Mercy s01e04 Episode Script

- Oh, well, that reminds me.
Can you make this parking ticket disappear? - Oh, look at you-- All about the perks.
- You got that right.
God, it's boiling already.
- Hey.
Good morning, you guys.
Veronica, you look very pretty today.
- Okay.
We got a heat wave going here.
How about we turn down the happy lasers? - Okay, well, angel, you also look very cute today.
- Thank you, chloe.
See, that's how someone who's not profoundly damaged Takes a compliment.
- Can I have two sunny side up please? [cell phone ringing.]
- Hello? What? Hey! Hey! - This is too good.
- Homeless guy's got moves.
- Seriously.
- Lord! - That's gerald, the ass-hat who peed on my car.
I can't believe this, but I'm getting harris' back.
Cover me.
I'm going in.
Got you cornered, gerald.
- Drop the burrito.
- Oh! - [screaming.]
[rock music.]
- move forward, fall back life is like that and we're just getting started one thing's for sure ain't no remedy if you want to get right then you better get right with me hey, hey if you want to get right then you better get right with me better get right with me - Get away from me, nurse ratched.
- Easy there, gerald.
You're gonna pull your I.
V.
Out.
- I thought they fired you, you holy bitch.
- Hey, you're severely dehydrated.
You need the fluids.
- I want a witness.
She's trying to steal my insides! - Uh-huh.
- I'm not an organ donor.
- I promise you, no one's asking.
Now lie down.
Whoa.
You got some serious abscesses.
You're gonna need to let somebody Open these up and drain them, Or you're gonna lose a foot.
- She's gonna take my feet! - I'm not the one you have to worry about, gerald.
It wasn't my breakfast you splattered on the street.
- Hello, mr.
Pettit.
How are you? Me, I'm hungry.
- Burrito sucked No panache.
- I'll be sure and mention that to my wife.
- Ugh.
[stomach growls.]
There's your burrito.
- [laughs.]
- Well You're a lucky man, mr.
Pettit, relatively speaking.
Aside from a broken wrist, A few scrapes and bruises, And an underwhelmed palate, You're okay.
He's probably vitamin deficient.
So after he's hydrated and those feet are cleaned up, Banana-bag him and cut him loose.
- Dr.
Harris? So he's pretty beat up-- and those legions.
Can we keep him overnight? - We have grandmothers and taxpayers That need beds in this hospital because of the heat.
Discharge the burrito bandit.
[man speaking indistinctly on television.]
- Okay, jason, you have a little temperature, But so does the whole eastern seaboard.
I noticed you're a spoon fan.
I went to see them in philly When I was finishing nursing school.
T-they're great.
Yeah, I-I brought you a little something.
- Hello.
How we doing? - Um, well, the infection isn't healing, And the edges of the donor skin have started to break down.
- Okay Let's have a look.
[volume increases on television.]
- The finale of the home stand is Monday night - Okay, jason, here's the deal.
- Jason, please turn down the tv.
- This last skin graft to fail, So we're gonna try one more I.
V.
Antibiotic-- Ancef-- and see how that works.
- Okay, great.
- Okay, hang in there, jason.
Chloe's an awesome nurse.
She's gonna take great care of you.
- I'll be right back.
Hey, dr.
Sands? I-I've tried everything, And I don't think jason likes me very much.
- The kid's pretty angry.
I mean, he was grilling up burgers on his 17th birthday And a propane tank explodes.
Who wouldn't be? But if anybody can, uh, put a smile on his face, It's you, payne.
- Kevin halls Fractured orbit.
- [sighs.]
I was assaulted.
- It was self-defense.
- Okay, fellas, what the hell's going on here? - It's called a live-in divorce.
It is not for sissies.
Marrying you was the worst decision I ever made In my life, all right? Buying a house with you was the second worst.
- How the hell did you guys get in the same hospital room? - His great insurance won't pay for separate rooms.
- You wouldn't have insurance if it weren't for me, matt! - I wouldn't have glass in my eye Or a severed artery in my arm either! - All right, look, guys, I have my job to do here, so everybody just be cool.
How did this happen? - Ugh.
I caught an early flight home from a business trip.
I found him serving osso buco to some low-rent boy toy.
It's outrageous.
We are vegetarians.
- You're a vegetarian, and his name is steve.
- Anyway, he through a veal shank at my head.
Of course he missed, But I slipped in the mess that he made on the floor, And I hit my face on the stove.
- You tried to blind me.
- Did he really try to blind you? - I have a glass bust of don johnson as sonny crockett.
I cherish it.
He threw it at my face.
- I smashed it on the floor! - All right, guys, look, everybody just relax, okay? Stop yelling.
And if you're like me, It's rare you find anybody You can stand to see every day or share a bowl of oatmeal with.
You have that or close to it, you hold on.
- Hi, gerald.
How you feeling? - Sober.
Bad.
- Mm-hmm.
You ever have seizures when you stop? You feel shaky, You start seeing things That don't belong in a hospital, tell me.
We'll get you on some benzos.
- What the hell are you doing? - Take it easy.
I'm just trying to keep you out of the heat For a few beats, which you deserve.
- Which I deserve.
You know, the last time we crossed paths, You tried to hit me with an ice ball.
- Good memory But it was a snowball.
- It was hard as a rock.
- Yeah, I have three brothers.
I know how to pack a snowball.
Besides, you-- You peed on my car.
What was that about? - I had to go.
[shudders.]
- I know.
I know.
It's just--it's--I know.
It's just a rolling blackout from the heat.
I know.
I know.
It freaks me out too.
- I could use a cold beer And an air-conditioned bar.
- Alcohol is the last thing that you need.
Try and get some sleep.
- Jamie.
What happened to the a.
C.
? - It's broke.
- What do you mean it broke? How? - What am I-- a scientist? Stop yelling at me.
I'll buy youse a round.
- Works for me.
- Change in plans.
- Come on, sonia, you can do it.
Just get the other leg over.
It's just like getting off a horse.
- Yo, farm girl, I am from jersey city.
I-I-I have never been on a horse.
- I swear, if you fall And kill those innocent beers, sonia So this guy, gerald, He's all messed up from the first gulf war, Dying from the heat, And harris tells me to kick him to the curb.
- So did you? - No.
I hung a glucose bag After I dumped three amps of d50 into it.
Earned him a room.
- Will you just watch your ass, please? - What, you're in love with a cop, So now everybody has to follow the rules? - What? No.
I am not in love with a cop.
Please.
It is casual for me.
I call the shots.
Plus, the perks are sweet.
- [laughing.]
- I think things are getting more interesting With my crush.
- You gonna tell us who? Come on, we're floating around in our underwear here.
- Dr.
Sands.
Yeah, I just-- I think there could be something there.
How do you guys think I should play it? - Well, what do you think, veronica? - Play it cool.
Always play it cool.
- Right.
I can totally do that.
- Hey, chloe, could you get us some beers? - Sure.
- You got to stop her.
The guy moved here to be with you.
- I'm not available, and I'm sure that he's lonely.
- Seriously, you'd be okay with that? - I'm not the pope.
It's not my job to keep the world from humping.
Besides Mike wants to pull the goalie.
- Excuse me? With all this man-drama, a-a baby? - I made a choice.
I'm married to mike.
Chris can do whatever he wants.
- You're really okay with that? - It has to be okay with me.
That door's closed.
Do you think a kid's a mistake? - Oh, my god.
You're pregnant? - What? No.
No.
No.
It's just an idea.
It's a--it's a pre-idea.
- If you get pregnant, You're gonna have to stop drinking.
- Like I said Just an idea.
- You know that these kids Are never gonna leave you alone.
It's like feeding a stray cat.
- Dante's parents are too busy making rent To do stuff with him, And the other two, well, they're up to no good, So I don't know.
Someone's got to look after them.
[sentimental music.]
- I kind of bent the rules today for this beat-up vet I used to bitch out all the time.
I just wanted to get him off the street.
- And you're worried you're gonna catch a spanking? - Yeah.
Maybe it was stupid.
- No.
No, you put your ass on the line for strangers.
That's why I love you.
- I wish I could always see myself The way that you see me.
- I'm gonna go get a, uh, condom.
- Don't.
- Why wasn't gerald pettit discharged yesterday? And who ordered a blood panel for him? - You did.
Okay, I did.
But you would have.
- No, I would not have.
I wanted him discharged.
Yet now he is in a room.
- He was presenting with diabetic symptoms-- Sweet breath, listlessness.
- Well, you're a phenomenal diagnostician, Because yesterday his blood sugar Was well above 500.
But today, before you got in, Funny enough, normal at 92.
Clearly he's not diabetic.
He does have hepatitis c, however.
- Hey, they're running That free interferon program downstairs.
Can we sign gerald up? - He's a noncompliant, homeless, chronic alcoholic.
Treatment would be a waste of time.
- Come on, you don't know that.
- He's not going to stop drinking.
He won't show up for the injections.
He can't recover on the street.
- What if I can find him a bed? - [sighs.]
- I know that this guy has been a real a-hole, But underneath he's all right.
I think we can bring him back if we do him a solid.
- Some people think That they can do whatever they want And that the world will keep doing them solids.
But they're wrong.
Discharge him now.
- Jason, we're gonna have to accept the fact That this graft is dying.
- Aw, and it was so young and full of promise.
What a tragedy.
- What do you recommend, dr.
Sands? - Well, no matter what, We have to get the infection cleaned out.
And then, jason, While I realize you've been through a lot of pain, I think you should let the burn center try another graft.
- Nope.
Not happening.
- Well, you're gonna have a knot of scar tissue.
It's gonna be painful.
And it's close enough to your neck That it's gonna limit your range of motion.
And with the graft, it's gonna look a lot better.
- I'm a freak no matter what.
I'm done with all this fake hope.
It doesn't matter.
- I understand your resistance, But I'm gonna have to have a word with your mom.
- You know Dr.
Sands will do everything he can To find you the best surgeon for your graft.
In iraq, He dealt with soldiers every day With disfiguring injuries.
- Yeah, okay, okay, whatever.
I'll think about it.
- Really? That's great.
Thank you.
- What's the deal with you people? I come in here run-over, a little thirsty, And now I have hep c? - Gerald, please.
You really gonna sell me on the idea we gave it to you? Hepatitis c is transmitted through the blood.
You live on the street.
You fall down a lot.
You probably slammed a little dope On a dark night here or there, am I right? So you've been self medicating the ptsd since the gulf.
- It doesn't matter what I put in me.
I still have nightmares.
I still can't walk under a ceiling fan.
I still have to hit the dirt Every time I hear a car backfire.
- I have the nightmares.
You know what else freaks me out? Headlights.
A car comes around the corner at night, And my heart jumps out of my chest.
- Whistles.
- Backpacks.
- Children's toys.
- Hot days.
- Yeah, hot days.
Heat.
- We have a free interferon program here.
You know what that is, right? It's a strong anti-viral drug That can put the hepatitis c in remission.
But you need to stop drinking, And you need to come off the street.
- I don't know.
- I have a connection at a v.
A.
Halfway house.
Bed, meetings around the clock, meals.
- I don't-- I can't.
- The next stop on this train is the last one, gerald-- Birds nesting in your hair, Ranting like a madman on a throne of garbage In a hospital parking lot.
Come on As a favor to me.
I need something to work out.
Give it a try, okay? - Okay.
- Chloe, you got a minute? - Not really.
Mr.
Saltzman pulled out his catheter again.
- What an animal.
Listen, klowden wants us to swap out patients, So you get mrs.
Kwan, the bowel resection in 318, And I get jason keener, the burn victim.
- What? But I thought I was really starting To break through to him.
- Your patient requested it.
- Can they even do that? - Listen, don't sweat it.
It happens all the time.
- So, uh, I guess I'll be discharged, Since the eye guy says everything's okay.
- Yeah, well, both of you should be going home today.
Hope you have a.
C.
So where'd you two get married? - Provincetown-- August, last year.
It was - Beautiful.
- It was.
We did it on the beach.
- I planned the menu.
It was organic produce all from a local gay-owned farm.
- The guests were allowed meat.
I snuck a mini filet in the bathroom.
- That's classy, by the way, scarfing beef in the john.
So is he going to be blind in one eye, or what? - Everything's gonna be fine.
- Well, the music could have been better.
- It was a gay wedding on a beach.
It was screaming new age spiritual.
- It was a gay wedding on a beach.
Those screams you heard were people that wanted to dance.
I mean, two harps and an oboe? - Oh, my god, guys.
All you need is a little flexibility When it comes to protein and music.
Otherwise what you have here is symbiotic and beautiful.
Don't blow it.
- Sonia.
- Who is that? - Guy I eat oatmeal with.
Hey.
What's up? You take care of that ticket thing? - Yeah, uh, about that, You didn't mention You have, like, - Yeah, so? You're a big-time-- - cop, yeah.
And you owe my employer, jersey city, Thousands of dollars.
- I don't understand.
- You're an arch-criminal on wheels.
There's a bench warrant out for your arrest.
- What? There--there is not.
What--so what are you telling me? - You got to come with me, maniac.
- Why? You arresting me? - I was thinking I'll walk you in, And you'll Surrender.
- You cannot be serious.
- I am.
See, uh, I mostly do murders and whatnot, So I'm only here 'cause You're my girl.
- Oh, my god! You're arresting me! - [laughing.]
- Thank you.
- Why are you treating my patients? - Sorry, what? - Why did you give veronica a verbal order Approving gerald pettit for the interferon program? - Oh, why? Well, I-- - He's a homeless, hope-to-die drunk.
I ordered him discharged.
I told her.
- Well, I thought, after reviewing his chart, His test results showed enough of a burden on his liver to-- - It's not up to you to contradict my orders.
I mean, you've on-- Okay.
I see what's happened here.
Veronica's put you up to this.
A word of advice Keep your guard up when around her.
I mean, technically, she's a good nurse, But this fanatical belief that rules don't exist For anybody with bad habits or bad luck Borders on mental illness.
- Point taken.
- I mean, you don't want to have to explain to anybody That she's convinced you to order a mammogram For a drag queen.
[chuckles.]
I think you know what I'm saying.
- Yeah.
Yeah.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
[upbeat music.]
- Jason.
Jason.
- What? - I just wanted to apologize For whatever it is that I did to offend you.
I just want you to know That I still really care about what happens to you, And I've spent a lot of time thinking about-- - Yeah, I didn't ask for you to spend One pathetic minute of your pathetic day Thinking about me.
And you're wasting your time drooling over him.
It's obvious he doesn't like you.
- Anyway, Turns out there is another option To save a dying graft.
It's to put you in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
We don't have one here, But dr.
Sands thinks it's a great idea, So he's gonna call morristown memorial.
It's just something for you to think about.
- I had no choice, sonia.
If you got pulled over, you would have got locked up.
I-I did you a favor here.
- You arrested your girlfriend.
Who does that? - Oh, now you're my girlfriend.
Look, I didn't arrest you.
I got you r.
O.
R.
'd for pete's sake.
That and free oatmeal.
I'm still your dream guy.
- Do you see where I'm walking? To a bus stop.
Why? Because I don't have a car.
Why? Because it's impounded.
Why? Because my dream guy arrested me.
- Sonia, I didn't-- - Look, my credit cards are maxed.
I'm not gonna have my license back for six months.
- Which is why, really, not having a car Isn't such a big deal at the moment.
- Oh.
- Just thought I'd inject A little levity into the situation.
Look, I'll pick you up every morning and drive you to work.
Then I'll pick you up at work and drive you home.
- Why the hell did I get involved with a cop? - I will totally vouch for him, denise.
Underneath the dirt and crazy, gerald is good people.
I know that's what I said about tommy di leo.
Well, you shouldn't have slept with him on the first night.
Anyway, denise, I am not fixing you up.
I'm trying to get a guy a bed in your facility.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, d.
I owe you one.
Thank you.
Bye.
Hey, jailbird, just got my guy, gerald, a bed.
Don't leave me hanging.
- Do I look like I'd enjoy a high five? [cell phone rings.]
- Hey, mike.
- Hey, baby.
Can you tell if anything's happening, Uh, you know, down there? - What? Down where? - Last night-- the thing we tried to do.
Did we, uh, make it happen? - Oh, my god.
I totally feel it.
The thing is kicking already.
You got those atomic sperms working like crazy.
- Hey Got a minute? - I got to go.
Bye.
- Next time I contradict another doctor's orders On your behalf, Would you mind having the consideration Of letting me know? - Yeah, I meant to tell you, but I got hung up.
- You know, harris is all bent out of shape, Pointing that beard at me.
- Come on.
I used to forge your signature twice a day in iraq.
- Yeah, and we did a lot of other stuff.
- Seriously? That's where you're gonna go? - The point is, this is not wartime.
It's new jersey.
And we're not-- You just can't take those liberties anymore.
- I thought that we could be a team Medically speaking.
- One day we're a team, next day we're not.
The rules keep changing according to your needs.
- Gerald pettit is a vet.
He deserves more than harris was willing to give him.
So, actually, this is about a patient's needs, Not mine.
- [chuckles.]
Keep telling yourself that.
- You want to know what works even better At taking off the edge Of whatever's driving you to murder that candy bar? - What? - Tequila.
- Hmm, arriba.
[chuckles.]
- [sighs.]
You did great work with that burn victim.
You should be proud of yourself.
Hey, you know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking about just going And draining the top shelf at delaney's tonight.
You want to come with? - Oh, um, maybe, p-perhaps.
You know, if--if I'm in the mood.
[exhales deeply.]
- Oh, what? Are you two in love again? Good luck with that.
Look, I don't know what you two think you're doing, But you both need to run for the hills, separate hills.
Just sell the house and get as far away from each other As you possibly can, Because love is one pretty rainbow of a lie.
- Sonia - We've both apologized and forgiven each other.
- Yeah, you'll be apologizing for the rest of your lives, Because matt here is never gonna stop cheating on you, kevin, Whether it's pot roast or some "himbo" at the gym, Some "gymbo".
- Which of you is matt? - "hope you're feeling better.
Steve.
" - Uh-huh.
See, that's exactly what I'm talking about.
Somebody gets flowers, Somebody else gets a dagger in the heart.
- Gladiolas.
You would attract the one gay man in america Who has bad taste in flowers.
- Do you hear the judgment? - The universe hates love.
And love just-- - sonia.
I love you, But you're a menace behind the wheel.
You're just mad Because a guy finally called you on your nonsense.
You should be ashamed of yourself For lobbing hate grenades At these two brave love soldiers.
I'm just gonna paint a little picture of your life If this marriage breaks up, okay? Now, you're online looking for sex, Because that's who you are, But the website requires a picture, And when the cyber gays see that watery eye And that sad little muffin top, You're not getting any.
And, you, you think that you deserve something A little higher on the gay food chain, right? So you'll set your sights on manhattan.
But no one's gonna cross the river to sleep with you.
You know, it's a miracle That we got the right to marry at all, And now you got the right to divorce, Just like the breeders.
Don't go there without a fight.
Show 'em we're better than that.
- I was hoping for something more the color of sunshine Or taxicabs.
- Well, I'm all about earth tones.
You know what I mean? - I do.
- So is this a bad thing? - Gerald, your system has been compromised By the hep c virus, And the liver scans did show some scarring, Early-stage cirrhosis.
So it's really important you follow the program, okay? If you take care of yourself, The interferon can stop the damage.
- I have removed mr.
Pettit from the interferon program.
Discharge him immediately.
- He wants this And I got him a bed.
- Discharge him.
- No.
- Nurse callahan, join me outside.
- Discharge mr.
Pettit.
- Tell him he's not worth our free medicine.
- Can you read the letters on my badge? Mine has an "m" and a "d".
Yours has an "r" and an "n".
I tell you what to do.
Discharge mr.
Pettit! - No.
- You're using this hospital and its patients To fend off your own demons.
The only reason that you care about saving mr.
Pettit Is because you somehow think It will prove that the world will do the same for you When you finally unravel.
And trust me, you will.
You're a liability.
I may not be able to prevent you from co-opting dr.
Sands.
I will find someone With the clarity to introduce you To the consequences of your actions.
- Tell mr.
Pettit He's not worth our free medicine.
- Fine.
- You had better hope that I find him.
- How do I explain? Like, getting tubed Is one of the most exquisite rushes In the natural world.
It's, like, you feel that lip fall and cover you, And you are balanced precariously At the core of the ocean's massive power.
- That's amazing.
I-I've always wanted to learn to surf, Except, um, well, it's gonna sound dumb, but I'm afraid of sharks.
- Sharks.
Really? - Yes.
Sharks, really.
I just-- that--that movie jaws Had a profound effect on me.
- Did--did you see king kong? - Yeah.
- Are you afraid of apes? - No.
- [laughs.]
[knocks on bar.]
here's what we're gonna do.
I know of this mushy, little, shark-free beach break Down in rumson.
I'm gonna teach you how to surf.
And I-I promise To bring you back with no teeth marks.
Okay? - Yeah.
I'd love that.
- Good.
Kill it.
- Oh.
- You know, I probably should admit to you That you're, like, My only friend in new jersey.
- That's cool, because you're pretty much My only friend here too.
- Really? What about sonia and veronica? - Oh, they're great, But they're just in different places.
I mean, sonia has her boyfriend, And veronica's trying to get pregnant, so - [chuckles.]
Let's get serious here, payne, shall we? Lot of tequila left in this dive.
[upbeat music.]
- Gerald! Gerald! [music stops.]
- What do you say we hit a meeting At that halfway house? - Yeah.
- Oh, sweet lord.
[both groan.]
Is there a patron saint of internal organs? - I don't know.
I'm sorry.
That was my first time driving a stick shift.
Um, I'm gonna get you some water.
Okay.
- It's not your fault.
It's mine.
You're--you're just trying to be a good samaritan.
Oh, hey, I think my spleen just fell out of my ass.
- Here.
- Oh, thank you.
- Drink this.
- You look like a painting.
No, no, wait.
Wait, wait.
I can't.
I can't.
I'm sorry.
I'm in love with veronica.
- You're wh-- Oh, my god.
- Uh, we're not together now, but we were in--in iraq.
Well, we--you know, we had this intense chemistry, And then we kept our hands off each other, And then she came home and found out that her husband Had been screwing around on her the whole time.
So then she got stop-lossed and came back to iraq, And we fell in love.
She told me that she was gonna get a divorce, So I moved here without telling her, Like, without calling-- surprise.
That wasn't a great idea, actually.
Um, anyway, and now I'm in the old-- The garden state, Which, by the way, is actually a kind of deceptive name.
- Wow.
- Oh, shut up, chris.
- Just Wow.
- I I think that we probably both Had too much to drink tonight.
- Yeah.
So I'm just gonna go.
I'll see you later.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Hi.
- Hey.
- Please get in, sonia.
Sone.
Come on.
I'm sorry.
I-I know it's not easy dating a cop.
I don't get invited to parties in winter, 'cause nobody wants to go outside to smoke a joint.
Sone, get in the car.
You're gonna get mugged Or heat stroke.
Sone, get in the car.
You know I'm gonna bug you all the way home.
- Jason, what are you doing up? - Uh, well, when you stay in bed all day, Oddly enough, you're not that tired at night.
- Come with me.
- Where are we going? - Just come with me.
- So, uh, what are we doing here? Are you gonna throw me off the roof? - Um I didn't think about it, but Might make me feel better.
You were right about dr.
Sands.
He doesn't like me.
He likes someone else.
I was way off on that one Way off.
- You, uh--you smell nice.
- I smell like stale tequila and rejection.
- No, your perfume.
I think this girl I was going out with Before the, uh, accident-- I think she used to wear the same stuff.
She dumped me as soon as she saw my face.
I just feel like everything good that everybody hopes for Is never gonna happen for me.
- Jason, that was just one girl.
You're gonna find someone who'll love you because of-- - Because of who I am under these scars.
Right.
You know how many times I've heard that crap? It doesn't happen.
I mean, you're hot for dr.
Studly, Not some troll with a science-fiction face.
- Jason - I'll never, ever have a chance With someone as beautiful as you.
[dramatic pop music.]
- I promise Someone will find you.
- [chuckles.]
What, they teach you that in nursing school? - Yeah.
In the class about things not to do Unless you want to get fired.
- Uh, I won't tell if you won't.