From Las Vegas, Tom travels on through Death Valley and toward Los Angeles, where he plans to visit his son, Michael, and meet Todd Gimmell. His mind wanders, and he finds himself remembering a sex dream he used to have about Amy after the affair. He then muses on his relationships with Jill and Brian and how they’ve changed since college.

Tom arrives at UCLA, where he watches Todd play a game with his team. Afterward, Todd takes Tom out for lunch. At the restaurant, Tom closely observes and listens to Todd explain his case and his frustrations with the league. He rants about discrimination against white players and all the abuse he has experienced from Black teammates. Tom tries to counter Todd’s assertions, but Todd won’t listen. He insists that white people are just afraid “to accept [their] superiority” (178) but that he’s tired of pretending that he actually believes in equality. Suddenly, Tom realizes that Miri believes that his views are much like Todd’s. He dismisses himself to meet up with Michael.

At dinner with Michael and his friends, Tom sits between Michael and his friend Betty. The restaurant is noisy, and he has to keep alternating between talking to Michael and talking to Betty. He finds his and Michael’s conversation strained, but he finds his interaction with Betty interesting. Afterward, Michael wants to stay out with Betty, but she insists that he spend the evening with Tom. Tom hasn’t told Michael that he doesn’t know when he’s returning home and might be in town for some time.

The next morning, Michael is shocked to see Tom’s puffy face and again insists that he see a doctor. He wants to know all of Tom’s symptoms. Tom again insists that he’s fine. The two then head out to Newport Beach to visit Tom’s dad’s grave. While there, they talk about Miri and Amy. Tom is worried that Miri still doesn’t know about Amy’s affair and will be upset if they break up. Michael assures Tom that Miri already knows he and Amy are having marital problems and not to worry about her. Back in the car, Tom tries to explain how he feels about Amy and the trouble their marriage is in, but Michael says he isn’t “the person [Tom] should have this conversation with” (192). Tom changes the subject to Todd, revealing that he isn’t going to take Todd’s case.

Tom and Michael meet up with Betty at the beach. They have lunch and then go for a swim. Tom stays on the shore, watching Betty with fascination. Eventually, he wades into the water. He feels something profound while waiting for each wave to hit him. Eventually, the group moves to leave so that Michael can head to work. However, when Michael sees how purple Tom looks, he insists on taking Tom to the hospital. Tom insists that he’s fine, so Betty takes him back to her place to warm up while Michael heads out. While the two are having tea, Tom passes out. Betty calls Michael. He calls an ambulance and races over before the paramedics.

Michael stays by Tom’s side at the hospital. The doctors take tests, including a computed tomography (CT) scan. Tom’s mind wanders during the scan as he struggles to remain still. Afterward, the doctors let him return to Michael’s because his blood test came back okay.

The next morning, the doctors call with the results from the CT scan. Tom has lymphoma. The doctors found a tumor the size of a fist in his chest.

Michael takes Tom back to the hospital, where he has more tests and sees more doctors. Then, he waits for a biopsy. Michael stays with him the whole time, calling Amy and Miri. Tom talks to Amy on the phone, and they apologize to each other.

Amy flies out to California to be with Tom. The family calls Miri so that they can all talk together. That night, Tom lies awake, thinking about the start of his and Amy’s relationship. In the morning, he notices how attentive Amy and Michael are and tells himself to enjoy it. He gets more bloodwork, and the doctors okay him to leave. On the way out of the hospital, they agree that they want to go home.