Don formally introduces Rosie to Lydia, and explains his deception to both of them; Gene also learns the truth in the process. The reporter and photographer ask what happened, and Don shares his findings from the Lesbian Mothers Project. He receives a text from Dave, who reports Sonia had an emergency caesarean and that their child is a girl. Gene challenges Lydia’s assessment of Don as emotionless, and Rosie is upset that Lydia diagnosed him as a stranger. Rosie tells Don that she doesn’t want to be parented by him, that he will make her aware of everything she’s doing wrong as a parent. She says she made a spreadsheet and is leaving.

As Rosie packs, Don worries how she might interpret his request to feel the baby kick. He instead says “I behaved with integrity—as myself” and asks for a copy of her spreadsheet (299). He and Gene visit Sonia in the hospital, who has named her baby Rosie. Gene and Sonia revise Rosie’s spreadsheet to conclude she should stay with Don. Dave offers to drive Don to the airport, and Sonia reminds him to tell Rosie he loves her. Don wonders why Rosie has to be told this repeatedly, since “Love was a continuous state” (303).

Don books an airline ticket and stops by his apartment for his passport. Gene and George accompany him and Dave to the airport, all of whom coach Don on what to say to Rosie. Dave suggests fathers need to find their role; in return, George and Don suggest he accept Sonia’s accounting expertise in running his business. Don unintentionally alerts security as he has no bags, but the airline places him next to Rosie and he makes his case. He voices his love and identifies her “other” man as her father Phil, not Stefan, the PhD colleague whom Don fears she once had feelings for. She is still convinced he has no interest in their baby, and tells him to go home. Don asks to leave the plane, but his request is denied. To manage a potential mental health crisis, he implements what he learned from the Good Fathers program and says his mantra, Hardy-Ramanujan.

Rosie tries to sleep, and a federal air marshal sits next to Don. Don doesn’t realize the marshal suspects him of being a terrorist; meanwhile, the plane turns around. The marshal clarifies to Don that his behavior is suspicious, and asks if he will see his wife and children again. Don shares his story, and the marshal advises him to visualize being a father. As Don waits in an interrogation room after they land, he reflects that he is not good at visualization: “I faced the same problem as I had during the Rosie Project. I was crippled—challenged—incapable of the feelings needed to drive normal behavior” (318). Rosie agrees to spend the night in New York City and fly out the next day.

Rosie doesn’t want Don to keep trying to win her back, but he says, “You are the only person who has succeeded in understanding me” (322). He reminds her that she once believed he wasn’t “wired” for love, but was wrong. He believes he will be able to have a relationship with their baby. Rosie finally enters Don’s bathroom-office and realizes he has been diagramming Bud’s development. A woman from the Lesbian Mothers Project calls to compliment Don’s championing of lesbian mothers in a newspaper. Rosie admits helping Sonia’s delivery has reduced her concern about working with patients, the reason for her reluctance to do clinicals.

Gene drags Don and Rosie to a medical faculty party; Lydia is his date. Don reflects that he will miss Rosie, but wishes to make meaningful contributions through research. The dean shows the Lesbian Mothers Project video of Don playing with the study baby, and Rosie cries. Back at the apartment, Gene offers champagne and beer to Lydia, George, Dave, and Rosie’s father Phil. Don’s friends give him the movie It’s A Wonderful Life and share ways that he has helped them. He cries at the movie, and Rosie changes her mind about leaving.

Don and Rosie return to Melbourne, Australia, together and their baby is born on Valentine’s Day, the second anniversary of their first date. Rosie says they can’t call the baby Bud, so they name him Hudson. Don wishes to keep their marriage interesting, and suggests tango lessons.