Lone Star’s Brianna Baker responds to Nancy’s health scare and explains why she’s especially “terrified” of Tommy

9-1-1: Lone star‘s Tommy Vega 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 “bad” on her latest mammogram.

This devastating turn of events was, strangely enough, set into motion when Nancy accidentally texted a naughty photo of herself to everyone in the 126. Nancy and Mateo managed to keep most of their colleagues from seeing the photo, but she knew it was right when Tommy called her into her office. However, rather than being punished, Nancy was encouraged to be examined by a doctor; Tommy noticed a lump on one of Nancy’s breasts in the photo.

It was a whiplash-inducing tonal change, which actress Brianna Baker appreciated for its realism. “That’s how it is in real life,” Nancy’s portrayer tells TVLine. “When you get shocking news or bad news, you think: la dee da, then suddenly a hammer comes down. I liked that there was no foreshadowing.”

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

Working with a powerhouse like Torres “might be the way you imagine it,” Baker says. “Being with her is like drinking a hot cup of tea on a crisp autumn day. She’s calm, she’s fun, she can make all kinds of jokes, and she’s there if you ever have anything to talk about. She is a pillar of wisdom, but she also treats you as an equal. I feel so lucky to have been able to shadow her for years, watch her and work with her. She is one of the best people I will probably ever see on screen.”

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One of the few positives to all of this is that Mateo and Nancy have never been so in love. He was fully prepared to shave his head when she was diagnosed with cancer. Baker is proud of the on-screen relationship she has built with co-star Julian Works, whom she calls “an incredible actor.” She loves that they can both be a little extra, “doing something crazy or nerdy, or making a grand gesture of love in front of people while they’re at work,” but they also 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 couldn’t be said for Tommy, who confided in Nancy that her doctor had “found something.” With tears in her eyes, Tommy told her, “It’s bad.”

Going forward, Nancy will act as Tommy’s confidante as she faces this health obstacle, an unexpected responsibility that “certainly weighs on her shoulders.” In addition to Nancy being “terrified of losing this woman she looks to as a mother,” Baker adds that Nancy also “probably has PTSD as far as the worst-case scenarios of this diagnosis.” In other words, she’s already lost one mother – and she doesn’t want history to repeat itself.

Elsewhere in this week’s episode, Owen admitted that he physically ended his brother’s life when Robert seemed to lose his nerve. His guilt weighs on him, and according to Marlene, that guilty energy has kept Thunder from letting Owen get close. With a clear conscience, Owen eventually rode atop the wild horse and emerged triumphant from a barn that burned down due to a gas leak.

Your thoughts on this week’s episode? The emotional bond between Tommy and Nancy? Baker’s colorful description of what it’s like to bask in Torres’ presence? Whatever you’re thinking about put it in a comment below.