A Gifted Man s01e15 Episode Script

In Case of Letting Go

Hey, Rita.
.
Oh, well, look what the cat dragged in.
Oh.
Come here, handsome.
Oh, I missed you these past three weeks.
- You okay? - Yeah, yeah.
Think I slipped a disk Oh, my bear hugs are brutal.
No, no, no.
I was parasailing in Maui.
Ooh, well, I think we can squeeze you in for a consult.
Yeah, I don't take walk-ins.
I'm sorry.
Hey, Michael.
How you doing? I may make an exception for our former neuroshrink.
E-Mo needs your healing touch.
Yeah, yeah.
Doctor becomes a patient.
I'm looking for the boy most likely to succeed.
Come here.
Oh my gosh, Lily.
Hi.
Uh, E-Mo, Rita, this is Lily.
- Is it still Meyerson? - Yeah.
- Meyerson.
- Hi.
Nice to meet you.
I'm, uh, Mikey's high school sweetheart.
Really? Ah Tell us more, Mikey.
Oh, no.
He doesn't kiss and tell.
Yes, don't listen to them.
What are you doing here? I was on my way to soho for a shopping spree, and my cabby rear-ended somebody.
I went flying forward, jammed my knee.
Uh-oh.
I had X-Rays at Manhattan Memorial.
Ended up with this sexy little number.
Ouch.
Oh, it's just a sprain.
How'd you know where to find me? The alumni bulletin.
I thought I would come and try to convince you to come to our Ah, when is that? I told you weeks ago, it's tomorrow.
Well, I can't.
I've, uh, got a thing.
- Oh, come on.
- I'll cancel it.
Do it.
I went to mine.
Danced all night, - I had a ball.
- Yeah, that I'd pay to see.
I, uh, I'll have to pass.
Really? I was hoping you'd bust out your parachute pants And your skinny tie.
Yeah, now that I'd pay to see.
Me, too.
It's not that funny.
It looks like you got a little bruise here.
Did you, uh, hit your head in the accident? Uh, no.
All I remember is the searing pain in my knee.
Anywhere else? My neck's a little sore, but Could be whiplash.
Hm.
As long as you're here, I'm gonna have Rita set you up with a CT, while I examine E-Mo.
Is that really necessary? I am paid to be paranoid.
It'll only take a minute.
See you in a second.
- It's a pleasure.
- Oh, nice to meet you.
Come on.
I want to know more about how your Mikey became my Dr.
Holt.
Well, I know my doggy When I hear him bark And tell my rider when I feel her in the dark hold on, hold on.
Stop, stop, stop.
I can't hear myself.
- Lucky you.
- Bite me.
Tony, what's going on with the mics? Uh, working out the kinks.
Give me a sec.
Dude, drummer sets the rhythm.
Dude, I was following you.
Oh, yeah? So how come I'm going like this And you're going like-like this? All right, Zeke.
Let me hear you again.
Just, uh, voice, no guitar.
Hello, hello, hello? Ow! Son of a bitch! Scotty, what happened? Damn lid fell on my hand.
Let me see, spread your fingers.
Cut's not too deep.
You don't need stitches.
Make a fist.
Ow, that hurts! Might be broken.
- Naw, man.
It'll be fine.
- Oh, yeah? Then why do you look like you're gonna cry for your mommy? I'll make you a splint.
You come in tomorrow to the clinic.
I'll get X-Rays.
What, you got a first aid kit in your pocket? I'll McGyver it.
Would you see if you could find some duct tape and a butter knife? And a shot of bourbon.
- And a malpractice lawyer.
- Shut up.
Oh, so I did hit my head.
Yes, you did.
The impact gave you a type of bruise called an epidural hematoma.
The accident caused your brain to bleed a little bit.
Right here.
But I don't even have a headache.
Well, it's small.
You don't have any symptoms.
So we can watch and wait, but I'd like you to stay here overnight.
I really appreciate it, but I booked a really nice hotel.
Trust me, this place is better.
I'll be fine.
Lily.
I want you to come in tomorrow for a check-up.
Okay.
It's good to see you, Michael.
You look great.
You, too.
Come on.
I heard you married another doctor and ran off to Alaska.
Yeah, it's a, uh It's a long story.
Well, I'd love to hear it.
Maybe tonight? Uh I'm in town for our Right, you told me.
I was on my way to buy a dress for the party, and my crazy cabby rear-ended somebody.
Lily, are you okay? I sprained my knee.
You know, maybe you shouldn't leave yet.
Oh Lily? Oh! February 24, 2012 - I heard her scream.
- The bruise started bleeding again.
I got to drain the blood that's putting pressure on her brain.
She said she has a boyfriend.
Okay, find her cell phone and call him.
Bag's by the elevator.
Where are we, Michael? Is the hematoma still bleeding? Looks like it clotted off.
- How's Lily's pressure? - Stable.
Great.
All right, last stitches in.
Thanks, everybody.
Good job.
Um, hey, does, uh, Zeke Barnes work here? Uh, yeah, he's just finishing up with a patient.
Oh, he's out on bail already? What are you talking about? They must have dropped the charges.
Hey, there he is! Hey.
Hey.
What, what's that look? I think I just got punked.
Scotty Cartolano, I'm Zeke's evil twin from another mother.
Kate Sykora, thanks for the blood pressure jolt.
How's your paw? It's, uh, it's not so hot.
It's infected.
What'd you do, roll in dirt? - Yeah, with your sister.
- What happened to the splint I gave you? I couldn't move my finger with it on.
That was the point, dumbass.
All right, let's get you an X-Ray and a dose of IV antibiotics.
We got to get you better by tomorrow so you can play.
So, uh, why don't you take me to get the X-Ray and the dose of IV antibiotics? I don't want you touching me all over.
All right, but only 'cause you're not funny and I'm taking pity on you.
Behave yourself.
She's my boss.
Nothing's broken.
You feeling good otherwise? All good.
How are you feeling? I mean, if you don't mind me saying, you look a little sad.
Excuse me? Hot, but sad in the eyes.
My eyes are up here.
And, uh, I believe that the love of a good drummer could be just what you need.
Tell my husband.
Let the vancomycin do its thing.
I'll be back to check on you in a bit.
I'll miss you.
Yeah, looks good.
No disc compression or, uh, nerve impingement.
So I guess it was just a pulled muscle, huh? You just wanted an excuse to come back here.
Isn't that what Freud would say? Yeah, you don't get to use Psych 101 on me.
Hey, uh, so Rita told me that you were in surgery with Lily.
Is everything okay? Yeah, it went well.
She'll be able to play again.
Piano, she's a virtuoso.
Teaches at Georgetown.
Well, I guess it's a good thing she dropped in on you after all these years.
Yeah, it's not easy to make a break from Michael Holt.
I could write a book.
You all right? Yes.
Admit it, you want your job back.
I'm not ready for that just yet.
What, do you want to screw up your body some more? Dive into a volcano to prove you're alive? Not exactly.
I think he met someone.
You met someone in Hawaii.
When'd you become so perceptive? - See? - You know, without the threat of huntington's hanging over my head, I've just been enjoying this new-found freedom.
That is wonderful.
So, who is she? Hula girl? Not even close.
She's an environmental attorney in Boston.
Her name is Maya Long.
I want to go visit her and, you know, see if it's going to turn into anything.
Sounds good.
Why does he seem a little nervous? So what's the, uh, problem? Well, it just I mean, it feels like it could be something real.
You know, something long-lasting and I don't know It's just been awhile.
You'll figure it out.
Says the expert.
Five sessions of physical therapy.
Take a break from the thrill rides.
Life is surprising enough.
Yo, ugly.
How you doing? Uh, kind of lousy actually.
Bruising and swelling moving up your forearm.
That's no good.
That's creepy.
No offense.
You're burning up.
How's it going in here? Got a fever and his arm's ballooning.
Even on vancomycin? I knew you'd come crawling back to me.
Let's have a look.
Oh, wow.
I don't like this.
Necrotizing fasciitis.
What else would be so aggressive? In English, please.
Flesh-eating bacteria.
That's very funny, man.
What? Did you put her up to this? For payback? It's no joke, dude.
You could lose your arm.
Lose my arm? Are you out of your mind? Scotty, we need to get you to the hospital - for something called wide debridement.
- For a damn cut? W-w-what's going on? Bacteria's moving through your tissues very rapidly.
It's got to be cut out or it could cause permanent muscle damage.
My, uh, my hand's numb.
I-I c I can't move my fingers.
I'm not finding a pulse.
Forearm's firm I'm gonna flex your wrist back, all right? Ow! Ow! That hurts like hell.
Okay.
Pain, pallor, pulselessness.
Paralysis, paresthesias.
He's got compartment syndrome.
The swelling from the infection is stopping the blood flow to your hand.
We're gonna do a procedure to relieve the pressure right away.
Okay Okay, we're doing a volar incision to decompress the tension.
I'll put on a bp cuff to tourniquet the arm.
I don't need to know what you're doing, j-just do it.
Hey, what is that scar? Looks like you had a PICC line.
Why do you have a PICC line scar? I had lymphoma.
When? In college.
You didn't think that was relevant to mention? Look, I got sick.
I did the chemo.
And I got well.
End of story.
Scotty, you should have told us.
People who've had cancer, who've had chemo, it matters to the doctors who are treating them.
This might not be a flesh-eating bacteria.
The reason that the infection progressed so rapidly, could be because you have a compromised immune system.
You think I have cancer again? Why don't we save your arm first? We'll deal with that later.
Beginning fasciotomy.
This is Paul Curtis, Lily's boyfriend.
Hey.
Sorry it took me so long to get here.
No, you're right on time.
Lily's just waking up.
You can come talk to her.
Oh, okay.
Thank you.
I'm happy to see you.
We had a close one in there.
You're gonna be fine.
Hey Lil.
How you feelin'? Michael, what happened to you? You look so old.
Hon? Do I know you? It's me, Paul.
Have we met before? Did something happen when you operated? - Surgery went well.
- Surgery, um Where am I? Look, Lily, you're in a patient room in my office.
Look, hey, it's us.
Hon Look.
It's us.
I don't know you.
Okay, who is he? Why am I in that picture with him? And why do I look so old? I'm 17, I'm in high school.
You've had an acc You've had an accident.
It's okay.
We're gonna get you home to D.
C.
What is he talking about? I live here, - in Manhattan.
- Okay.
Lily, you just need to calm down.
You really don't recognize me? No! Get this man away from me! Okay, okay.
Why don't you wait outside? It's okay.
I'll come back.
Michael, who is he? What does he want from me? What is happening? Why doesn't Lily recognize me? The brain holds memory in an area called the mammillary bodies.
Um, the injury damaged this region causing Korsakoff's syndrome A neurological disorder that erases memory.
It's taken Lily back to high school.
That's why she recognizes you but not me? She remembers me as a teenager.
It's why she thinks I'm old now.
How long will it last? I have to tell you, Paul.
With this type of syndrome, it is very unlikely Lily will ever recover the memory that she's lost.
You mean me? I've waited my entire life to meet someone like Lily.
We've been talking about getting married.
Did she tell you that? I need to see her again.
I can talk to her.
I can help her.
I'll bring her back.
Yeah.
Zeke, it's way too late.
I'm not coming over there now.
All right, well bring him to Manhattan Memorial, and I'll have Rita arrange it.
All right.
I pulled some strings.
We're gonna get you over to the hospital, run some tests tonight.
How come you never told me about the lymphoma? I don't know everything that ever happened to you before we met.
I didn't wanna be cancer guy.
You mean, on top of unfunny guy, chick repellent guy, bad drummer guy? Shut up, man.
Just call me a cab.
I'm calling you an ambulance.
And I'm going with you.
I don't want you to.
Yeah, well, I am.
Michael.
It's the crack of dawn.
I figured I'd get in before it gets busy.
What'd you do, sleep here? No.
Of course not.
You slept here.
You'd be amazed how comfortable Anton's wellness room is.
- All that good energy.
- Kate.
I just needed a few days away from Harrison, to clear my head.
Ever hear of a hotel? Try to be frugal.
Might need my own divorce lawyer soon.
Well, if you need me to spot you some cash, you know.
Just so you don't have to stay here.
Uh, thank you.
I think I should probably go home and face the music.
Tonight, for sure.
Tomorrow at the latest.
Do you have any floss? Good morning, sunshine.
So I took a look at your lab results.
Who said you could do that? State of New York when they gave me a medical license.
Great, so now every time I look at you, I'll remember you're the one that gave me the news that my life went back to full-on sucking? I'm right, aren't I? Look, it's not great.
But it's not horrible.
You have something called myelodysplastic syndrome.
It's from all the chemo that you had years ago.
Your bone marrow's not producing enough blood cells.
So, um What do they do for that? Transfusions, growth factors, to give your marrow a kick in the ass.
Doesn't sound so bad.
What are you not telling me? There is a chance that the MDS could morph into leukemia.
Big chance? Small chance? A chance.
I have to run more tests.
This could turn out all right, man.
Zeke, y-you ever been really, really sick? No, man.
I've been lucky.
You have no idea.
I'm going to get you through this.
You got your own personal doctor, on call, whatever you need, whatever happens.
I don't want to be cancer guy again.
Yo, Michael.
Thanks for the hook-up last night.
Sure, how's your friend? Eh, do you know a good oncologist, maybe one that owes you a favor? You know, call Rita.
Tell her to put you in touch with Dr.
Henderson.
Maybe I'll ask her, not tell her she kinda scares me.
Join the club.
- Good luck with your buddy.
- Hey, Mike.
Would I be pushing if I asked for one more favor? Yes, but it never stopped you before.
We got this gig tonight at St.
Vitus.
And I don't want Scotty to feel like he's screwing us by leaving us short a drummer.
And Christina had mentioned to me that you play.
You want me to fill in? I got a lot going on.
Another time, though.
All right.
Worth a shot.
Adios.
I tried everything I could to get her to remember.
When I told her how we met at Georgetown last year We literally ran into each other, papers flying She thanked me for the story like it never happened.
I have to warn you, Paul.
With this syndrome, her condition could get a lot worse.
She could lose more of her memory? She recognizes you.
You're still her boyfriend, the drummer.
When Lily gets upset or anxious, what usually makes her feel better? Same as when she was 16 Those tapes you made her, "The Holy Trinity.
" Mozart, Ella Fitzgerald and the Stones.
Well, maybe that's the way.
Michael, what are we doing here? You seem so different.
- I don't understand - It's okay, it's okay.
Look Why's there a piano here? You wanna play? I guess so.
Easy, easy, easy, easy.
I like being here with you.
This weird, swanky place.
So, piano or drums? Which do you prefer, Michael? Which do you choose to pursue? Mrs.
Kaminsky, ninth-grade music teacher.
Duh.
So I want to go to med school.
Your talent for music, why would you waste that? I need to learn about the brain.
Because of my dad's, uh, problems.
Remember when he came to our middle school concert? Drunk, and got all crazy and loud.
Kept shouting "encore" before the song was finished.
I wanted to crawl inside my drum set.
Be a brain doctor, Michael, if that's what you need to do.
I'm gonna be a musician.
Or a music teacher.
Or both.
You'll miss me.
You're right.
That was beautiful.
Thanks.
- Let's play a duet.
- I don't know.
Come on, something upbeat.
Ah That rock and roll music you kids worship like unholy idol.
Come on, keep up.
Ah, my fingers.
What? They're frozen.
Okay.
M-m-Michael, my neck hurts.
Rita! - What happened? - She was playing piano, then suddenly she just couldn't feel her fingers.
- Then she collapsed.
- Do you know why? The impact of the head injury could have caused a carotid artery dissection that didn't show up on the CT.
Leading to a massive stroke.
Right there.
A tear in the wall of the artery with a clot occluding flow.
I got it.
All right, start her on IV TPA to bust the clot.
She's posturing.
Could be severe brain damage.
- Okay, where's Paul? - Oh, uh, he was pacing around reception.
All right, she's got no family to let us know what measures to take, so go find him.
Paul you have to come back.
Lily's in trouble.
Dr.
Holt needs your help deciding what to do for her.
How can I help? She doesn't know who I am.
But you know who she is.
You love her.
I loved who she was.
- I know this is difficult.
- It's insane.
It's harder than losing her altogether.
Don't say that.
My son was in a terrible accident.
Do you know what that's like for a mother? But Michael helped me.
You should tell him what kind of intervention Lily'd want in an emergency.
I don't know that woman up there.
Tell Dr.
Holt he should make any decisions about her health.
Let's go, people.
Push 100 of mannitol to reduce swelling, start a pentobarb drip to prevent seizures.
- TPA didn't work? - No, and a second CT showed a huge stroke with severe swelling.
You want a Mayfield clamp? - No time.
- You're doing a craniectomy? Michael, what's happening? Is this necessary? Yes.
If I don't relieve the pressure caused by the stroke, she will die.
Colette, shave her head.
This is extreme.
Her pupils are fixed and dilated.
Keep prepping her for surgery.
Yes, sir.
Michael, why are you doing this? She's my friend, I am trying to save her life.
Patient is Lily Meyerson, emergency craniectomy.
Lily Meyerson your old girlfriend, the musician.
Michael, I get that she's your friend, but her pupils are blown.
There's no way you can reverse the damage to her brain.
Victor, are you running this O.
R.
? - Maybe it's Lily's time to go.
- It is not her time to go.
Michael, she's brain- dead, it's hopeless.
I know what I'm doing! She'll never walk, talk, or play piano again.
Do you think that's what she wants? Michael? - Michael? - There is nothing you can do.
You know that.
Why tear her apart for no reason? Are you going to operate or not? Not now.
Keep her on life support.
Just leave it alone, all right? It's fine.
Scotty? I'm Dr.
Henderson.
It's, it's good to meet you.
Hi, I'm Dr.
Barnes.
- Michael Holt and I are colleagues.
- Oh.
I've reviewed the results of the blood work and biopsy.
You have MDS with an IPSS risk score intermediate-two.
Not the best we'd hoped for.
It's not the worst, though, right? Um, do all those letters and numbers mean that this is the "probably going to turn into leukemia" kind? It is, I'm sorry.
Now, we want to start you on an induction chemotherapy - right away.
- That's what got me here - to begin with.
- Just let the doctor talk.
We need the chemo now to beat this thing back into remission, so we can move you into the next phase of treatment.
- Which is? - Would you just let the doctor talk? After that, your best chance Actually, your only chance for a complete cure would be a bone marrow transplant.
Okay, see, complete cure, huh? - Now we're getting somewhere.
- But with many challenges Let's be clear.
What if I just skip the chemo and I just let it ride - for a little bit, like, see what happens? - Don't listen to him.
- He's not skipping anything.
- Hey, you try puking for hours on end, mouth sores that feel like somebody took a cheese grater to the inside of your cheeks, then you get down to a svelte 98 pounds, and you lose every bit of hair that you have, including your pubes, and then, then you get to make the decisions.
Okay? I know this is hard for you to take in, especially since you already went through lymphoma.
I'll make sure that he understands everything.
- Zeke, would you just shut up already? - I'm trying to help you.
How many bone marrow transplants have you done, huh? Would you stop acting like such a know-it-all? You know what? I'll come back when it's a better time.
No, no, no, you stay.
Fine.
- Don't talk to me.
- Michael And stay the hell out of my O.
R.
You were flogging your patient.
Lily was never going to respond.
- Don't tell me how to do my job.
- We promised each other that if we ever disagreed about a case, we would say something.
That was years ago, when you were alive.
Do you have any idea what it was like for me in there? Lily is one of the few people that I trusted as a kid.
I know it's unfair, and it must hurt like hell letting her go.
What, so that's why you're here To, to guide me through the pain? You tell me.
You're dead, Anna, you are a memory.
- Then why am I standing here? - I don't know, but I'm so sick and tired of you haunting my thoughts and trying to make me into somebody that I'm not! Then why don't you move on?! Get out, get out, just get out of my life! Michael? Who were you yelling at? No one.
Just, uh, just talking to myself.
No, you were arguing with someone.
- Who? - I just told you No one.
Hi.
What brings you here? I came to see how Scotty's doing.
He's an ass.
You want coffee? No, thanks.
What happened? He's threatening not to do the chemo And he's yelling at me like this whole thing is my fault.
Who else is he going to yell at? You're his friend, you're safe.
You know, it's hard to make good friends when you're our age.
I mean, you meet people, everyone's busy doing their own thing.
Scotty, ah, we've only known each other a couple years, but he's like a brother One who kept a really big secret.
Well, maybe he didn't want you looking at him funny every time he sneezed.
Have you told him what he means to you, or you guys are just too busy calling each other names and being dudes? Yep, figures.
My mom's sick.
End-stage emphysema.
I didn't know, I'm sorry.
She spent every penny she had on med school for me.
Now she's dying and Scotty could be, too.
There's not a damn thing I can do to fix either one of them.
Zeke, you got to let the specialists take care of Scotty now.
That's what he said Not as nicely, though.
You're impossible.
Come with me.
Okay, Scotty, listen.
Whoa, I-I'm listening.
Hello, by the way.
I know you're pissed, all right? This is awful that this is happening to you all over again, so now is not the time to be pushing your friends away.
Zeke means well.
He's just trying to get control over this.
He's doing that for you, so don't be a jerk to him.
See? Okay, and as for you, Dr.
Means Well, this is your best bud.
All right, tell him you are sorry this is happening, you love him, and you will do everything you can for him as a friend, not a doctor.
I think my work here is done.
Wow.
Yeah, right? So what do you need? I need To not be having cancer again.
Maybe a cheeseburger, some French fries while I can still eat 'em without puking.
So you're gonna do the chemo? Keep my drums warm, okay? You know, they got some really effective antinausea drugs these days, and I'm sorry, man.
Friend.
Not doctor.
I got it.
There's a place, actually, a few blocks from here does a really good burger.
I think they deliver.
I'm sorry this is happening to you, Scotty.
I know.
And, uh All the rest of the things that she said I know, man.
You decided to stay? Why wouldn't I? You prescribed five sessions.
Right.
I jus Do you need anything? No, I'm cool.
Do you? Nope.
Michael? You didn't track me down to check to make sure I was doing my exercises.
What's up? You were right.
About? When you came into my office, I, uh, I was yelling at someone.
Who? You know, I owe you, man.
You helped me to face this whole Huntington's thing, and that led me to Hawaii which led me to Maya.
So, why don't you let me help you the way you helped me? Who were you yelling at, Michael? Anna.
My, uh, ex-wife.
Your dead ex-wife? Yes.
She died and then, uh Then she came back.
Do you see what I'm trying to say? I think so.
She visits you.
Yeah.
I know, uh, it sounds crazy.
But I had an MRI to rule out a tumor, I had an EEG to rule out seizures, I even had my apartment checked to rule out carbon monoxide poisoning.
I have no other symptoms.
Do you believe in ghosts? No.
Well You don't seem crazy to me, and I am the professional.
- There's no explanation.
- You know, when I first met you, I knew you were dealing with some heavy stuff, but this is Interesting.
Can I make a friendly suggestion? Yeah.
If somebody was talking to me from the beyond, I'd damn well listen to what they had to say.
Stop trying to define Anna, and just think about what purpose she serves in your life.
Maybe she's visiting you to Wake you up to something.
To yourself.
I need a minute.
Of course.
Lily.
I know you wouldn't want to be like this.
So I'm going to let you go.
Michael.
What are you doing here? I came to see Zeke's friend, and I have a couple patients upstairs.
Where are you headed? Uh, to get some air.
You okay? What's wrong? Nothing.
Good God.
Can't you men ever say what you're feeling? You know, I practically just had to knock Zeke and Scotty's heads together to get them talking? My own husband can't bring himself to tell me he's thinking of leaving me.
Which, by the way, when I mentioned to you this morning, you don't ask me what's wrong.
You offer me money, which is nice, but so not the point.
And now there is obviously something going on with you and you Michael? I have to go back to the office now.
So, what are we opening with? You got to be kidding me.
- I knew you'd show up.
- No, you didn't.
- Yes, I did.
- Thanks for guarding my beer for me.
Anytime.
Showtime.
Sit with me.
I can't.
Seriously? Hey.
Thanks for coming out.
Tonight's show is for our boy, Scotty.
You ready? What are we playing? "Only You Know And I Know.
" You know that one? Yeah.
- Yeah? - One, two, three, four.
Only you know and I know all the lovin' we've got to show so don't refuse to believe it by reading too many meanings 'cause you know that I mean what I say so don't go and never take me the wrong way you know you can't go on getting in your own way 'cause if you do it's gonna get you someday, yeah only you know and I know, only you know
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