Nurses (2020) s01e09 Episode Script

Mirror Box

1 If you ever caught a glimpse of your own reflection when you weren't expecting it, and thought, who is that person? and how does she look so put together? When what you're actually feeling is that your hair is on fire? - Good morning, Sunshine! - Ohhh Good morning! You're in a good mood.
You bet.
And it's all up from here.
- Sriracha tzatziki.
- Not familiar, but if I had to guess, I'd prescribe an antifungal.
No.
It's the specialty at the fusion spot - I'm taking you tonight.
- Ohhh damn! I meant to text you.
It's a PA day at my daughter's school, and, um The nanny is sick today, so - Rain check on the tzatziki.
- Yeah.
Man! My mom was a nurse; I used to hate hanging around the hospital waiting for her.
Couldn't your ex take her? Give the kid a break? No.
We don't get a lot of quality time together, so I thought today could be fun.
I'm gonna take her down to Physio, check out the new pool.
Right after I deliver this baby.
Hey, Cece! Wanna learn how to cut the umbilical cord? Yeah? Fun! Mr.
Spellman was due for an MRI 10 minutes ago, Janet.
And, Tina, I'm waiting on four urines and a stool.
Don't roll your eyes at me.
Gloria Danson.
I need to see a doctor.
I've completely lost my hearing.
You can't hear anything at all, Laurie? It's Gloria.
And no, nothing.
Have a seat, Glo.
Bay 5.
- Head injury? Alzheimer's? - Worse.
Frequent flyer.
Gloria comes in every week with a new complaint.
This month alone, she's had lockjaw, typhus, leprosy.
Whoa, is that is that still a thing, leprosy? You're lucky you're handsome.
Oh.
We get about 10 cases of leprosy a year in this country, and Gloria ain't one of them.
She's a hypochondriac.
There's never anything wrong with her, and it's impossible to get rid of her.
And today, that's your problem.
- Seriously? Why me? - I'm slightly more confident you can't kill someone who isn't actually sick.
Now, stick with the walking cast, Floyd, you'll be back cruising retirees at salsa class in no time.
Oh! Whoa! But let's lay off the dippin' for now, yeah? Nice moves! You got some yourself.
I saw you rip it up at the Sterling the other night.
Next time, we skip drinks and go dancing.
I may not be Floyd, but What is wrong with this thing? - Didn't you read the memo? - No.
- Does anyone? - Just the nerds.
Right? It's part of the merger.
Staff are being randomly selected for intensive peer review.
But you're the first person I've actually heard of getting selected.
Yeah, I don't think it's random.
Okay "Endocrinology".
- Thanks.
- Hey.
You know you don't have anything to worry about, right? You're a good nurse, Grace.
This is Dr.
Hamilton.
Obviously, he's pissed you tore up the NDA and now he's trying to find - a reason to fire you.
Again.
- I know.
And if he can fire you twice from two different hospitals, then when you do come clean about what he did to you, it's just gonna look like sour grapes from a bad employee.
I know! No offence, Ashley, but your pep talks suck.
I know, I'm sorry.
Look, we're here for you now, Grace, okay? You are not alone.
If Hamilton thinks that you're just gonna turn and run, or disappear quietly - He's wrong.
- But you gotta make the first move and fast.
I'm just not sure what that is yet.
Maybe you should talk to a lawyer.
Ha! I can't.
I dumped my lawyer.
"Paulus looked at her coolly.
He knew this beautiful woman had the information he needed, but how would he get it from her?" Oh, man! You guys finished the Grisham from yesterday? - How did it end? - The ushe.
Lawyer saves the day, gets the girl.
I give it 2 stars, but just as a sucker for a happy ending.
And you're already that far into the next one? Maddie, you didn't go home last night, did you? He's so close to waking up.
He, um I mean, wiggling his toes, reacting to stimulus.
It's not like the movies.
These are really good signs, but patients don't wake up all at once, it can take a while to surface.
Call me a romantic, but I know Justin.
He's close.
I can feel it.
Dr.
Wallace! X-rays are back on the fender bender in Bay 2.
No breaks, but can you prescribe something for burns from the airbag? Yeah, she can have some benzanthracene.
- Mm-hmm.
- Here.
Uh! The 6-year-old with anaphylactic shock is stabilized, we'll refill his EpiPen script.
You good to discharge? It's been five hours already? Uh fine, - as soon as Sinead signs off.
- Hey, man! I need you in Bay 5.
I need two minutes to go pee.
I've been holding that for three hours.
Why should you be any more comfortable than the rest of us? Get a catheter.
Bay 5 Yes! Hi, Gloria.
What's the problem today? I've gone deaf, Doc.
- Sorry, what? - I said I've lost my hearing! - I can't deal with this today.
- Okay, Okay.
Come on, come on.
Okay, listen.
She's, uh She's Sorry.
Um, there's nothing wrong with her, right? Just check her ears, send her home.
You're a big nurse now, you can figure out a Gloria.
Gloria Yeah.
See, that's why I'm confirming.
I get choking on a chicken bone, but the entire leg? Got it.
I'll have the piece to you in a couple of hours.
Is that an obituary? Yeah.
Not mine yet.
Small victories, right? Haha! Not a creep, just a failed journalist.
Quinn.
I write obits - for the city journal.
- Grace.
Doesn't sound like a failure, but it does sound maybe a little bit - Depressing? - Yeah.
Especially when you're being treated for advanced papillary thyroid cancer.
Still, better way to go than death by drumstick.
Pupillary thyroid is usually slow growing, but Mine isn't.
But you're young and otherwise healthy, so your endocrinologist wants to hit you with an exceptionally high dose of radiation.
Yeah, all good.
Journalist nerd did some research: sour foods are supposed to help you excrete radioactivity.
Wow! I just want to get through this as fast as I can.
Yeah.
Showers help too.
Helps clear the radiation from your skin.
Not my typical bender, but it's gonna be a weekend.
My hand's on fire! Okay, I'm Naz, I'm a nurse.
Can I take a look? Yes.
Okay.
One two three.
This will keep his muscles from tightening, - but he's losing mass.
- He's gonna be so mad.
All those leg days at the gym for nothing.
I'm more worried about exhaustion and malnutrition.
Maddie, I got this.
But what if he wakes up? You'll miss it if you're in a coma.
Go home, eat something, have a nap.
Nurse's orders.
Sriracha tzatziki.
I don't know, J-Dawg, does that even sound good? What's your first meal gonna be when you wake up? Me, probably go for a burger or a nice, big, rare steak.
Holy cow! Maddie! - He's awake, Justin's back! - Water Oh, Justin! Oh, my God! Slowly, buddy.
Little sips.
You're at St.
Mary's Hospital.
You've been in a coma for three weeks.
You were on a ski trip before your bachelor weekend.
You had a bad snowboarding accident.
Are you a doctor? No, Justin.
It's me.
It's Maddie, yeah.
So this is it, huh? Just take these little guys, cancer is toast.
Yeah, once you process the radiation.
I'll leave anything you need in-between these two doors.
This is the no-cross zone, okay? I can't come past and enter the room.
If you need anything, use the phone.
I'll be right over there at the nurses station.
Before I go, is there anything else I can get you? Uh, I don't think so.
Got my laptop, Mom's cooler of food nothing to do, but sit here and purge poison.
And keep hydrated.
Trust me, it'll help.
Hey, Ash.
What's up? Who is it? I'm having a a heart attack.
- My heart is pounding.
- Yeah, yeah.
We're gonna get you on a cardiogram, see what's going on here.
- Special occasion? - Yeah, wedding day, three of seven.
- Yeah? Who's getting married? - He is.
- Did anyone come here with you? - No.
- I didn't want to worry them.
- We better get you sorted out then.
Any family history of heart disease? - No.
- Your uncle had - a heart attack two years ago.
- Yeah, I forgot.
Where are we at with the cardiogram? - Just getting the reads now.
- Okay.
My hands are tingling.
Aah! - My mouth is tingling.
- Your heart's fine.
You're just having a panic attack.
What? Really? But it feels so real.
Yeah, well, sometimes things do.
Panic attacks are intense.
Your body is having a fight-or-flight reaction to stress, and weddings are stressful.
I wanna check your enzymes and troponin, but I think your heart's fine.
We'll do some bloodwork now and again in a few hours to be sure, but I think you'll be back dancing at your wedding in no time.
Hey, um speaking of dancing, how's Friday night? Oh! Yeah.
I've been meaning to try the salsa - at Lula's forever.
- Great.
I work an 8 that day, so maybe around 9? Yeah.
That sounds fine.
I'll pick you up.
Great, it's a date.
Grace? Grace? Stay, please.
Look to the left.
Now your right.
Not fair, Doc.
I couldn't tell left from right - before the head injury.
- He's very talkative for Justin.
That's a good sign.
Right? Can you tell me the months in the year? February 2018.
Okay.
Now I'm gonna give you a list of five words for you to remember: cat, ball, glove, September, happy.
Got it? - Can you tell me where you live? - 962, Wellington.
No, Justin, that's your old place.
We moved in together two months ago, remember? Where do you work, Justin? Kingscliff Elementary.
I teach 3rd grade.
And who are these folks here? Mom who makes the best lasagna, Dad who still hasn't forgiven me for spilling paint thinner on his car when I was 5 and And You don't remember me? Justin, what were those words? A cat needs his baseball glove for tryouts in September.
And if he helps the Jays finally win, - I'll be happy! - Excellent! Well, I'd like to run a few more tests, but it seems as though you've weathered this brain injury very well.
The big challenge now is going to be is gonna be physical strength.
Three weeks in a coma can devastate the body.
You're gonna have to work your way back up - to standing, walking, - What about his memory? Why doesn't he remember me? Retrograde amnesia is very common in head injuries.
Most patients lose all memory of the accident and sometimes weeks, even months before that.
But Justin and I have been together for over a year now; how could he lose that much time? A whole year? And I don't have a clue who you are.
You lost the hand eight months ago in a car accident? It's clenched in a fist so tight, it burns! The family doctor left standing orders for morphine when you have an episode, so we'll get you hooked up.
The drugs do nothing! Opiates aren't great for nerve pain, and what you have is a memory of a nerve pain.
Have you tried physio? Oh, I don't know why I came here.
There's never anything you could do.
You suffered a trauma, it takes time to heal.
It's total crap! The pain isn't going away, it's only getting worse.
- Don't you want to try the morphine? - There's no point.
And I'm not doing it anymore.
Kelly are you thinking about hurting yourself? Just give me one minute.
I need a form 1.
I think this patient might be suicidal.
Security! Kelly? Kelly I don't understand.
Why didn't he remember me? And why wasn't he acting like himself? The brain's delicate.
Crazy stuff could happen with frontal-lobe injuries.
Yeah, but he's like a different person.
In nursing school, we studied this famous story where a guy had an iron bar blown up the roof of his mouth.
You don't need the details.
But after, he had a totally different personality.
And he kept the iron bar as a pet.
True story.
It's a terrible story.
Keon, is he gonna get his memory back? Be himself again? I don't know.
But I think you just gotta try to be patient.
[I'm definitely getting.]
a prison vibe from this.
Spread the word, I'm in for a triple homicide.
I don't want the other inmates thinking I'm soft.
So wait, does that make me Tom Hanks? Oh, I hope not.
I don't feel up to miracles.
- Haha! - Um, I don't know if it's all the candy I've eaten or the smell of the chicken salad my mom packed, but I'm starting to feel pretty nauseous.
Oh no, sounds like radiation sickness is kicking in.
Yeah, salad's gotta go.
Mom's a sweetie, but I can't Could you? I would, but nothing can come out of the room until the radiation clears.
You mean I'm stuck with rank chicken salad smell - for three days? - Hahaha! You could try putting it in the bathroom and closing the door.
Oh, my gag! I Okay, so what's the verdict? Anything? No.
Still can't hear a thing.
Okay, well, umm We tried flushing, we tried decongestants, I don't see anything blocking the Hello-lo-lo.
Gloria, I found the problem: you have an echo.
Right? Humour's the best medicine.
Not when you can't hear.
Okay.
That's the thing, Gloria, I think maybe you sort of can.
Don't be ridiculous, why would I come to a hospital if I could hear? I honestly don't know, but you seem to do it a lot, so - What are you implying? - There are a lot of sick people that could really use my attention.
Do you know how awful it is, how alone you feel when you can't hear? But you can.
Look, I know you're not a drug seeker, and you seem pretty good on the marbles front.
What's your deal, Gloria? Why do you keep coming in here every week? Gloria That's right, you you can't you can't hear me.
If you won't help me, I'd like a nurse who will.
It's time for an induced discharge.
Call her family to come and get her.
Okay, let's look at an emergency contact.
"Charlie" Oh, my gosh! I've got this.
Are you sure? I thought you were on break.
Yeah.
Thanks.
I was hoping I'd see you again.
Yeah, well, I'd feel guilty if I didn't check on you.
And at least this way, I get to stab you.
- We need to talk, okay? It's important.
- Yeah, it must be, if you had a panic attack during your wedding.
- Yeah, I tried to call you.
- I locked your number.
About about the rumours with Dr.
Hamilton Shh! No, we can't talk about this, not here! I need to tell you about the NDA.
- No.
- Kabir! I was so worried.
He had a panic attack? Is is he okay? Yeah.
He should be fine.
I'm just gonna take these for an enzyme check and then you should be able to take him home.
Do I know you? You look familiar.
Uh you met Grace at the General a year ago at the Christmas party.
- We used to work together.
- Oh, wow! And now at the merger.
Back together again, huh? Right.
Anyways, um, I am going to take these to get checked, and then you should be good to go.
One second.
Grace? Um it's so good to see you again.
You deserve better than what you got from the General, from all of us.
Congratulations.
Do you think a person could actually barf themselves inside out? - Haha! - Can you give me something? - A shot of Gravol? Bullet to the head? - I wish that I could, but that would mean going into the room.
What's the worst that could happen? I could nuke my ovaries.
- Kids are overrated.
- Or I could expose one of my other patients to radiation.
Hospitals take rules very seriously, and I really can't afford to break any right now.
But I can talk to you on the phone to keep you company.
Okay, fine, but you have to be miserable too.
I want your most embarrassing stories.
Anything to make me feel better about how crappy - my life is right now.
- Oh, trust me, we will not get through all of them in three days.
You did the right thing.
Kelly is not a depressed person or prone to hurting herself, but she's had a huge life adjustment, and intense pain is - really hard to deal with.
- But she'll get better, won't she, once this episode passes? She needs to find a healthy way to cope long term.
If phantom pain persists for more than six months, it doesn't usually go away.
It's already been eight months.
You ratted me out, - got me committed.
- Just for 24 hours.
I thought Dr.
Niven could help.
I used to play tennis, Olympic track.
- Wow! - When I lost my hand, I stopped.
Why? There are amazing prosthetics.
But you can't compete professionally.
So, I tried to play with my other hand, but it was all wrong! I kept trying to swing with my missing hand.
It was like playing with a ghost.
Kelly, I think I understand.
I have my brother's eyes.
He was my twin.
He died.
I'm sorry.
I see him every time I look in the mirror.
It's almost like he's still with me, he's still a part of me.
If I'm always gonna be in pain, if I can't even play tennis anymore, what's the point? I'll be right back.
Is that the game? They've got a day game.
Wow! Lucky you, those are rare.
I'm Keon, I'm a nurse.
I work with your mom, and I am a huge Raptors fan.
Me too! How are we doing so far? Bad.
Kawhi is not playing again! What?! You're not a fan of load management? You mean taking the night off? - Aaah - Ugh! It's buffering again.
Mom and Dad used to take me to games, but not since the divorce.
Tickets are pricy.
That's what Dad says.
Mom just just doesn't have time.
Pro tip? Download the game after it's done, then watch.
- It's easier on crummy hospital Wi-Fi.
- Thanks.
Any time.
Pfff! We the North! Is that ? Not scary, I'm just "We the North".
You know that.
Okay, I'm gonna stop talking.
Good to meet you.
And this was in Cape Cod.
It's weird seeing myself somewhere I've never been before.
Aha! I was afraid to go on the ocean because I thought a lobster would get me, so you bought me this.
And you kept hiding it in places to scare me Do we have to do this - right now? - Good news, gang! Time to get you out of that bed.
I'm gonna take you to physio, get you walking on the bars, so we can assess your strength.
But first, we gotta get you out of that gown and in some gear.
I don't mind getting changed by a nurse, but not in front of her.
Justin, I'm your fiancée, we live together.
I told you I don't know you.
Sorry, Maddie, but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.
It's okay.
So I gave him the longest piece of medical tape you've ever seen, so that he could fix his time machine.
What happened? - Did he make it back to the future? - No, my preceptor yelled at me for giving medical supplies to a psych patient.
But who was I to interfere with interdimensional travel? You're funny, Grace.
You almost made me forget I want to die.
Well, I used to be.
I haven't really felt like myself in a while.
What happened? Are you drinking enough water? You ate a lot of candy, and it raised your blood sugar.
Plus with all the vomiting and Aaah my last job changed things.
I'm trying to get back to myself, but it's hard.
My life was going great.
I got one of the last print jobs in journalism, kicking butt and taking names, and then wham, cancer.
My boss took me off the kick-butt assignments to give me "more time to recover", which was crap.
He just heard cancer and wrote my career off as over before it even started.
I feel like this bad thing happened to me and it derailed everything, and now I just don't even know who I am anymore.
Do you think that we can get it back? The people that we used to be? Yeah.
But you gotta push out all the poison that changed you first.
And it ain't easy.
Takes a lot of guts.
I know it's hard, man.
Come on, one step - at a time, buddy! - Come on, Justin, you can do it.
You're doing great.
That's it, there it is.
Stupid legs! I feel so weak.
Just a couple more steps, Justin.
Ah! It's okay, it's okay.
- Up you go, up you go.
It's okay.
- I can't! - No more! - Come on, J! Yes, you can! - I said, "No more".
- I know you can do it - You don't know me! - Okay, that's a great start.
I do know you.
I know how strong you are.
- I want you to go! - He'll feel more like himself - when he's had some rest.
- I am myself! Why doesn't anyone get that?! We're done! Come on, J.
This is our life.
Huh? Justin You're making a mistake.
How was I supposed to know? He's wearing all black.
I want to hear about accidental goth guy, I've just got to I didn't think I could be Quinn! Quinn! Quinn, can you hear me? Are you okay? Hey, Quinn? Quinn, are you alright? Quinn, can you hear me? It's gonna be alright.
Oh.
Um, that that's great.
Okay.
Let's get you hooked up.
Nurse Knight, a word! Look, I know what you're gonna say.
It was stupid, and I risked nuking my ovaries for nothing.
Your ovaries are not my concern; your complete lack of judgment is! Why are you not wearing a lead apron? Stay back! You exposed yourself to radiation! My patient collapsed, what was I supposed to do? Make sure she doesn't collapse! She was dehydrated, and her blood sugar was elevated.
You should have started an IV before she went into isolation! Only person who was at risk here was me! You're damn right.
The peer review finds mistakes in your charts, instances of poor judgment.
Seeing this, I understand why.
- What does that mean? - It means they're opening up an official case with standards and practice.
There'll be an investigation.
You're suspended pending the review! Now, hit the shower and get out! - Grace, what happened? - We heard you got suspended.
Stay back, I'm radioactive.
- Is that like a metaphor? - No.
Are you okay? No.
Morphine does nothing - but a mirror's supposed to help? - You're in pain because your brain can't accept that your hand is gone.
It fixates because it thinks your hand is in crisis.
So, maybe your brain just needs to see the hand for itself, see that it's okay? Mirror box therapy is effective in 60% of phantom cases.
That's your big pitch, those odds? Winning 60% of games is still a lot better than just not playing.
Isn't it? So, the affected limb goes in here.
Ow! Owww! Now, don't look at the affected hand, just focus on the reflection.
I know it's an illusion I know it's not real, but but I swear I can feel my missing hand.
Hahaha! Now, we tell your brain that the phantom limb is relaxed.
So first, show it the hand clenched in a fist.
Now slowly release.
Uh, are you okay? We can stop.
No.
I can feel it letting go.
If you practice with the mirror, over time, it can alleviate your pain.
Thank you.
Why are we out here? How is this gonna fix my hearing? I honestly don't know what's wrong with you, but it's my lunch break, so Turkey Swiss? Keep an eye on it.
There's this really aggressive crow around here.
I lost half a taquito last week.
This is nice.
I haven't sat outside like this since Charlie died.
That was three years ago, right? You know I come out here on most days on my lunch break when the weather's nice.
If I'm in the neighbourhood, maybe I'll join you.
Hey! My hearing's come back.
Next time, bring pickles.
We can do pickles.
Um, excuse me.
Hi.
I'm looking for a nurse.
Noelle? Uh, yep, that's me.
Did you work at City General? Okay, have a seat, sweetie.
I've got one more consult, and then we can get out of here, okay? I'll get you some hot chocolate while you wait.
Mm-hmm.
Cece.
Um, you know anybody that can help get these Raptor tickets off my hand? I got a buddy from college, he works PR.
Keon, hey.
What's up? What do you think you're doing trying to take my kid to a basketball game? What?! No, I would I would never! The tickets are for you and Cece.
You were just saying you don't get to spend enough time with her.
Sorry, I'm on edge.
My ex is trying to reopen our custody agreement - because of my work schedule.
- That's a dick move.
Yeah.
Like a whopping alimony isn't enough.
He wants Cece full time? And the thing is he's right.
I mean, because of my job, Cece spends most of her time together with the nanny.
She's great by the way.
Come on, I didn't tell her about us.
I just said I'm a nurse that works with her mom, which I am.
But I could do more.
I'm a great babysitter, especially if she can talk sports.
Yeah, great.
What would that do for my custody situation if my ex finds out I left our kid with my hookup.
I'm a hookup? You were supposed to be.
Was I? 'Cause that's not what I thought.
I told you that my kid and my practice come first.
Okay, I mean we agreed.
You can't just start - pushing yourself into my life.
- You can't keep hiding behind bullshit.
I made it very clear what this relationship could and could not be.
That won't change, so you need to decide if you're okay with that.
Let's go, sweetie.
Come on! Thank you.
Okay, let's go.
I always wanted to work in the OR.
Dr.
Hamilton said that I had what it took, - and that he would mentor me.
- For a price.
'Til I threatened to report him, - go to administration.
- Then he got you fired.
He ruined my career, my reputation.
I couldn't get a job in another hospital.
After what happened, I don't think I would trust myself in the OR again anyway.
What if he is right? What if I am a bad nurse? But you aren't.
You know, I was afraid of him too.
Right up until he tried to get me to sign the NDA.
And that's when I knew that he was afraid of me.
And he's afraid of you too, Noelle.
That why he got you to sign.
He knows that either of us could take him down with our stories.
Now, imagine what we could do together.
Maddie? You okay? I, uh I should have gone home, but God, I've just spent three weeks in this hospital waiting.
I just couldn't face moving my stuff out of our place.
- Is there anything I can do? - Explain to me how I got here.
One minute, I had a great relationship and now I don't.
I love Justin, so this is gonna sound It's almost worse than if he died.
Because he's gone but not gone.
What am I supposed to do? Just move on and forget him like he forgot me? You can't force yourself into someone's life.
Even if you know you're good for them.
'Cause if they can't give you what you need you have to let them go.
Sometimes, you see yourself reflected in a mirror, and sometimes reflected in someone else.
It might be someone you miss or someone you feel for.
Or it might be someone you never thought you'd be again.
And sometimes, it might just be the you you're finally ready to be.
Hey, ready to be a kickass journalist again? 'Cause we've got a story for you.
Watch the season finale of Nurses, next Monday on Global.

Previous Episode