Debbie breaks up with Neal when he falls for his nurse, and she quits her job at the parking garage after welding an unruly patron's car door to a dumpster. From there, her plot line focuses on her desire to find work as a welder, which proves difficult for a young female. So she accepts scab work, forfeiting the protection of union benefits, for easy money under the table. A few jobs later, her foot gets crushed under a metal pipe during a work site raid. Without a legitimate job, Debbie is unable to obtain affordable medical care and decides to amputate her toes rather than undergo expensive surgery that would keep her out of work for months.