Mia (Anna Samson) and Tane (Ethan Browne) are concerned about Ari (Rob Kipa-Williams) since he hasn’t been answering his phone and they don’t want him to withdraw from his family like he did the previous time he was in prison. Mia is frustrated since she hasn’t received an explanation for why her call with him was cancelled, so she has no idea if it was his decision or a disciplinary step.
Later, she receives a frightening call from the prison: Ari has been brought to the hospital. She rushes over and discovers him on a stretcher, in excruciating pain in his abdomen. Mia is panicked and anxious since she can’t acquire permission from the prison to see him right away.
Logan (Harley Bonner) performs an examination and determines that Ari’s appendix must be removed. He’ll need surgery, but that means the Paratas will be able to spend time with him while he heals. They might even be able to get his punishment postponed, which motivates Mia to call her lawyer right away.
The family’s joy is short-lived, however, as Logan returns from surgery with the last piece of information they were hoping for. Ari has more than appendicitis; he has appendiceal cancer, as well as tumours in his belly.
Mia inquires about treatment alternatives, but Logan remains pessimistic. His tumours have grown throughout his abdomen, and he has a slim chance of survival. The family is in a state of shock. Ari had been sentenced to life in jail, but now he’s been given the death penalty…
