ET exclusively debuts a first look from Wednesday's episode, which also marks Jussie Smollett's final appearance this season.
The deteriorating health of a Lyon is putting everything into perspective.
On Wednesday's episode of Empire, titled "Without All Remedy," the dire diagnosis of Lucious (Terrence Howard) and Cookie's (Taraji P. Henson) eldest son, Andre (Trai Byers), becomes the family's No. 1 priority, and as ET's exclusive sneak peek indicates, it's going to be one heartbreaking road ahead.
Earlier this season, Andre received the worst news anyone could get: terminal cancer -- Stage 4 lymphoma. And now is the time for his family to put aside their differences and give him the support he needs to prevail.
In the emotional clip, Lucious reflects on the first time Andre got "really, really sick" as a young boy soon after the death of their first child.
"You had this cough but we didn't know what it was. We were callin' all over to all these emergency rooms and one nurse got on the phone and she said, 'What you need to do is you need to wrap the boy up, take him outside so that you could breathe in the cold air.' And man, it was cold," Lucious remembers, as the scene flashes back to that fateful night decades ago with a young Lucious and Cookie scared for their baby boy.
"I'm praying and I'm looking down at you. You looked up at me and it was almost as if you knew that I needed you to get better," Lucious continues, before he pleads with Andre. "I still need you to get better. You hear me?"
Only problem is, this isn't just a cough Andre has. Can he get through this? Watch ET's exclusive sneak peek below.
Wednesday's hour also marks Jussie Smollett's final appearance as Jamal this season on Empire, as he was dropped from the final two episodes after he was arrested in February for allegedly filing a false police report in which he claimed he was a victim of a hate crime. All charges against Smollett have since been dropped, though the city of Chicago is seeking reimbursement from the actor to cover over $130,000 in investigatory fees, which Smollett has refused to cover.
While it is unclear whether Smollett will retain his job on Empire should the Fox drama be renewed for a sixth season, his TV mom, Henson, seemed confident he'll be reinstated.
"I talk to Jussie all the time. He's doing well. We're all doing well. The show is doing well," she said during an April appearance on The View, sharing that right now, Smollett is still part of the Empire family: "Yes. I haven't heard anything else."
Empire airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
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