Private Practice: Know When To Fold (Episode 18)

Just like I like it, this episode begins with Violet, Addison and Naomi talking sex. I don't know what it is, but this show just oozes sex to me. Violet is trying to convince herself and the others that not having sex is a strength. The three end the talk and their walk to work by entering the Oceanside building only to find a big banner advertising Charlotte's new competiting practice, Pacific Wellcare, and its delightful free breakfast. Charlotte is her smug self welcoming them, Naomi reminds her that they still own the building and she needs to take the banner down, so Charlotte agrees to move it outside.

We move on to Addison who wastes no time getting to her first patient, Leah, who is played by Meredith Monroe. For those of you, like me, who watched Dawson's Creek you'll remember Meredith Monroe played Andie McPhee. And, I think she and Chyler Leigh (Lexie Grey on Grey's Anatomy) could be twins, or at least sisters. Anyway, back to the show, Addison has to give Leah bad news. She has ovarian cancer and will need surgery. Leah protests though saying that she wants kids, she even had stipulations put in her new work contract about time off for having children. Addison doesn't give Leah much hope for having kids so Leah storms off saying she wants a second opinion. I don't think she's entirely wrong wanting a second opinion, but she didn't have to get so nasty.

Pete and Sam take advantage of Pacific Wellness's free breakfast and while they're there they spot a celebrity bike cyclist. Apparently Pete follows cycling. Anyway, Pete says the guy was out for a while with a knee injury but is supposed to be returning soon. It appears the guy still has the injury judging by the limp when he walks. This gives Pete and Sam the idea to get the guy to switch from Pacific Wellness to Oceanside.

Coop goes to Charlotte with a box of all her belongings. She refuses to give him his stuff though. As they're going back and forth she gets sick and pukes in a trash can. He suggests she get a pregnancy test, which only makes her more mad.

Dell has his first official preggers patient and he's giving her an ultrasound. The girl is just a college student and not sure she really wants to keep the baby. She's thinking of adoption, well more than thinking, she says.

A staffer from Pacific Welness comes to Oceanside's office and asks for Leah's medical records. Addison overhears and asks why, the guy tells her that Leah is their patient now. Ambulance chasers! Addison goes to the 4th floor and confronts Charlotte about stealing Leah and giving her false hope. Doc Lockheart is the Addison-wannabe at Pacific Wellness and he and Addison go head-to-head when Addison raises hell. Lockheart says that he's not giving Leah false hope, he is putting her into a medical trial that may just cure the cancer and still allow her to have kids. Just when the fighting is getting rough Charlotte interrupts by puking in her trash can, again.

Pete and Sam successfully convince, Ray, the cyclist, to come to Oceanside. They treat his knee, but then his wife comes in and tells the docs that's not his only problem. He also has a heart problem and that's why she didn't want him to get the knee problem fixed. She says once the knee problem is fixed then he'll force himself to start racing again. He's forcing himself to race again because they really need the money. And, who doesn't nowadays right? Pete and Sam agree with Ray's wife and tell him it would be very dangerous for him to race again with his heart condition. He tells them that it's their job to fix his knee, not decide what he does with his life.

After Addison's argument with Lockheart she goes back to the other Oceanside docs and tells them about Pacific stealing her patient. Just then Dell peeks in and tells everyone he wants to talk to them and it's important. So, they all gather in the meeting room and he springs a new idea on them. He suggests they start a fee-based adoption program of sorts. He says he has a patient that wants to give her baby up for adoption while Violet has a couple that she has already screened that wants to adopt. It could be a great new way for them to match each other up, not to mention a new revenue stream. Dell says if they don't do it someone else will, maybe even Charlotte's practice, who knows.

Violet and Pete leave, she says she has two tickets for the symphony and asks him to go with her. He says he can't but says he knows someone that might. He suggests she ask Sheldon from Pacific Wellness. Charlotte and Coop run into each other at the elevator and he again stresses that she should take a pregnancy test. Addison goes home where Kevin is still on bed rest from being shot a couple weeks back, they cuddle up for the night.

The next day, Dell introduces his preggers patient to Violet's patients who are interested in adopting. Before Dell's patient goes to meet them though she asks what they're going to ask her and what she should say. Dell ends up giving her a line-by-line speech. The meeting between Dell and Violet's patients goes very well and it looks like they are going to be a perfect match for the adoption.

Leah comes to Addison furious that Addison didn't give Pacific Wellness her medical records. Addison tries again to talk to Leah but she won't listen to anything else. She says this is what she wanted, with Lockheart's procedure she can get rid of the cancer and still have kids, she needs both. Addison gives Leah her records and says she hopes it works for her. Of course, we know it probably won't because Addison is all-knowing.

Violet goes to Pacific Wellness and finds Sheldon. She doesn't even have to ask him on a date, he asks her first. Woo-hoo! Finally, Violet is going on a date... even if it is with another psycho therapist.

Addison tells Pete about Lockheart giving Leah false hope and how dispicable it is. Pete is feeling bad about possibly giving Ray false hope too so he goes to Ray and tells him not to do the bike race tomorrow. It doesn't look like Ray is going to listen though. Later, as Addison is leaving for the day she runs into Lockheart in the elevator and he tries hitting on her, he even has a nickname for her "Monty."

Dell's patient comes back to him after the meeting with the potential adoption parents. She raves about how well the meeting went, and how they're going to pay her living expenses until the baby is born. She seems to have a different tone though. She tells Dell what a relief this is, now she feels like she has options again. One of those options she seems to be leaning toward is having the adoption parents pay her living expenses and then changing her mind when the baby is born. She's starting to just look greedy.

Addison goes home and finds Kevin getting ready to go to work. She goes off on him about how sick she is of her patients, and now Kevin, acting as if they know better than her. She reminds him that she's a doctor, she knows better what's best for his health. Charlotte is already at home and unpacking the box that Coop took to her with her stuff. After she unloads the box she leans over and starts puking in it. What's wrong with her? Could she really be preggers? Violet goes on her date with Sheldon and has a great time, except it ends down, literally. Sheldon seems to be having some erectile issues and Violet turns into therapist trying to figure out what's causing the problem.

The next day, Charlotte agrees to finally take a pregnancy test. She and Coop lock themselves in the bathroom while she takes the test. Fortunately, or not(?), she turns up not to be pregnant. It seems like they are both happy and sad. In one way I think they both sort of hoped she would be pregnant so that they would have a reason to get back together again. So, what happens now that she's not?

Violet goes to Pete hoping he has an alternative medicine idea to help Sheldon with his erection problem. Pete has a 'secret recipe' that he says should help Sheldon. After she gets the special juice Violet goes back to her office where Dell comes to her for advice on his patient, though he doesn't spell out for her that he's thinking his patient is going to just use the adoption parents. She tells him some of the great things his patient said, and of course the great things the girl said were exactly what Dell suggested she say. It's looking even more suspicious now.

Charlotte rushes to Addison to inform her that Leah is having problems and needs surgery immediately. Lockheart isn't a surgeon so he can't do it, she needs Addison. Addison agrees to do it and they rush to the surgery. Lockheart insists on observing the surgery even though Addison clearly wants nothing to do with him. During the surgery Lockheart has Addison check to see if the tumor is gone and indeed it appears that it is. 

Dell goes to Coop for advice. Coop tells Dell that he was adopted and that his birth mom wavered when she had to make the decision about the adoption. Coop says that sometimes you have to let people waver so that they can come to the decision on their own.

Ray decides to do the bicycle race afterall and ends up winning it but after he wins his heart goes into a-fib. Sam and Pete rush to the hospital expecting he's there getting help but instead they find that he's dead and in the morgue. Now they feel really horrible for not making it clear to him just how dangerous doing the race was.

Leah wakes up after surgery and she finds out her tumor has shrunk but this problem has finally opened her eyes to how precious life is. She asks Addison if she'll still do the surgery to get rid of the cancer, Addison says she will and they will fight this. After Addison leaves Leah Charlotte grabs her to find out how Leah is doing now. Addison asks Charlotte what rock she found Lockheart under, this seems to hit Charlotte hard for some reason because she starts crying. Addison isn't sure how to react and asks Charlotte if she wants to talk, Charlotte says no it's just been a long day.

Dell and Violet's patients meet up again and their second meeting goes very successful. Dell tries to talk to Naomi about his concerns but he stops when she starts bragging on him how great this is and what a good job he's doing.

Charlotte goes to Coop and apologizes for not telling him about her opening the practice. He says he just got caught up earlier when they thought she might be pregnant, but he still doesn't forgive her for how she acted before.

Addison and Lockheart run into each other on the elevator, yet again. He once again hits on her and asks her out to dinner. Oh and he calls her "Monty" again which she hates, she tells him that if he calls her that again she's going to put a scalpel through his hand. Ouch! Addison goes home and finds Kevin sitting on the stairs, where he's been sitting all day because he only got to that point trying to go to work and then couldn't get back up. She helps him back upstairs to get to bed.

Violet calls Sheldon and he comes to her office. She tells him about the potion that Pete gave her for Sheldon to try. He says he's flattered, but that's not the problem, the problem is that she's out of his league. He's never been with someone so smart, so funny, so beautiful. He says whatever is in the bottle isn't going to make her less beautiful. He asks if maybe they can just be friends. Violet just seems to keep striking out.

Naomi helps Sam try to ride a bicycle. She found out earlier that he didn't know how to ride a bike. He catches on pretty quick but then falls. It's pretty funny!

Violet sits in her office under a blanket depressed that Sheldon dumped her already. Pete comes in and sits next to her, puts his arm around her and she opens up to him. Before you know it they start kissing. Yeah, FINALLY, Pete and Violet are hooking up. Don't expect this fling to last too long though because next week it looks like Meg finds out and is not happy.