In an Instant

With the kittens grow old enough to eat on their own, Chloe takes the remaining three kittens to the shelter. A boy named Eric greets her and looks at the kittens, impressed that Chloe nursed them herself. Eric then offers Chloe a volunteer job at the shelter. Finn encourages her sister to accept, knowing how bored and lonely Chloe is. The kittens begin to cry, but Eric says he’ll get to them when he can as he moves toward the door. Chloe goes to the fridge for kitten formula to feed them herself.

On Easter morning, Finn finds Jack and Vance in a standoff in the cabin’s kitchen. The house is a mess from them being there for over a month. Vance demands the keys, saying he wants to see Chloe. Jack challenges him, so Vance proposes that they go home if he gets the keys. If Vance fails, they’ll both stay at the cabin. Jack agrees and takes a fighting stance with one of his crutches. Vance lunges and takes Jack to the floor. They continue to fight until Jack gets Vance in a choke hold. Vance reaches for the keys, and Finn sees her dad shift, allowing Vance to reach the keys. Finn cheers, seeing her dad wants to go home.

At a gas station, Vance calls Ann to say they’re headed home. Ann is elated at the news and continues preparing a lavish dinner. She even laughs at a memory of Finn as she bastes a ham. Aubrey and Ben arrive, and Chloe comes downstairs with Finn, the kitten. The front door opens again, and Jack enters, immediately engulfed in hugs from Aubrey, Ben, and Chloe. Ann stands apart, smiling as she watches. Vance then enters the house, and Ann moves forward to hug him. Chloe pulls Vance outside, and Ann raises her arms awkwardly to hug Jack. They are both unsure of what to do. Ann thanks him for coming, and he grabs her and kisses her passionately. They move into the kitchen. While Finn is happy about her parents’ reunion, she senses her father’s suppressed anger about Bob.

Chloe and Vance sit on the beach and examine each other’s missing fingers. Vance apologizes, but Chloe stands, not walking to discuss the accident. Instead, she tells him about the kittens and volunteering at the shelter. Vance tells her about his search for Oz and living with Jack at the cabin. They continue walking hand in hand down the beach, and Chloe forgives Vance.

The pair returns to the house, and everyone sits for Easter dinner. As they finish dessert, Aubrey says Chloe has agreed to be her maid of honor, which greatly excites Ann. Chloe goes upstairs to try on her dress. She returns wearing it with a pair of Doc Martens, and the combination makes Ann and Aubrey laugh hysterically. Chloe pretends to waltz with Vance, so Aubrey and Ben join them. The couples eventually break off, leaving Jack and Ann alone. The two agree to figure things out tomorrow so they can enjoy the normalcy tonight.

Chloe and Vance talk in the backyard. He says he won’t return to college and wants to finish searching for Oz. He then shares how much he learned from Jack and wishes he was more like him. Chloe’s and Finn’s eyes tear up, knowing their dad saved Vance.

Because Laguna Beach is a small town, news of Bob’s arrest for negligent homicide spreads quickly. Finn visits Bob and Karen and sees they aren’t handling the situation well. Bob has posted bail and continuously drinks, and Karen looks a decade older. Natalie looks dazed, unable to cope. Bob’s lawyer has encouraged him to take the district attorney’s plea deal. Bob will avoid prison by pleading guilty, though he’ll be a convicted felon and likely lose his dentistry practice. Karen approaches Bob and says the newspapers are wrong about him. She then says she and Natalie will stay with her parents in San Diego until everything calms down. Bob yells for her to get out and throws a bottle of scotch at the wall.

Chloe spends much of her time at the shelter, grateful for the distraction it and Eric provide. Eric is bathing a German shepherd named Hannibal when she walks by. Finn knows there’s chemistry between the two, but Chloe is reluctant after what she’s been through.

Five days after Easter, Jack returns to physical therapy, determined to regain his life. After the therapist leaves, Jack goes into the garage to lift weights. The garage is the one area of the house that holds anything belonging to Oz or Finn. Unlike Ann, Jack forces himself to remember his dead children. Finn thinks doing so drags him down, wondering if her mom was right to throw everything away.

After his workout, Jack re-enters the house and goes through the same pre-game ritual he did with Finn and Oz. He sits and watches a baseball game between the Angels, their favorite team, and the Giants. As the game ends, Ann comes home and sees what Jack’s doing. She goes for a run, and Jack returns to the garage to talk to one of Finn’s jerseys about the game. Ann returns an hour later and reminds Jack that their children are dead and that he needs to move past it. She offers to clean out the garage, but Jack tells her to stay away from it and that he can’t forget his children like she has.

On Sunday, Chloe and Eric are alone in the shelter. She backs him against a crate and kisses him. Eric then carries her to a nearby cot and undresses her, failing to notice her missing toes.

A week after their fight, Ann and Jack are together and happy again. As they lie in bed one morning, Jack confesses that he’s relieved Oz is gone. Ann holds and comforts him.

As Chloe works at the shelter’s front desk, Finn plays with a ball of lint. The ball floats through the door leading to the dog kennels, so Finn follows it without Chloe noticing. The kitten wanders into Hannibal’s kennel, causing him and the other dogs to bark. Chloe arrives instantly and enters the kennel against Eric’s command. She scoops up Finn and faces the large dog. Eric enters the kennel, distracting Hannibal while Chloe runs out with Finn. Hannibal then runs through the open gate into the yard. Eric tells Chloe never to do that again because he will help her every time but might not always be so lucky.

Chloe goes to the beach after work and walks across the boardwalk to sit in the sand. Finn begins to feel her sister letting her go, and Chloe blows Finn a kiss goodbye.

Ann answers the door and finds Mrs. Kaminski on her front porch. Mrs. Kaminski refuses Ann’s offer to come in and apologizes for not realizing something before now. She hands Ann a manilla envelope, explaining that it came home with Mo from the hospital, but she just found it. Ann refuses to take it, so Mrs. Kaminski pulls out a printed inventory list and Finn’s cell phone. She reads the list to Ann, which itemizes all of the clothing Mo had on her at the time of the accident. Mrs. Kaminski then tells Ann that she didn’t realize what she did for Mo and apologizes for not thanking her sooner. Mrs. Kaminski leaves, and Ann closes the door before throwing the envelope at the door.

Jack watches Ann run upstairs and retrieves the envelope. He charges Finn’s phone and reads the inventory, finally understanding what his wife endured while he was unconscious. Jack then scrolls through Finn’s pictures. When he hears Ann coming, he hides the phone and throws away the list. She says she’s going to work, so Jack offers to take care of dinner. After she leaves, he goes into the garage and puts all of Finn’s and Oz’s belongings into the bed of his truck. Reluctantly, Jack puts Finn’s jersey onto the pile last and drives to the thrift store. He moves everything into the donation bin. When he finishes, Finn feels her connection to her dad break.

Finn cries as she watches Aubrey’s wedding. At the reception, Mo and Kyle are inseparable and stunning together. Chloe brings Eric as her date, and Jack instantly loves him. At one point, the pair goes outside, and Chloe asks why Eric never asks about the accident. Eric asks if she wants to discuss it, and she says no. Eric then says talking about the accident won’t change his love for her, but he’s there to listen if she wants to talk. He’s grateful she survived and came into his life. Finn is equally thankful he came into Chloe’s.

Finn returns to the reception and watches Kyle ask Ann to dance. When Ann takes his hand, the final thread tethering Finn to the living world breaks, leaving her surrounded by light.