9-1-1: Lone StarTommy Vega has always seemed strong enough to handle anything, a belief that is being tested once again. Monday’s episode ended with Gina Torres’ character tearfully revealing that her doctor found something “wrong” with her latest mammogram.

This devastating turn of events was set in motion, oddly enough, when Nancy accidentally texted a photo of herself to everyone at 126. Nancy and Mateo managed to prevent most of their coworkers from seeing it, but she knew it was over when Tommy called her to his office. However, instead of being punished, Nancy was encouraged to be examined by a doctor; Tommy noticed what appeared to be a lump on one of Nancy’s breasts in the photo.

It was a whiplash-inducing shift in tone, one that actress Brianna Baker appreciated for its realism. “That’s real life,” Nancy’s interpreter tells TVLine. “When you get shocking or bad news, you say, la dee da, and suddenly it’s like a hammer falling. “I liked that there was no foreshadowing.”

As a show of support, Tommy surprised Nancy at the doctor’s office, where he also scheduled a mammogram. It was an emotional moment between the two characters, whose mentor-student relationship has taken on a slight mother-daughter dynamic over the years.

Working alongside a powerhouse like Torres “might be the way you imagine it,” Baker says. “Being around her is like drinking a hot cup of tea on a crisp fall day. She’s calming, funny, can make all kinds of jokes, and is there if you ever have something to talk about. She is a pillar of wisdom, but she also treats you as an equal. I feel very lucky to have been able, for years, to follow her, observe her and work with her. “He is one of the best people I will probably meet on screen.”

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One of the few positive aspects of all this is that Mateo and Nancy have never been more in love. He was completely willing to shave his head if she was diagnosed with cancer. Baker is proud of the relationship she has built on screen with her co-star Julian Works, whom she calls “an incredible actor.” She loves that they can both be a little more, whether it’s “doing something silly or nerdy, or making some big gesture of love in front of people while they’re at work,” but also “they both have a level of emotional depth.” “

For Nancy, the doctor called with good news: the lump is a cyst, not a tumor. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Tommy, who confided in Nancy that his doctor “found something.” With tears in his eyes, Tommy told him, “It’s bad.”

Moving forward, Nancy will be Tommy’s confidant as he faces this health hurdle, an unexpected responsibility that “definitely wears on her.” In addition to Nancy being “terrified of losing this woman she considers a mother,” Baker adds that Nancy also “probably has PTSD as far as the worst-case scenarios of this diagnosis go.” In other words, she already lost a mother and doesn’t want history to repeat itself.

Elsewhere in this week’s episode, Owen admitted to physically ending his brother’s life when Robert seemed to lose his temper. His guilt has been weighing on him, and according to Marlene, that guilty energy has been stopping Thunder from letting Owen get close. With a clear conscience, Owen finally mounted the wild steed and emerged triumphantly from a barn that caught fire due to a gas leak.

What do you think about this week’s episode? Tommy and Nancy’s emotional bond? Baker’s colorful description of what it’s like to enjoy Torres’ presence? Whatever you have in mind, Leave it in a comment below.