Serena refuses to go to the hospital for a contentious surgery despite Nigel and others urging her, because Cindy is unstable and Nigel insists Serena take the blame for an abduction. She resists, calling the procedure a "metal taboo" and insisting, "I'm keeping this child." Staff hold her down as she struggles. The doctor is told to proceed; during the restraint someone orders, "Doctor, continue. If anything goes wrong, it's on me." The operation begins under that promise, leaving Serena restrained and the child's fate unresolved.