Never Have I Ever Spinoff Concept Season 3 (FAN MADE)

Chapter 5: Never Have I Ever Faced a Family Crisis

The episode opens with Devi still grappling with her uncertainty about Ben. After their tense conversation in the previous episode, she hasn't texted him back yet, unsure of how to move forward. She's walking across campus, lost in thought, when her phone suddenly rings. It's her mom, Nalini.

"Hey, Mom, what's up?" Devi asks, her voice casual.

There's a pause on the other end, followed by a shaky breath. "Devi, I... I'm in the hospital."

Devi's heart skips a beat. "What? What happened?"

"It's nothing to worry about," Nalini says, trying to sound calm, but Devi can hear the strain in her voice. "I had a small heart attack."

Devi's world tilts. "A heart attack? Are you okay? What—what do you need? Do you need me to come home?"

Nalini sighs. "I'm fine for now. The doctors are keeping me here for observation, but I don't want you to panic. I just thought you should know."

But Devi is already in panic mode. The thought of losing her mom—especially after losing her dad—sends a wave of fear through her. "I'm coming home," she says firmly.

Within hours, Devi is on a flight back to Sherman Oaks, leaving behind the academic stress of Princeton and her unresolved issues with Ben. As she sits on the plane, her mind races. She can't believe this is happening. First Pati, now her mom. It feels like her world is crumbling all over again.

Once she lands in California, Devi heads straight to the hospital. Nalini is sitting up in bed, looking tired but stable. Still, seeing her mom hooked up to monitors makes Devi feel like a child again—helpless and scared.

"Mom," Devi says softly, rushing to her side.

Nalini gives her a weak smile. "You didn't have to come all the way here. I told you, it's not that serious."

"It's serious to me," Devi says, her voice trembling. "You're all I have left, Mom. I can't lose you too."

Nalini's expression softens, and she reaches out to hold Devi's hand. "You're not going to lose me, Devi. I'm going to be okay. But you need to take care of yourself too. You have a whole life back at Princeton."

Devi shakes her head. "None of that matters right now. I just want to make sure you're okay."

The days that follow are tense. Devi stays by her mom's side as much as she can, helping her recover. Kamala also flies home to be with the family, and the two of them take turns caring for Nalini. Devi tries to keep up with her schoolwork remotely, but her focus is scattered.

Ben, meanwhile, is growing more anxious. He knows something's wrong when Devi goes silent after their last conversation, and when she finally texts him, telling him about her mom's heart attack, his heart sinks. He wants to be there for her, but with the physical distance between them, he's not sure how.

I'm so sorry, Devi. I wish I could be there with you, Ben texts.

Thanks. I just need to focus on my mom right now, Devi replies. I don't know how long I'll be here.

The distance between them grows even more, not just physically but emotionally. Ben feels like he's losing Devi, and Maya's continued attention at school only complicates things further. Every time he tries to reach out to Devi, she's preoccupied, understandably focused on her family crisis.

At the hospital, Devi finds herself falling back into old patterns. The stress of taking care of her mom, the fear of losing her, and the pressure of keeping up with school are taking a toll on her mental health. She starts having flashbacks to the time after her dad's death—the suffocating grief, the anger, the isolation. She doesn't want to go back to that dark place, but it feels like she's slipping.

One night, she sits outside the hospital, staring up at the stars, feeling completely alone. Kamala comes to sit beside her.

"How are you holding up?" Kamala asks gently.

"I don't know," Devi admits. "I'm scared, Kamala. What if Mom doesn't get better?"

"She will," Kamala reassures her. "The doctors said she's going to be fine, but she'll need to take it easy for a while."

Devi nods, but the anxiety gnaws at her. "I can't lose her too. I barely held it together after Dad, and now..."

Kamala puts an arm around her. "You're not going to lose her. And you don't have to go through this alone. I'm here. We'll get through this together."

As the days go on, Devi throws herself into caring for her mom, but her relationship with Ben continues to deteriorate. They hardly speak, and when they do, it's brief and strained. Ben wants to help, but he feels powerless, stuck at Columbia while Devi deals with everything in California. Maya, ever persistent, offers a sympathetic ear, and Ben finds himself confiding in her more and more.

By the end of the episode, Nalini is discharged from the hospital, but Devi knows things won't go back to normal anytime soon. She'll need to stay in Sherman Oaks for a while to help her mom adjust to her new lifestyle. Her academic life at Princeton is in jeopardy, and her relationship with Ben is hanging by a thread.

The episode ends with Devi sitting on her mom's couch, exhausted, as Ben calls her. She picks up, but the conversation is awkward.

"How's your mom?" Ben asks.

"She's okay," Devi replies. "But I'm going to be here for a while. I don't know when I'll be able to come back."

"I understand," Ben says, but there's an unspoken tension between them.

"Ben, I... I don't know how to do this," Devi admits quietly. "Everything feels so far away—school, us, everything."

Ben's silence on the other end speaks volumes.

As Devi hangs up, she looks out the window, feeling the weight of her world shifting yet again. Her mom's health, her future at Princeton, her relationship with Ben—it all feels uncertain, and for the first time in a long time, Devi doesn't know what to do.