On the mid-season finale of Chasing Life, April and Beth prepare to head to Italy, Finn breaks up with Brenna, Beth reveals her pregnancy to Josh, and the Carver’s deal with drama from the Ortiz family.
April dreams of visiting Italy, before Beth wakes her up. Beth has an appointment with the OBGYN that April has agreed to accompany her to. Simultaneously, April is struggling to finish the outline for her memoir and determine her book’s ending.
Cue opening theme.
Beth and April go to Beth’s appointment and they find out that Beth is six weeks pregnant, making the baby Josh’s. Hearing this, Beth starts to panic because she doesn’t think she and Josh can handle a baby given the newness of their relationship. A text from Sara soon interrupts, requesting that April come home.
The Carver family, plus George, worries about the consequences of Olivia publishing Tom’s book and the obvious parallels it draws to his life, including the circumstances surrounding his death. George says he has a meeting with Olivia, Natalie, and their lawyer the following day. He’s going to see what he can do to stop his brother’s book from being published.
April meets with Calvin. She’s struggling to write and the clock’s ticking before she has to show her progress to her publishers. Calvin suggests she consider “getting out of her element” like her dad and trying writing in a different venue. April likes the idea.
April hangs out with Dominic, who’s teaching her to play guitar. April admits Beth’s pregnancy and her family drama are overwhelming, so she’s going to Italy to get fresh inspiration for her book. Dominic suggests having a small get-together before she leaves to celebrate her trip and the fact that he was able to sell his house. April agrees, but seems skeptical given that Dominic could potentially be leaving Boston.
The next day, the Carver and Ortiz families meet to discuss Tom’s manuscript. The Ortiz’s want George to sign over his rights, but George and the Carver’s are unwilling to budge. They think Tom already did a good enough job of providing for Natalie; Olivia disagrees given the truth surrounding Tom’s death. Olivia had a hand in George’s lie, so she will go to the cops and tell them what really happened during Tom’s final minutes of life if George and the Carver’s don’t honor her request.
Brenna is shocked to hear about the Ortiz’s blackmail and is upset that Natalie would betray them. Her attention is redirected when a text from Finn indicates that he’s sick in the hospital.
Later, April re-considers going to Italy because of Olivia’s threat, though Sara encourages her to get away.
Brenna visits Finn in the hospital; he’s got the flu. She feels guilty that Finn kissed her without wearing his mask and worries that he’s sick because of her. Brenna jokes that she can keep her distance from him if that will help things. Finn says distance will be good, so he can focus on getting better and breaks up with Brenna.
Beth rehearses telling Josh she’s pregnant with April and Dominic. A knock at the door interrupts and Natalie shows looking for April. The two sisters discuss their father’s manuscript in private and April says the Carver’s aren’t backing down. She also tells Natalie how Brenna especially feels betrayed due to the Ortiz’s choice.
That night, April gets a paper cut while working on her book outline and the bleeding won’t stop. When she meets with her doctors, they inform her that her counts have dropped considerably, meaning the trial isn’t working. The doctor that runs the trial says it might be time to look into other options, but Dr. Hamburg knows April and isn’t going to let her quit so easily. She vows to help April keep fighting.
Meanwhile, Natalie shows up to Brenna’s school in an effort to make peace, but Brenna’s breakup with Finn hasn’t left her feeling very generous and she brushes off Natalie’s apology.
Back at the Carver house, Sara and George weigh their options in response to Olivia’s threat. George thinks he should admit his guilt to the cops, but Sara doesn’t like the idea. Enter Brenna and April who are soon included in the family decision. April says they can’t give up just like she can’t give up even now that her clinical trial has stopped working. She wants them to fight back and win.
Later, Beth continues to keep her pregnancy a secret from Josh at she and April’s going away party and Brenna struggles to let go of Finn until an unexpected visit from Greer helps ease her pain. She’s moving back to Boston.
Back at the party, Beth finally breaks down and tells Josh about the baby. Initially, he’s shocked, but he soon agrees to follow her lead and handle the situation however she wants. Beth says they can decide when she returns from Italy with April.
Simultaneously, April spends some alone time with Dominic and confesses she still has feelings for him. The pair shares a kiss before Dominic awkwardly insists they both need to move on. Confused, April leaves.
The next morning, George and Sara deliver Olivia a cease and desist letter that prevents her from publishing Tom’s manuscript. George also says he will deny his involvement in Tom’s death if Olivia tries to appeal to the police. Not easily deterred, Olivia tries to keep threatening the Carver’s, but when Natalie enters the conversation, she asks her mother to move on and stop creating more drama.
Back at the Carver house, April prepares to leave for Italy, feeling reassured, now that the issues with the Ortiz’s have been resolved and also wonders if she can ever truly move on from Leo. The next morning, Dominic shows up as April and Beth get ready to leave for the airport. Dominic has re-considered letting April go and doesn’t want their relationship to be done, so she invites him to Italy.
In Italy, April, Beth, and Dominic take pictures and go sightseeing. Later, Beth leaves the pair to find a gelato shop and they discuss how cancer has affected April’s life and regrets. Dominic is confident April will get better when they return home.
Back in Boston, Brenna gets dressed up for a night out with Greer and receives an update about the recipient of her stem cell donation; she's surprised to learn that Finn meets the patient’s description. Brenna’s plans get halted however, when the police appear on the Carver’s doorstep looking for George.
April, Dominic, and Beth get lost in Italy. While Dominic asks for directions, Beth tells April her plans for her and Josh’s baby. April gets a phone call, but ignores it.
Later, April, Beth, and Dominic watch the sunset when April reveals the call she ignored was from Dr. Hamburg. She wants April to have a transplant following the trip, since she probably won’t have luck with other clinical trials. April says she could die happy, because she’s already won and has found her final chapter, which seems to upset Beth and Dominic.
End of episode.
Image Credit: Walter McBride/INFphoto.com
Chasing Life airs every Monday at 9 p.m. on ABC Family. No word yet on when the series will return with all-new episodes.