'Happy Birthday Nate' - Eli and Nate are playing golf on Nate's birthday and discussing the Jim Cooper situation, and the fact that Eli has taken J.J.'s emancipation case. Eli notes that Cooper threatened Nate's job, and then starts giggling hysterically. He collapses to the ground… and looks up to find himself surrounded by children. They call for Nate, who is a young boy and refers to Eli as his dad. Eli as a young child is also there. After he comes out of it, Eli explains to Nate what happened and it's clear Nate still holds a grudge.
Back at the office, Jordan tells Eli he's not going to represent J.J. Jordan has been receiving calls from Cooper and notes that their fates are intertwined. If Cooper hears anything more about Eli involving himself with J.J., he'll leave the firm and take other clients with him. Jordan tells Eli to apologize. Cooper arrives and Eli tries to explain, but Cooper snaps at both of them and warns that he can end their firm. Jordan is offended and tells him to leave, saying they're taking J.J.'s case.
At P&K, Maggie talks to Matt and warns that someone is looking for the snitch. Because they both have friends at Wethersby-Stone, everyone considers them the prime suspects. Posner calls both of them in.
Jordan and Eli take J.J. to meet with Cooper's new lawyers: Maggie and Matt. Taylor is less than thrilled that Matt didn't warn her.
Angie visits the office and Keith tries to avoid her by ducking into Eli's office. However, Eli knows her and she sees Keith. She wonders why Keith has been ducking her. Patti arrives and informs Eli that all the doctors he wants to call as experts in J.J.'s cases are suddenly out of the country, thanks to Cooper.
Taylor is checking her waistline when Jordan comes in and notes that she's looking well. He notes that it's not a good idea to be concealing her pregnancy from Matt and he needs her at 110%. Taylor agrees to tell Matt later that day.
At P&K, Maggie admits to Matt that she told Eli about the mole. Matt figures Posner gave them the case as a test of their loyalty. However, he's distracted when Taylor arrives. He goes to talk to her and Matt brings up the case, saying J.J. is misguided and Cooper is right. Taylor gets angry at him and leaves without telling him anything.
Eli goes to see Nate, figuring he's supposed to be his medical expert. Nate is concerned it could affect his job but Eli is convinced the vision means Nate is supposed to testify. Nate agrees to testify about J.J.'s condition, while his boss Trevor Snyder comes in. Nate testifies that J.J.'s medical condition won't affect his emancipation. On cross-exam, Matt notes that he's too young to take care of himself and that J.J.'s doctors have testified that J.J. can't handle the disease. Nate notes that the doctors may have been influenced by Cooper's wealth. Matt asks if it's possible that J.J.'s disease could flare up and Nate has to admit it is. 
Patti talks to Keith, asking him why he hasn't called Angie. He claims he's busy and promises to call. She goes to see Eli and admits she thinks something is up. Eli starts acting drunk and Patti goes to get him some water. Eli finds himself in his father's body again, with young Eli trying to wake him up as he's passed out drunk at his desk at home. Eli sees his father's notebook of visions, including a notation on J.J. Cooper. Nate comes in, angry that his father hasn't gotten his birthday cake. Nate grabs the notebook and accuses his father of loving Eli more than him.
Eli talks to Frank, who notes that the notebook is definitely destroyed. He isn't sure what to do but thinks whatever his father was writing was important. Frank repeats his warning that God doesn't want Eli taking the case, and operates on his own schedule.
Matt arrives with flowers and candy as an apology for Taylor. Jordan intercepts him and figures that Taylor told Matt about the pregnancy. They both realized what has happened.
Snyder confronts Nate, angry that he's pissing off Cooper. As he leaves after giving his friendly warning, Frank arrives and tells Nate he needs to go back. He explains that Eli doesn't know it, but the book predicted that Nate would go back.
The next day, Nate returns to court as J.J. testifies that he has a support system of friends, and that Cooper tried to pay off his girlfriend and filled his pool. Maggie asks permission to let Cooper question his own son. The judge grants Maggie's motion and Cooper asks if J.J. knows he loves him more than any of his friends. J.J. says that his father kept his mother alive six months longer than she wanted, and he needs to let go. Cooper brings up the fact that when he was in Japan, he got a call from an E.R. that J.J. overdosed himself and asked his father why he left him alone. Cooper berates J.J. and Eli objects, insisting he'll risk contempt but he's taking J.J. off the stand. They go into private chambers and Eli snaps at Maggie, while Matt brings up Taylor's pregnancy and the fact she didn't tell him. Matt storms out and Taylor goes after him, and Eli tells Maggie they're done. Nate comes in and says that he saw J.J. shaking, indicating his condition is getting worse.
Angie is practicing dance when Keith comes to visit her. She's initially mad at him but they discuss music and she warms up. When she falls, Keith catches her and they kiss. However, he ends it and brings up the fact that the blood test came back positive for cocaine. She accuses him of believing the ADA and shows him she's taking omixidyl, which can cause positive tests for cocaine. She storms out as Keith tries to apologize.
Nate checks the MRIs which now show two lesions. He says they can't have sprung up overnight and someone has been reusing the old MRIs with new dates to show that J.J. was asymptomatic. J.J. comes in, having realized he's getting worse. As Nate steps out, Eli says that J.J. can still have a long life but J.J.'s dream of going to the Olympics has been crushed. Eli talks about his own experiences with his aneurysm and how he carried on as normal, and they both have to have hope. 
Eli confronts Cooper with the fake medical files and he demands to talk to his son. J.J. leaves and Eli explains that Cooper didn't to endanger his trials, and the hospital backed him for the money. Cooper insists he did it for J.J. and Matt advises him to stop talking. Eli requires Cooper to settle by agreeing to the emancipation and cut him a check, while Nate tells Snyder to clean house at the hospital or he'll file charges.
Taylor confronts Jordan, who admits he made a mistake. Taylor admits that at least it's over but Jordan wonders why she delayed telling Matt. She explains that she needed someone who wasn't Eli, but he wasn't supposed to be anything more than a break. Now things have changed.
Eli talks to Frank and admits he doesn't understand what's going on. Frank notes that Eli is still questioning God, and Eli realizes that he must have missed something, and the warning was against messing with J.J. He asks Frank to help with acupuncture and Eli relives the vision. Eli sees the burning laboratory and this time recognizes J.J. Eli tries to call J.J.'s girlfriend and discovers that J.J. has gone missing.
Eli drives to the laboratory building just as it bursts into flames. He breaks in and sees the burning laboratory from his vision. He goes to J.J., sitting by a can of gasoline, and tells him they need to get out. Eli gets him to safety. In the hospital, J.J. admits to Eli that he started the fire to take away something important from his father, the same way Cooper did to him. Eli assures him there won't be any charges filed thanks to Cooper's influence, but he'll have to undergo psychiatric evaluation. Eli says that if J.J. wants to be an adult, he'll have to admit when he needs others, including his father. Cooper comes in and sits with his son.
Matt visits Taylor and apologizes, and she apologizes, admitting she was afraid. He asks her to marry him, not just because of the baby but because he wants to be with her and have everything that normal couples do. Taylor accepts and kisses him.
Keith visits Angie's hospital to apologize to her but she's not on duty. The nurse on duty says that Angie was suspended weeks ago.
Frank is working in his shop when Nate comes to visit. He wants to know how Frank knew about what was in the book, and Frank says he made a copy. He explains that Eli isn't ready to know everything in it, and Nate can't tell him. Nate wants to know what the notebook says about him. Frank thinks about it for a moment then takes out the pages, including one addressed to Nate. It says that he was afraid to tell Nate in person, but he'll see Eli do amazing things and will feel lost. However, Eli won't be able to accomplish anything without Nate's love and patience.
Nate talks to Eli, who has heard from the hospital attorneys. They'll pay Nate a large amount of money in return for a non-disclosure statement and his resignation. Eli thinks that it's from dad and the vision involved Nate as a way to make up for his ruined childhood. Nate says it isn't large enough to do that and the brothers toast each other… and their father.
(Aired on Tuesday December 02 2008 on the ABC Television Network)
'Eli Stone' stars Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone, Victor Garber as Jordan Wethersby, Natasha Henstridge as Taylor Wethersby, Loretta Devine as Patti, Sam Jaeger as Matt Dowd, James Saito as Dr. Chen, Matt Letscher as Nathan Stone, Jason George as Keith Bennett and Julie Gonzalo as Maggie Dekker.
Guest stars includes, Thomas Cavanagh as Mr. Stone, Steven Culp as Jim Cooper Sr., Marshall Allman as Jim "J.J." Cooper Jr., Bruce French as Trevor Snyder, Amy Hill as Judge Uchimura, Taraji Henson as Angela Dellacroix, Curt Roland as Young Nate, Gattlin Griffith as Young Eli, Rosie Malek-Yonan as Nurse, Ashlee Ford as Girl, Cody Benjamin Lee as Boy #1 and Dakota Sky as Boy #2.
'Happy Birthday Nate' was written by Brett Mahoney and Alex Taub and directed by Perry Lang.
Source
ABC
