Could I Leave You?

"Could I Leave You?" is the 40th episode of Desperate Housewives.

Plot
After Susan is discharged from the hospital, Dr. Ron arrives in her hospital room to bring her home and to ask her a few questions. Ron asks if she happens to know anyone named Mike, because while under surgery Susan professed her love for Mike, much to Ron's chagrin. Susan lies and assures Ron that he is mistaken and that she is not seeing anyone. He then asks if she is married to Karl Mayer because of Nurse Hisel's run-in with him. Susan tells Ron that the relationship is platonic and that Susan only re-married Karl because he has an excellent insurance plan. Ron feels hurt that Susan could not afford medical care but is still upset that she did not tell him. Later, Susan invites Dr. Ron and Karl over for dinner where they actually have a good time in each other's company. The plot thickens when Karl purposely breaks a pipe which proceeds to leak. Karl then asks Ron to go across the street and alert the plumber, whom he refers to only as "Delfino". Ron then hurries across the street and explains the situation to Mike. As he gathers his tools, Mike tells Ron to call him by his first name. Immediately, Ron runs out of the house where Susan is already on the street chasing after. Susan then falls out of her wheelchair making it look as if Ron pushed her. Mike sees this and threatens him never to hurt her. While Mike walks away, Dr. Ron shoves him but the fight is soon broken up. Susan is then left on the street alone. Soon after, Mike tries to patch things up but only makes matters worse since Susan is still angered because of their break-up. She soon regrets her words when Dr. Ron breaks up with her via telephone.

Gabrielle is puzzled when their adoption lawyer continues to present them with "ugly" mothers. Gabrielle tries to convince the lawyer and Carlos that she wants a "pretty baby" meaning that the mother should be at Gabrielle's standards. The Solises find no luck until the lawyer introduces them to Libby, a pole dancer. Libby satisfies Gabrielle's standard for beauty, and it appears that Libby will consent to the adoption. However, after Libby finds out that the Solises are Mexican, she refuses to give them the baby since she feels they may be "underprivileged". Gabrielle scoffs at this and offers Libby a gift to guarantee the baby. Libby agrees which makes Gabrielle extremely satisfied. Little does Gabrielle know that Libby knows the identity of the father and that she is planning to use the Solises to get what she wants.

Bree begins attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and befriends her sponsor, Peter. Bree manages to lie to Peter stating that she has been sober for a while and that she is only there to please her son who is convinced she has a problem. Peter tries to delve deeper but Bree is very modest with him. Later at a department store, Bree purchases a few clothing items and proceeds to have a drink at the bar. She then spots Justin and Andrew from a distance at the check out corner. Bree asks why Andrew is there since he is supposed to be grounded. Andrew tells her to be quiet since he will lie under oath and say that Bree molested him while under the influence. Bree becomes very angered at this and is forced to surrender her credit card. Later, she becomes extremely drunk and passes out in a dressing room. Hours later, Bree discovers that she is locked in the store alone. After getting dressed, Bree becomes stuck in the security fence and is forced to call her sponsor, Peter. Peter manages to help her out and drives her home.

Lynette and Ed Ferrara hire a new partner to the advertising firm, Veronica, who is a young mother. When she asks Lynette if she will be able to breastfeed her son Donovan, Lynette tells her it should not be a problem. However, when the other partners learn that Veronica's child is 5 years old, they find it a little abnormal that she is still breastfeeding. Ed then forces Lynette to confront her and ask her to close the drapes but also to wean him off. Veronica defends herself saying that she cannot lose any weight through exercise and that breastfeeding is the only way she is staying thin. Later Lynette spots Veronica's son and asks him if he would like a chocolate milk. She then takes a quart from the refrigerator and gives it to him. Immediately, Donovan takes a liking to the milk and does not want his mother's milk anymore. This causes Veronica to become upset since without nursing she will become fat again. Lynette tries her best to comfort her but is satisfied that her scheme was a success.

Meanwhile on Wisteria Lane, Matthew Applewhite wants to buy Danielle a present for her birthday but cannot because he does not have a job. Betty offers him money but Matthew is set on getting a job and moving on with his life. He then tells his mother that they should put Caleb away since they will not have to hide anymore and he will be safer. Betty scoffs at this and offers Matthew twenty dollars. When Danielle arrives home, she finds Caleb hiding in her bedroom and he offers her a gift. Danielle tells him to go home, but when Caleb refuses, she shoos him out calling him a freak. Caleb, angered and hurt, runs out of the house.

Trivia

 * Although credited, Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), Paul Young (Mark Moses), Tom Scavo (Doug Savant), and Zach Young (Cody Kasch) do not appear in this episode.
 * The episode title is that of the song "Could I Leave You?", which is sung by Phyllis Rogers Stone in the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies.
 * French Title: Des liens rompus (Broken Bonds)
 * German Title: Trennungen (Separations)
 * Italian Title: Potrei Mai Lasciarti? (Could I Leave you?)
 * Hungarian Title: Elválások (Separations)
 * Polish Title: Separacje (Separations)