We're keeping a close eye on her.
She's stable. Resting.
I thought the whole point of putting her in a mental facility
was to help her get better-- how does this happen?
We put her on a new regimen of meds,
and as those drugs do their work,
smoothing out the chemical imbalance in her brain,
she's come to understand a new reality of her life.
That sometimes can be overwhelming.
I want to warn you.
There's some bruising on her neck,
and she's on a mild sedative,
so she may seem a bit cloudy.
Okay.
I'll be right here.
You shouldn't have come.
Well, I wanted to.
Would you please look at me?
I mean it.
I don't want you here.
Well, you might not want me here,
but I wanted to be here.
You never answered any of my letters.
Why show up now?
Because I am worried about you.
Why did you try and hurt yourself?
I should have done it a long time ago.
Don't say that.
Why? Now they've got me on meds.
It's all becoming very clear.
In fact, for the first time in a very, very long time,
I am seeing everything...
like I just woke up from a bad dream.
Okay. Well, maybe that's a good thing.
Good thing? I look around,
and all I see is the hurt I have caused to so many people.
Most importantly, you.
Everybody makes mistakes.
That doesn't mean your life isn't worth living.
You make it sound like I accidentally
left the bathtub running.
I know what I did,
and now all I want is for you to go
and move on with your life
and try to forget that I stole 13 years of it
from you for my own selfish reasons.
Listen, David, do me a favor,
and will you let me know if you hear from her?
Okay, bye.
- Need a refill, Mrs. Wilson? - Oh, hey, Gabe.
Uh, no.
This one and a good pout,
and I should be fine.
My dad tells me that I was an Olympic level pouter
when my mom would try to get me to eat my veggies.
And did that work?
My guess is no,
but I don't really remember.
Think about your mom a lot?
Yeah. I do.
I like to talk about her sometimes.
Yeah.
So you're going out with my dad later?
No, I have to be home and see Carter.
Oh, did he tell you why he wanted to go out?
No. Why?
He's selling our house.
I think he wants to put out a few feelers, you know,
see if you'd think about getting a place with him.
Um, how do you feel about that, then?
Selling your house?
I don't mind it.
My mom's been gone a long time.
Problem is that I think he's mostly doing it for you.
I think that he wants you to be ready for something more serious.
From where I'm standing,
maybe you are, and maybe you aren't.
Things are very complicated.
Yeah, well, most everything in life is,
but the people who want to be together
tend to make it work,
so I'm just saying,
maybe the whole complicated thing is...
just an excuse.
Hey. I didn't know you guys were coming.
We decided to support the cause.
Plus, it's one of the few places
my outlaw parents still have credit.
Nice 'do.
Joining the pageant circuit?
Funny. Have you guys heard from Carter?
Uh, no. Have you? I thought she was coming.
Well, she was supposed to be here.
Yeah, but instead, she went to the mental hospital.
She did? To see Lori?
No. To talk to the doctor.
Whatever.
I have to find my mom.
She's next to get shellacked.
Miss Castro. How are you today?
I am wonderful. How are you, Chad?
Actually, I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news.
I take it from your presence here this afternoon,
you weren't aware that your parents'
membership has been suspended.
What? Why?
You're kidding, right?
I'm sorry, who are you?
That's my granddaughter.
What seems to be the problem, Chad?
Mrs. Marshall, I was just discussing
membership guidelines with these young ladies.
Her parents haven't paid the piper.
Oh, right, I heard about that.
That's fine, we shouldn't've come, we'll just leave.
- No, no. - I was instructed
to ask them to move along.
Well, they will, to my table.
They'll be my guests.
Um, you girls make yourself comfortable over there
and let me know if you have any more problems,
which I really don't anticipate them having, do you, Chad?
Of course not.
Gammy.
Look, I...
I can't imagine how alone you must feel in here.
I'm so sorry I didn't visit or write you back.
I should've.
I'm glad you didn't.
I needed time away from you
to be able to see the truth.
Okay-- Lori?
Yes.
Mistakes have been made by everybody involved,
but your whole life hasn't been a mistake.
We had a life together, my whole childhood.
That wasn't a mistake.
Yes, it was.
Because I had no right to it.
I was not your mom.
Yes, you were.
Back then, you were my mom.
And you know what? You did some things right.
You are so kind and so loving.
And yes, everything is really different now.
But I still remember all that stuff.
You need to leave, Carter.
No, I'm not gonna leave.
I need to be alone, go away.
- Would you please stop saying that? - Leave me alone--
- I am begging you. - Carter,
I think Lori needs to rest.
I love you.
And you love me more.
Tell me you love me more.
Carter, please.
Did you hear that?
She said she loved me.
She said I was her mom.
The doctor heard her say it.
I knew she would come.
I knew she loved me.
Look, I just need to ask her something.
You always let me talk to her, and it's important.
I don't understand why she's not calling me back.
I told you, Madison,
she's on a 72-hour watch.
But she told me to tell you she's all right.
She'll be in touch.
Okay.
Oh, so I spoke to the doctor,
and Carter saw Lori, she's on her way back.
Good.
Thank you for telling me.
Wait, she saw her?
I thought that she was just going to talk to the doctor.
This is unbelievable. She should have been here with us.
Honey, it's not her fault.
No, I'm not blaming her.
It's that woman.
Every time we try and have
some kind of normal life,
and she has to pull Carter away.
I hate her.
I wish that...
What?
I wish she'd done a better job.
I don't care if I do have her blood.
I wish she was dead.
I do.
Okay, the show's about ready to start.
Are we ready?
No, Mom, actually, we're not.
No, we are.
She's not gonna mess this up, too.
Mom?
We're ready.
Whoa, nice.
Did you tie that yourself?
Yeah, it's a clip-on.
Didn't know fashion shows were your thing.
Yeah, well, Elizabeth seemed pretty bummed about doing it
so I figured she could use some moral support.
Looks like she already has some.
I'm sure he's here for Taylor.
Don't be so sure. Did she ask you to come?
Let me give you a little advice, son.
Don't wait for a woman to tell you what she wants.
Anticipate their needs.
Trust me on this one.
Now, bartender, how about a beer?
You got it.
Actually, make it two.
Good evening, West Oak.
I'm gonna go find a table.
We are so pleased.
- Here you go, man. - Oh, thanks.
Uh, pull up a chair.
So I present to you, Generations.
Can we talk?
It's okay.
Come on, Carter, it's gonna be okay.
You're okay.
Come here.
Come here, come here.
It's okay.
Come on.
Are you okay?
Not really, are you?
No.
How the hell could I have let this happen?
You didn't let it happen.
It just happened.
God, I hate myself.
Don't go there.
How, Max?
How can I not go there?
It was a bad move.
But you're not alone in this.
I was there, too.
You love Taylor, Max.
I know you do.
And whether or not she's willing to admit it right now,
I know she loves you, too.
And that's the worst part.
I know she loves you, too, and I put myself first, again.
You were going through something that was really difficult.
No, Max. Stop. Don't make excuses for me.
This was my decision.
I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.
Um, listen, Tay, before you go out there,
I wanted to talk to you about what you said earlier.
Listen, I can't make any sense
of what's happening with Carter and Lori.
All I know is that,
for better or worse, Carter has an attachment to her,
and if I'm gonna be a good mother to Carter,
better than Lori could ever be,
I have to learn to accept it.
We have to learn to accept it.
No matter how much we want that woman to disappear,
she's not going to.
She's part of Carter's life.
She's in her heart.
And there's nothing we can do to stop it.
I don't know how to help her.
I don't know what she needs.
Oh, baby.
I don't know how to help her, either.
Hey, superstar.
You got a minute for a fan?
I thought I'd surprise you, so surprise.
That's sweet.
So I was thinking maybe we could high-tail it
back to my place tonight, you know,
unless you got some sort of A-list after-party to go to.
I'd still like to talk to you about something.
Kyle.
I'd love to, but I can't.
I'm sorry.
My god, that was unbelievable...
Oh, my God, did you see Mrs. Everly?
I thought she was gonna have a stroke
right there on the runway.
What is with you still hanging out there, anyway?
I don't know, it was my parents' place,
and I was a kid there.
Yeah, it's hard to let go of that stuff.
I mean, as lousy as they've been to me,
I do miss my parents sometimes.
I'm sorry Carter didn't show.
Yeah, I hope she's okay.
I'll call her first thing tomorrow morning.
You have to admit, today was fun, though.
Best "ladies who lunch" date ever.
I kind of wish it wasn't a joke.
For real.
Well, I mean, I just..
It's the kind of date that every girl wants to go on.
We had fashion, drama, Chad.
Well, if it was a real date,
we would probably kiss in the end.
Carter.
We should talk about this.
Can we please just forget about it?
You're still up.
Yeah, I waited for you.
Really?
What was that for?
That was for today.
I should have supported you more.
Not just attacked Lori.
Oh, Tay, it's fine.
I get it.
You're not exactly a fan.
Doesn't really matter.
What matters is that you needed me,
and I wasn't there.
Taylor, it's fine.
Honestly, I...
I didn't even know how I was gonna feel myself
until I got there.
It's really okay.
It's not.
It's girl code.
It's that sister code.
And I broke it.
You know I love you, right?
Feeling's kind of mutual.
Do you want some tea?
No, thanks. I'm wiped.
- Think I'm just go upstairs and go to bed. - Okay.
If you ever need to talk,
you know I'm here.
Thanks.
Good night.