My Mother, My Sister

Summary
An in Joel's waiting room gets plenty of  from Cicely residents and even stirs s in some. But for Shelly, a surprise visit from her youth-crazed mother turns family life topsy-turvy.

Plot
Joel's rush of morning patients ends with a baby left alone in a in his waiting room. Marilyn did not see the mother, and all that is left with the baby is a. Marilyn hands the baby to Joel and goes to get. Ed and Joel examine the baby, who appears to be healthy. Joel ponders about the kind of person who would simply abandon a baby and Ed reminds him that he himself was abandoned as a child.

In the kitchen at The Brick, Adam berates Dave for subbing pancetta with bacon on an order. Holling s him for yelling at Dave, saying that no one is forcing him to work there. Adam mentions that he needs the money to support his baby, but is sincerely apologetic, and goes back in to work with Dave. Meanwhile, on KBHR, Chris puts out an announcement about the baby, along with a request for names. Inside The Brick, Shelly is surprised when Tammy shows up to tell Shelly that she got. Shelly looks every bit as young as Shelly and acts even more irresponsible. Holling is understandably surprised, then, when Shelly introduces Tammy as her mother. Upstairs in Shelly's room, Tammy is excited as she tells Shelly about how she met her fiance, Kenny, at a. After they get married, the two of them are planning to live in. Shelly is just as excited as Tammy. Later that night at The Brick, Maurice and Holling watch appreciatively as Tammy dances, with Holling holding the baby. Maurice had met Tammy before, as Shelly's at the Miss Northwest Passage pageant. He mentions that he thought that Tammy was her sister, as Shelly replies that they're kind of like sisters. Shelly is a bit uncomfortable at this comparison, but Holling does not notice.

Outside The Brick, Joel s Adam on his cooking, and Joel thanks him. Joel immediately knows something is wrong because Adam is usually rude to everyone. Adam mentions that he feels weird, and almost happy. Adam is apparently very concerned about this, for he is not himself anymore. He walks away feeling that something's wrong.

The next day, a very young-looking Kenny enters The Brick. He meets Holling, but Holling is confused when he refers to Shelly as Tammy's sister. After Tammy arrives and greets Kenny, the four of them sit down to talk. Holling talks about the natural wonder of a local, but Tammy and Kenny look politely uninterested. Meanwhile, Tammy and Kenny talk with Shelly about from the band, a conversation in which Holling is lost due to the. Later, as Tammy is preparing for bed, Shelly vents her, complaining that she always has to act as Tammy's older sister. She threatens to tell Kenny that Tammy is actually her mother, and then walks out in a rage.

At Joel's cabin, Joel arrives to find Adam. Joel attributes this to, or sympathetic pregnancy, where the man experiences the same pregnancy experience as the woman during pregnancy. Adam is doubtful, but can offer no other explanation for his condition. The next day, Adam arrives again, and blends. Joel attributes this to the s released during the second trimester of pregnancy. Adam eventually leaves to see his wife, satisfied with his role as chef, husband, and father.

That afternoon, Kenny is worried when he is unable to find Tammy anywhere. Shelly finds an apologetic note left by Tammy, and eventually finds her sitting alone in the movie theatre. Tammy apologizes for never having been a real mom for Shelly but Shelly tells her that she was always proud. They finally resolve their past arguments and Tammy promises to tell Kenny about their.

At Joel's office, he finds Marilyn playing. When he asks about the baby, Marilyn tells him that the mother returned and picked it up. Joel is more than a little saddened by this discovery, and finds a in his office, which he holds tenderly.

Tammy and Kenny are packing up their belongings and preparing to leave. Shelly bide her mother a tearful farewell and reminds her to wear her. The two drive off happily while Shelly and Holling wave goodbye.

Quotes
Joel: You're just going to leave me with a baby?! What am I supposed to do with a baby? Marilyn: Feed her.

Chris: As Baby G came to us, today she also left. Come to find out the little "G" on here suit? A from brother George. "" comes from the Greek meaning stranger. She came to us a stranger, but she left with another name: friend. A lot of in such a small package. What's the need to name but the need to claim a thing, make it your own. Angel Bailey,,  on her shoulder,. How many times did I write here name in the margins of my, over every page of every ? "Angel loves Chris", "Chris loves Angel". They didn't have then but, if they did, I'd have tagged every  and  in. What's in a name? In the case of Angel, volumes.

Music

 * "A Woman Half My Age" by
 * "Laid Back" by
 * "" by ?
 * "Gimme Three Steps" by (also found on Northern Exposure: Music from the Television Series)
 * "Viola Concerto" by ?
 * "Scherzo" by
 * "" by (also in 1-4 and 2-3)
 * "Shame, Shame, Shame" by
 * "Paradise City" by
 * "I Could Never Live Without You" by
 * "Blue Sky" by
 * "Too Weak to Fight" by
 * "Hot Club Stomp" by
 * "" by ?
 * "Without You" by

Trivia

 * Tammy met Kenny in at a Desert Storm parade.
 * Kenny saw the while in the  during the  where he maintained s.
 * Tammy and Shelly drove from  to  where he opened for White Fang at the.
 * Tammy once had her  in the middle of the night (because she didn't make her ).
 * In the 6th grade, Chris had a on Angel Bailey, who had rose tattoo on her shoulder and used a gravity switchblade.
 * "Shelly Marie Tambo" (first time her middle name is mentioned)
 * Tammy can eat six s at a sitting.
 * Holling drives a.
 * Ruth-Anne is an.
 * According to Holling, the Sinkhole is a 3-mile  where he found Indian artifacts and is one of [ Cicely's] most fascinating natural wonders.
 * Shelly's earrings: Hawaiian dolls (with grass skirts) (Tammy: You wouldn't believe what a doll Kenny is),, s
 * Ed's movie reference: '' (1987) (baby found in Joel's office)
 * Baby "G"'s real name is Barbara Jean. "G" is for her big brother George.