In the first half of season 3, Mac met , the child that Claire relinquished for adoption before she met Mac. They met when Mac caught him following Stella, who Reed mistakenly believed to be his mother. Mac offers him his business card and asks for a chance to get to know him, but is initially turned down. In spite of Reed's reluctance to keep in touch with Mac, Mac still reaches out to him. At Thanksgiving, Mac visits Reed at his adoptive parents' home and gives him photos of Claire. (The pictures of Claire are actually given to Reed when Mac has invited him for burgers and gets a call, Mac asks Reed to "hold on to these for me.") Later, Reed turns to Mac after the young man is brutally beaten because of an article he is writing for the college newspaper.