The January wind is brisk and cold, smacking Beck in the face as he climbs out of the back of the car. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he runs around the back of it to the rear passenger's door and opens it before offering a hand to Jade to help her out of the vehicle as well. They both thank the driver before Beck slams the door closed, then walk hand-in-hand into the restaurant.
"You okay?" Beck asks his wife as they step inside
Both of them remove their hats and fix their hair accordingly before stomping the snow and slush off of their shoes. Although it's nearing the end of January and the holidays are long over, winter is still in full swing in New York City. It's likely that they haven't even seen the worst of the snowfall yet, with most of it usually occurring at the beginning of February in recent years.
"I'm fine." Jade nods, removing her gloves and shoving them into her coat pockets "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I would just understand if you have mixed emotions, is all." Beck shrugs "This is new territory for you."
"I'm fine, Beck." She tells him
And she means it. Everyone around her had expected her to be feeling a whirlwind of emotions leading up to her first encounter with her father's new girlfriend, her father included. Jade feels calm though, relaxed even. She's a married woman in her twenties now, it's not like this woman is going to step in and try to replace her mother in a parental role. If Angie makes her father happy, then Jade is happy for him. If she has someone new to get brunch and go shopping with on occasion, so long as they get along, that's a positive as well.
Beck takes both of their coats to be checked, and Jade checks in with the host. She's informed that John and Angie have already arrived and once Beck returns, they're escorted to the table. It's a booth towards the back of the restaurant, at John's request for Beck and Jade's privacy. He knows that today is already eventful and emotional enough for his daughter, he doesn't need paparazzi or fans trying to invade her privacy as well.
"Dad." Jade calls out to him as they approach "Hi."
"Hi, sweetheart." John grins as he stands up "Glad you could make it."
He offers a hug to Jade and a handshake to Beck before offering a hand to the woman sitting in the booth behind him to help her stand up as well.
"Jade, Beck, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Angie." John smiles, gesturing to her "Angie, this is my daughter, Jade, and her husband, Beck."
"S'nice to meet you, Angie." Jade smiles genuinely, extending a hand to shake Angie's
"Yeah, s'great to meet you." Beck extends his after Jade's
"And both of you as well." Angie nods "John has certainly told me a lot about you, he's so proud of you both."
"They both give me an infinite number of reasons to be." John reminds her proudly "Shall we sit?"
John slides into one side of the booth and Angie next to him, while Beck slides into the other and Jade beside him. Beck can't help but feel a bit warm after his brief interaction with Angie already. Of course John is proud of Jade, she's his daughter, but to hear that he's proud of him as well? It definitely warms his heart a bit. He and John have always had a decent relationship, but those words were very reassuring.
Beneath the table Beck reaches over and takes Jade's hand, lacing their fingers together just as he always does any time they're both seated on the same side of a booth or table. He offers Jade a reassuring smile and she returns it, squeezing his hand tightly and pulling it into her lap where it will remain until their food comes and they need both hands free to eat.
"So, you two were set up by friends?" Jade asks, taking a sip of the water that was already waiting for her on the table
"We were." John nods "A friend of mine, Richard, you met him on New Year's Eve a few years ago Jade, he works in the same real estate office as Angie. He thought we would be a good fit."
"Turns out he was right, at least so far." Angie laughs
"That's great." Jade offers them a genuine smile "I'm really happy for you both."
"So how is the entertainment industry treating my two favorite actors?" John asks "Anything new to share?"
"Still a fake lawyer on TV." Jade smirks "It's looking like we'll get a fourth season renewal, so that's exciting."
"Can I just say Jade, I had absolutely no idea that you and John were related until he told me." Angie says "I'm a huge fan of the show, I love the girl-power-feminism that Lindsey stands and fights for, but I really had no clue. West is such a common name I didn't think anything of it."
"She found out pretty quickly though." John laughs "I can't help bragging about you, Jade."
"I know you can't." Jade sighs with a smile "Thank you for saying that, Angie. I try to play her that way, and it's good to know she's connecting with people."
"I can't believe you've never been nominated for anything."
"It's network TV." Jade shrugs "It's hard to get recognition in the world of streaming services and limited series. It's totally okay though, I love my job and that's all that matters. Especially if I'm still reaching and connecting with the audience in some way."
"Nicely put, sweetheart." John nods "Beck? What about you? How's work?"
"I, uh..." Beck looks from John to Jade back to John, unsure if he should be truthful in his answer or not
"You can say it." Jade assures him "People will find out eventually."
"I'm leaving Med at the end of the season." Beck says "Or at least that's how it looks right now. My agent and I have a meeting with the showrunner and the head writers tomorrow morning to try to work everything out."
"Oh." John looks surprised, as does Angie "May I ask why?"
As far as he knew, his son-in-law loves his job and the people that he works with. Jade hadn't mentioned anything to him at dinner a few night ago either. John can't think of any reason why Beck would want to leave. It's his hope that it's because he has something else lined up. Although he knows his daughter can take care of herself, he doesn't like the idea of her having to support an out-of-work actor with her own earnings while he sits around and does nothing all day.
"I've been cast in a major motion picture that will seriously interfere with the filming of the show." Beck explains, careful not to give too many details away so that he doesn't get in trouble with either one of the studios "I already missed a lot of filming when I was doing Seventh Platoon in the fall, and I don't think the writers would be very happy about having to figure out another way to explain Jason's absence again. I don't want to put them in the position to have to either, so it feels like an amicable exit is the best option."
"I see." John nods, looking to his girlfriend "Sounds reasonable and respectful, doesn't it?"
"It does." Angie agrees "I don't think anyone can blame you for making the best choices for yourself and your career either."
"That's what I told him." Jade shoots her husband a knowing look "See?"
"I know, I know." Beck sighs "It's just hard to accept that walking away from the thing that literally changed my life in so many ways is the best thing for my career."
"Well, like I said. Reasonable and respectful." John affirms "And if for some reason you run into any legal issues with the contract, let me know. I'd be more than happy to help."
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
The rest of the meal goes relatively well. Angie seems nice enough, although it's easy to tell that she herself was a bit nervous going into the meeting. Jade understands, she knows from experience that meeting someone's family can be overwhelming...and it's probably even more so when said family is television-famous. The group parts ways afterwards promising to get together again soon, and Jade gives Angie her number just in case she needs to contact her for any reason. It feels like a good first step, almost like an olive branch to let her know that she's accepted her as part of her father's life, and her's and Beck in return.
"That went well." Beck says in the car on the way home "Don't you think?"
"I do, yeah." Jade laughs
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because I knew it would be fine and I said that, but no one seemed to believe me." Jade points out "Angie isn't a someone to replace my mom, but she is someone who can make my dad happy. Yes, I miss my mom, but that doesn't mean my dad should have to be lonely for the rest of his life. As long as she's good for him and she's nice, there's no reason why she and I wouldn't get along or why I wouldn't be happy for them."
"I see your point." Beck nods, reaching over to take his wife's hand "But I'm still proud of you for going. You might not realize it right now, but that was a big step."
"I know it was." Jade smirks "Thank you for taking it with me."
"Of course." Beck smiles "For a lifetime, right?"
"For a lifetime, yeah."
"I would be lying if I said I didn't see this coming." Mark, one of the head writers of Manhattan Med sighs
"You...you saw it coming?" Beck is confused
How could they have seen his departure from the show coming? Beck hadn't even been able to see it himself.
"Your a hot commodity, kiddo." Mark shrugs, looking to the other writer in the room with them, Erica "People want you in their cast because you're talented. You get the viewers tuned in and the audiences to the theaters."
"Thank you? I think?"
"Of course we want you to stay here with us." Erica points out "But we can't blame you for wanting to go."
"Well now hang on here just a second." Melissa, the showrunner, cuts in "He's one of our biggest characters, are we sure we want to let him go this easily? Beck? What if we increased your pay?"
"You already pay him $50,000 per episode." Craig points out "Can you really afford to offer him more than that? The ratings are good, but I'm not sure they're that good."
"I'll answer that for you, Mel. You can't afford to do that." Mark cuts back in "Not without reducing the salaries of the other actors or reducing the number of crew members. Neither of which will go over well."
"It doesn't have to be a permanent write out!" Beck assures them "I mean, I don't have to be gone forever. I'll come back and guest star, for...half of my current salary!"
"Alright, Beck. Don't make offers you'll regret later." Craig warns him
"I'm being serious!" Beck assures everyone in the room "I am so seriously grateful to all of you for taking a chance on me and giving me this part. If I hadn't come to New York to do this, I wouldn't have anything close to the career that I have now, and I certainly wouldn't have my wife. I owe my life to this show, and while I know that leaving is the best and hardest choice, I'll do whatever I can to make it as easy as possible for you guys."
"We need to find a way to write him out without writing Lacey out too." Erica sighs "Beck, does she know you're leaving?"
"I've talked to both Lacey and Jack, yes."
Those conversations were hard, telling the actors who play his girlfriend and best friend on the show, and have turned into great friends to him in real life as well, that he had plans to depart the show. Both of them, while upset to see him go, had been happy for him, proving Jade's theory that no one can be truly mad at him for making the best choices for his career.
"We'll have to break up Jason and Olivia." Mark references Lacey's character "The viewers will be heartbroken, but there's no other way to do it. Unless we kill him off, but even then they still wouldn't be together anymore."
"We can't kill him." Erica shakes her head "I liked his suggestion of leaving the option for him to return as a guest star. If we do that, it needs to be part of the plot and not just a flashbacks. We'll get better ratings that way."
"I agree with not killing him off." Craig nods "It's a better look for him. Usually people only kill characters off when they have bad blood with the actor."
"Beck..." Melissa sighs, speaking for the first time in a while "Are you sure there's nothing I can do or say to you that will convince you to stay?"
"This is the best choice for me and my career right now." Beck shakes his head "I...I need to do this movie, I can't pass up the opportunity. The obligations would take me away from here far more than a fair amount, and I don't want people to be jumping through hoops every week to make it possible."
"Alright..." Melissa sighs "What if there was a drug trial? Somewhere not in Manhattan or Los Angeles, maybe in Minnesota at Mayo? They contact Jason because he's one of the best in his field and they desperately need his help to save these patients, and while people are upset and will miss him...no one can really blame him for going because it's the right choice."
"I like that idea." Beck nods
In a way, it mirrors what is really happening. Not exactly, but close enough.
"Jason and Olivia will agree to do long distance." Erica nods "We let that play out for the better part of a season and then we introduce a new love interest that is an even better fit and the viewers start rooting for them as a couple instead."
"Well, hang on-" Beck starts to speak, but is cut off
"You're lucky you're getting a say in how you go out." Craig stops him "Don't expect to get a say in what happens to other characters once you're gone. If Jason isn't on the show anymore, it's inevitable that Olivia is going to end up with someone else."
"Alright..." Beck nods
"Alright." Melissa nods "We'll set this up for a season-finale departure."
"Thank you, everyone." Beck says to the room "Like I said, I wish the circumstances were different and I could find a way to stay...but I don't want to be an inconvenience. I appreciate everything you're going to do to make this work."
"Well?"
Jade is sitting on the couch when Beck arrives home from set, her own script for the next episode of Beyond the Innocent in her lap and a pencil in her hand so that she can make notes for herself as she reads through. Georgia is curled up beside her, and a fire is burning in the fireplace, giving the room a warm and comfortable feel.
"They agreed to it." Beck tells her as he enters the living room "Jason Harmon is headed to do good work at the Mayo clinic at the end of the season. There's still an option to guest star in the future, but we'll see what actually ends up happening. Once everything with the contracts is finalized, they're going to put out a press release to announce my departure."
"That's good, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Beck sighs as he flops down on the couch beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders "It's just very bittersweet, you know? I'm so excited to do this movie and to see what doors it's going to open for me, I'm just sad to be leaving."
"I know." Jade nods, resting her head against his shoulder "How did Jack and Lacey take it?"
"They want me to stay, but they can't blame me for going." He shrugs "They both told me they were really happy for me."
"I told you that they would be." Jade smiles a bit "And hey, now we can finally get those tattoos."
"S'true, we can." Beck laughs "Matching tattoos are a big step though, you know."
Since they have gotten married, the two of them have discussed getting tattoos for one another on their ring fingers. Beck would have a cursive J and Jade would have a cursive B. They've put off getting them because they didn't want the makeup departments to have to airbrush over them every single day that they're on set. Jade's character is engaged, so her costume rings would hide it without having to do so, but Beck's character wasn't engaged or married so his would need to be covered. With his departure from the show though, it would finally present them with the opportunity to do so. A permanent reminder of their love for each other inked on their bodies.
"Bigger than getting married?"
"I know, I was kidding." Beck smirks, pressing a kiss to the top of his wife's head "I love you, you know. Thanks for coming on this crazy journey with me."
"Of course." Jade smiles as she closes her eyes and relaxes into him "I love you too."