Silent To The Bone

The tube is removed from Nikki’s skull, and the pressure is gone. When Connor goes to see Branwell, he gets the vague sense that Branwell is happy to see him, and Branwell seems even happier to hear about Nikki’s progress. Connor tells Branwell what he heard from Margaret about his family history, and Branwell seems distant and lost in his thoughts again. When Connor takes out the flash cards, Branwell blinks twice for “THE ANCESTORS” (which refers to his maternal grandparents). Connor remembers what he knows of the ancestors from the few times he has met them and recalls Branwell telling him about how they never liked Tina or the fact that she was a refugee of the Vietnam War. Branwell’s grandparents also never really approved of Dr. Z and often made racist remarks about him or Tina.

In the present, Connor goes to find Branwell’s grandparents, who are staying at a nearby motel. He catches them in the middle of dinner and sits down to ask them some questions about the previous summer when Nikki was born. They reveal that they have hired an attorney to get Branwell to speak. Branwell’s grandparents explain that they didn’t want Branwell to be “overwhelmed” by the chaos of a new baby and Tina’s family in the house, so they kept him in Florida for a month after Nikki was born despite his requests to go back home.