New Amsterdam (2018) s02e12 Episode Script
14 Years, 2 Months, 8 Days
1 [INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
- How is Jacob today? - Same as yesterday.
[WISTFUL PIANO MUSIC.]
Ava.
How is Jacob today? That's why I've been looking for you.
[HOPEFUL MUSIC.]
[WHISTLING.]
Well, if it isn't my daily lifesaver.
Ah oh, don't forget that tomorrow the daycare is closed until 10:00.
It is? Uh, how am I What am I gonna do? Doesn't Luna have a babysitter? Uh, you're looking at him.
- Friends? - [LAUGHS.]
Yeah, you're looking at him.
Sorry, Dr.
Goodwin, but tomorrow's the "Breastfeeding Class for New Moms.
" Right whose idea was that? - Yours.
- Yeah, it was mine.
I knew that.
Bye.
[LINE TRILLING.]
- Hello? - Um, hi, this is, uh, Max Goodwin, not sure if you remember me.
We met in the waiting room at New Amsterdam.
Mm.
No, it doesn't ring a bell.
Oh, uh, okay.
Sorry, nevermind.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding! How could I forget the doctor who snuck me in to my kid's surgery? Yeah.
Yeah, right.
Um So, the reason I'm calling is that it appears Luna has an opening in her very busy schedule tomorrow morning and was wondering if Bobbi would like to play some competitive racquetball.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, Bobbi would love that.
She's been working on her backhand.
Good, okay, great.
'Cause Luna has been practicing her topspin, so Actually, we have this routine.
We've been spending our mornings in Madison Square Park across from the dog run.
Around 8:00 a.
m.
? Uh, yeah no, 8:00 a.
m.
is, uh, perfect.
I will see you there We will see you there.
Okay.
[ANXIOUS PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Yeah.
It's not as though I haven't tried to tell him.
It's not that hard.
You just say, "Max, Amy and I are moving to San Francisco.
" Boom.
Done.
Unless you were dragging your size 12's for a reason.
Woman - you are way off base.
- [LAUGHS.]
- Am I? - Yeah.
Maybe you just prefer subway rats and dirty slush over wine country and winters that feel like spring.
- Ah.
- Thank you.
Oh, here we go.
About to show you how bad I wanna go right here, right now.
All right, show me what you got.
All right, look.
Yo, Max.
Can I talk to you for a second? Yeah, actually, you're just the man I wanted to see.
Uh, can you cover for me tomorrow at the, uh, "Pharmacy Formulary Meeting"? Look before we get into all that I know it's boring, but I've been struggling with this whole single parenting thing, and, um, I have an opportunity to give Luna a playdate with this other little girl, and I just feel like I need some time to, you know, be a dad and try to give her everything Georgia would've wanted.
- Max, I - He'll cover for you.
- He will cover for you.
- Really? You kidding? Go be a dad.
Yeah? Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
- Amazing.
I owe you, buddy.
Big time.
Thank you.
Yeah, okay, that was harder than it looked.
You're weak.
[YOUNG GIRL SCREAMING.]
Morning.
Yikes.
Hey.
Sounds like Ashley's trying to break her own record, huh? Nonstop screaming for three days takes dedication.
Right.
I think she's determined to make a point.
A thank you from Nelson's family.
- Isn't that so nice? - Aw, yeah.
That is lovely.
And out you go.
Okay.
If you'd read the card, you'd know they were for the whole department.
I'm only making healthy choices now.
For Martin, for my kids.
Healthy choices, Gladys.
Healthy choices! [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Okay, do you know what? Just stop.
Rodney, look at me.
This is an emergency room.
Every time you guys update the system this happens, and it's unacceptable.
I need to be able to update patient files.
I need to be able to check lab results.
I need computers that recognize the letter "H".
I fixed the "H" thing.
- Rodney.
- Just give me another minute.
I put Louise Galena in Bay 28.
She definitely has cellulitis and a severe fungal infection.
Okay, we're gonna need a Hematology consult.
Let's page Sharpe.
Oh, uh, I wouldn't.
It's all connected.
Just to be safe.
Go and find Sharpe in person and drag her down here yourself, and you yeah.
Almost got it! Thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
It's very exciting.
It is a Phase Two trial of a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor antagonist.
How many patients do you anticipate enrolling? Funding covers up to 40.
And are there any demographic parameters? Yes, I am looking for men and women age 40 to 65 with naive tumors.
Do any of you have patients fitting that criteria? Fabulous.
Forward me their files, and we will get started on this bad boy.
[LAUGHTER.]
Okay, now we have a lot to cover so let's start on page one.
Using objective market and Louise, hi.
I'm Dr.
Sharpe.
- Hi.
- May I take a look at your arm? - Mm-hmm.
- Now that's pretty.
- Is it a daisy? - Daylily.
I like to grow them.
[WINCES.]
There's fabric around the infection sites.
- Do you know what it is? - [LAUGHS.]
Pantyhose.
Sometimes I try to hide my extra skin by wrapping them up.
[LAUGHS.]
When I wear the right blouse, people don't stare so much.
They make compression sleeves for that - that won't abrade your skin.
- I can't afford those.
I tried to leave it looser this time.
- So this has happened before? - Yeah.
Okay, we're going to get you started on some anti-fungals.
Have you feeling better straight away.
Know what would actually make me feel better? Taking my garden shears and slicing these things clean off.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
We're gonna do everything that we can.
Lauren.
Louise Galena just mentioned self-harm.
Minister Reid.
Brand new T-shirts, I see? Very bright.
Helps if people know why we're here, Max.
Yeah, didn't realize it was our turn again so soon.
You can always check our website to see our route.
- Good to know.
- What do you say? Have a little interfaith prayer with us today? - We could use your help.
- I think I'll, uh, stick to helping people the old fashioned way.
I think prayer's been around longer than medicine, my friend.
- Dr.
Goodwin.
- Yeah? You want me to clear these folks out of here? Aw, no, it's fine, Joe.
They're not hurting anybody.
You got that right.
I heard after they showed up, some guy who was in a coma 14 years woke up.
[INSPIRING MUSIC.]
I knew this day would come.
After all these years, his eyes are finally open.
And he's looking at me! He's squeezing my hand.
I can feel him! Those are reflexive actions of his brainstem.
I have been coming here for 14 years, sitting by his side, waiting for him to look at me.
And he is.
[CRIES.]
[SIGHS.]
People have been known to wake up from comas, yes, but that's not Jacob.
He remains in a persistent vegetative state.
- He's not in there, Annie.
- How can you say that? I mean, how can you know? - Truly? - [SIGHS.]
This is the miracle I've been waiting for.
My husband's back.
And now you have to make him whole again.
Oh, keep the change.
Thank you.
Hello.
So I see your prayer buddies have returned.
It does feel like they're here more often, doesn't it? Why? What's that smile? - What this thing? - Yeah.
- It's nothing.
- They irk you, and I find it funny.
No, I think it's great they wanna help the sick, I just don't know how they're gonna do that from the lobby.
Although, I gotta say, right after they showed up my patient Ashley who's been screaming at the top of her lungs for three days - miraculously stopped.
- You don't seriously think - it's from the praying, do you? - I don't ask questions.
I just enjoy the silence.
Which has allowed me, actually, to jot down a bunch of ideas for our Pharmacy Formulary meeting tomorrow.
Spoiler alert: they're some winners.
Well, you'll be sharing them with Reynolds because I have a, um, playdate.
You have a playdate? Luna and her new friend have a playdate.
Her mother and I will just be there for supervision.
You know, make sure nobody falls off a Yes, Max Goodwin, I fully support this next step for you.
- This is good.
- Not a step, not a step.
Not stepping, just a playdate.
Yeah, but it's got the word "date" baked right into it.
I know, but play is the first word, - so I don't think it's a date.
- Semantics.
- I don't think it's a date.
- It's a date, it's a date.
- I think it's just playing.
- Boy, you do not stay - in one place for long, do you? - Could've just paged me.
It's not really an option.
We just admitted a 13-year-old who's presenting with symptoms of a heart attack.
He checks all the CDC boxes, and you wanted to know if When New Amsterdam got our first case.
Yeah, and Reynolds is with him right now.
Okay, thanks.
Jackson has extensive damage to both of his lungs.
I'm going to have to perform what is called a "Bronchial-Alveolar Lavage" to determine the extent of his injuries.
So it's not a heart attack? No, CDC is calling it "EVALI.
" I've never heard of that.
That's because the disease is only a few months old.
It stands for E-cigarette or Vaping Lung Injury.
Vaping? He's an honor student.
He's in all AP courses.
- Have you seen him smoking? - No, never.
Well, kids have become really good at hiding these things sometimes in, uh, plain sight.
It's an epidemic.
Jack? Will he be all right? This is an unknown world, Mrs.
Lowe.
Even now, your son is one of only hundreds of cases.
But we are gonna do everything that we can.
[GURGLED BREATHING.]
Um, hi, Alice, this message is for Bobbi, actually.
Unfortunately, Luna had something very important come up, and she can no longer make it to the playdate tomorrow, so Uh, sorry for the short notice, I'm just um, sorry.
Looks like you could use some positive vibes aimed your way.
I have no problem with you guys being here, but I also have a 13-year-old patient with a disease that has no known cure.
So if you and your group really wanted to help out, you could try donating blood or volunteering.
Max, these people are donating.
You know what I mean.
But I don't think you know what I mean, hmm? I love science, medicine.
I believe in them, but they can't explain what I appreciate most in this world.
Love, music, heroism.
So we throw our anchor past the senses into a deeper truth.
The intangible.
Yeah, well, I guess when lives are at stake, I'm just more interested in the tangible.
- Hey, Dr.
G, did you hear? - Hear what? They just told me I was in remission.
What are the odds, huh? [LAUGHS.]
- [AFFECTIONATE GRUNT.]
- [LAUGHS.]
- Big Mike, that's amazing.
- Give me some.
[INSPIRING MUSIC.]
- You mind if I sit in? - No, man, please.
[SIGHS HEAVILY.]
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- This is ridiculous.
Unbelievable.
[ANGRY CHATTER.]
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Okay, okay, listen up.
I mean, we have already cut screens from patient interactions.
We don't need computers.
All we need is our wits and some paper.
All right, come on.
Let's do this.
Since I can't email prescriptions to the pharmacy, how are discharged patients gonna get their meds? You'll write them down.
Maybe here on this pad.
And what shall we call this amazing invention? This pad on which we write prescriptions? [ANXIOUS PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Um, he's got abdominal pain.
And? Usually the computer tells me what comes next after I type in the symptom.
Are you seriously telling me that one of my residents doesn't know what to do about a tummy ache? [SIGHS.]
Okay, this is ridiculous.
How is there not a single working pen - in this entire building? - Here, try this one.
Incoming! All right, now we're in business.
Watch and learn.
All right, fellas, what do we got? 53-year-old male complaining of crushing substernal chest pain.
Okay, what's your name, sir? Ikaika Namakaokealohahaunele.
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
With an "A" or an "E"? Ever since I was a kid, I was big.
By the time I was 20, I was about 375 pounds.
I could barely walk.
That must've been frustrating.
People'd say I wasn't trying hard enough to lose the weight.
That it was my fault I was so fat.
That's Obesity is not a willpower issue.
- It's not.
- Mm-hmm.
I've, um, you know I've been there.
So you know.
Then one of my doctors told me obesity was a disease.
- Yeah.
- And like any other disease, - it could be treated.
- Yeah, that's correct.
Well, I was ready to try damn near anything.
So I started taking this medication, and I started losing weight, and I felt healthier.
I really did, but they never told me about these skin flaps.
Wasn't like I loved my body before, but at least it was my body.
This makes me feel like I'm wearing an extra coat.
People stare at me more now than they did when I was fat.
[CRIES.]
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Louise, do you ever think about hurting yourself? [CRIES.]
Hey, there are There are surgeries.
You know that right? Where they remove the excess skin It's all I think about, but it costs a fortune, and my insurance won't pay for it, so this is my life now.
No, no, that is not the case.
I'm not giving up on you.
Okay? Don't you either.
- Helen, hey.
- Hi.
Did any of your patients get into Dr.
Castro's Stage Two trial? - Only one.
- Hm.
Not a single one of my eligible patients got in.
- None? - None of Dr.
Shoji's either.
Now if Dr.
Castro's gotten government funding for 40 patients, where are they coming from? I flew all the way from Chicago for this? - Sam, come on.
- Sorry, it's just Your father's still in there trying to talk to us.
- Trying to communicate with us.
- But he's not.
I mean, why can't you see that? He's gone.
Mom, we know how badly you want Dad to still be here.
We miss him too, but these are just involuntary movements.
I mean, at this point we're all doing involuntary movements.
You haven't been here.
Neither of you have been here enough to see that these are different.
Are these different? No.
Does our father show any signs of what is it? Higher brain function? No.
And you told us 14 years ago that it takes more than a beating heart to declare someone alive, so is my father alive? He has no cerebral cortical function, so I would have to say no.
You listen to him, Mom? Please? He told us this 14 years ago.
He just said it again.
How much longer do we have to be stuck at this never-ending wake? Sam's right, Mom.
It looked so real.
[SIGHS.]
We all want it to be real; it just isn't.
What would happen if we were to, uh To let him go? If we were to remove his, uh, feeding tube, his body would be deprived of nutrients, and within a few days his organs would start to fail, but I assure you that he would not experience any pain or suffering.
[MOANING.]
[MOANS.]
90.
50 mils normal saline at 24 degrees standing by.
Initial BAL results show lipid laden macrophages consistent with hot chemical burns.
Basically the same as chemical warfare.
- Any ideas? - Not off the top of my head.
So let's see what the CDC recommends.
When's the last time you had to look up a treatment guideline? I don't know.
Not since I was an intern.
All right, the, uh, CDC recommends this week, let's see here "vent settings with low tidal volumes and high P.
E.
E.
P.
" That's temporizing, at best.
Well, we're all flying blind here.
Let me try to locate a, uh, PCSK9 modulator.
A dose or two might knock down some of the inflammation.
- Based on what evidence? - Like I said, flying blind.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
He could hear us.
He knew what we were talking about.
- He was begging for us to stop - Mom, please.
Annie, that was an expulsion of air over his vocal cords.
Just a reflex, like his eye movements.
I can't believe I almost made the biggest mistake of my life.
Dr.
Kapoor, how long could he live if she kept the feeding tube in? Conservative guess? Another 20 years.
I can't do this another 20 years.
I can't.
- Goodbye, Mom.
- You're leaving? I don't I don't know what else to do.
He's my husband! He was.
He was your husband.
And he was my father.
I swear it's like you both died that day.
Sam, your mother has She's tethered herself to this bed.
Never leaving the borough.
Never getting to know her grandchildren.
14 years wasted and for what? I'm not removing his feeding tube.
Yeah.
Well Well, despite the chest pains and labored breathing, your EKG came back normal.
So maybe there's an environmental cause? - [GRUNTS.]
- What do you do for a living? I work the L Train expansion.
Oh, so we're both in the Dark Ages.
[CHUCKLES.]
You wear a mask in the tunnels? Nah, I don't like the smell of my own breath.
- You exercise? - Only if you count smoking.
All right, deep breath for me.
[STRAINED INHALE.]
All right, this could be pulmonary edema.
We're gonna get you on lasix, and then back to making questionable health choices in no time.
Hey, doc, just remember, if I drop dead, the L Train's only gonna take longer.
Duly noted.
[ANXIOUS PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
- Where's his chart? - Whose chart? Who's got Ikaika's chart? Sorry, I was putting notes on it.
- Is that a coffee stain? - while getting coffee.
Okay, new rule, people.
The charts don't come with you.
You come to the charts, okay? Give me that.
Valentina! I've, uh, I've been meaning to ask, how's enrollment going on your trial? Great.
Thanks.
You filled all 40 slots? I'm only enrolling 15.
Isn't it our goal to help as many people as we can? My goal is not to help 40 people right now, but to help millions later when we bring a new drug to market.
I just see people who are suffering now, and you can help them.
That's why I brought you here.
Helen, you did not bring me here.
And I don't appreciate your tone.
In fact, now that I'm chair, I don't even have to have this conversation.
No.
Was not the answer I was hoping to hear.
We don't cover brachioplasties.
They're cosmetic.
No.
No, no, no.
This, uh, this is not cosmetic.
I mean, yes, technically it is cosmetic.
You busted me, but, uh, Louise Her skin leaves her with a whole host of very real psychological and physical problems.
Sorry.
Her claim is rejected.
Hardball.
I heard about you.
I can play that game.
May I? Why don't I reword Louise's diagnosis? "Louise Galena has Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
" And that one is in the DSM.
So what do you say? You wanna try this dance one more time? Mental illness is not justifiable reason for cosmetic surgery.
If it were, they'd have to cover every sad person who thought a face lift could cure their depression.
Brachioplasties are coded in the system as cosmetic, and there are no enhancements or modifiers that will ever change that.
But this is this is a life or death situation, Larkin.
It is.
Louise is depressed.
She's angry.
She's struggling.
She came to us for help, and we only cured her halfway.
We left he with rolls of loose skin that chafe and give her necrotic infections.
And you're telling me with all your knowhow, there's nothing we can do for her? We can cover meds for the rashes.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Dr.
Kapoor.
Something's wrong with Jacob.
I only had my eyes closed for a moment.
And when I woke he was like this.
You have to do something.
You have to bring him back.
Annie, there is nothing I can do.
Surely there's something He was improving! He wasn't.
Whether his eyes are closed or open, whether he's squeezing your hand or sleeping, Jacob is not here.
He never was.
He's all I have left.
Uh, got the modulator.
Almost to you.
Jackson popped a lung.
The ventilator was supposed to keep him stabilized! He was stable, and then he just crashed.
I can't figure out what the hell changed.
Hey, uh, what happened to the prayer group? They left, like, five minutes ago.
Oh, there you are.
I'm on my way out.
Can it wait? It's about Castro's clinical trial.
- I have some concerns.
- So I've heard.
What do you mean? Uh, Castro already came to me.
Apparently she has some concerns with you.
[LAUGHS.]
She has concerns with me? Well, that you're having trouble accepting your new role in the department, and that you're overstepping her trial.
That's all I did was point out that she's leaving 25 patient slots unfilled.
That's 25 patients we could be helping, but we're not.
Well, I hear you, and I agree.
- I should jolly well hope so.
- But NIH is funding the trial.
They're paying us, and Castro is in the driver's seat.
Okay, so we just stand by and watch her cherry-pick patients? No, we stand by and let Castro run the trial the way she wants because those are the rules.
I'm certainly glad to know that we're all about following rules these days.
Helen, that's not what [GROANS.]
May I? [SIGHS.]
Your mother loves you very much.
She barely knows me.
Or my kids.
She gave up everything after Dad's accident.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
[SIGHS.]
My wife died several years ago And I would have done anything to bring her back.
I cannot imagine if she was still breathing in front of my very eyes.
As a neurologist, I know your father is dead.
His soul is gone.
But even I would find it difficult to say good-bye.
Your mother sees that And she's trapped between life and death.
She wants to move on.
She wants to let go.
So why can't she? Because she has pushed you both away.
If she lets your father go, once and for all, she believes she will be truly alone.
We've reached a crossroads, Rodney.
Look, closing in.
No, like, for real this time.
- How close are we talking? - Four keystrokes.
Just gotta pop in my ADMIN password, and we're home.
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- Oh.
Oh, you are so lucky you're in an emergency room right now, Rodney.
Hey, help! I need help! - What is it? - I can't see.
It's my right eye.
I can't see anything! Okay, okay, okay.
Uh, we're gonna need a C with contrast, and let's page No, no, run and find ophthalmology.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Lowe? So your son's lungs have failed, and we had to put Jackson on heart-lung bypass.
Will he be okay? [CRIES.]
Will he get We just don't know enough about the disease yet to make any kind of prediction.
Vaping's been around for years.
How can you guys still not know? The products are always changing.
And they're not being tested; they're not being regulated.
I mean, we're still learning what the chemicals are doing to his body and to his lungs.
I'm sorry, I wish I had better news.
What are you saying? I'm gonna do everything in my power to help your boy, but you need to be prepared for No.
- It's - No! [CRYING.]
Hey, uh, Mr.
Reid.
Uh, I checked the website.
You're right, very thorough.
Max, what are you doing here? Um, do you remember the teenager that I was telling you about? He's, uh Let's say his situation has exceeded the limits of, uh, modern medicine, and he's just a kid.
Uh, he made an honest mistake, and, uh, he's running out of time, so I thought [SIGHS.]
I thought maybe you guys could Pray for him? Put him in your minds, or whatever it is that you Um, his name is Jackson Lowe, - and he could really use - A miracle.
If you have one to spare.
Max.
Doesn't work that way.
Then why do you do it? I mean, why else do you come in my hospital? Why do you come here? You know what miracles are? They're the word for the shoreline between what we understand and what we can't.
Then what is praying if not asking for some higher power to do something helpful, something useful? When we do it right, prayer changes us.
Not the other way around.
Whether we're praying for forgiveness, or gratitude, or guidance, we're not looking out, Max.
We're looking in.
And if you can find that shoreline within yourself, I mean really find it, that's when you got a shot at one of your miracles.
[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC.]
[SHOUTING.]
Hey.
Hi.
Sorry, I'm I usually save my violent outbursts for somewhere a little more private.
Hey, believe me, there are way worse things you can do alone in a stairwell.
All I was trying to do was help more people, and I'm the one who gets clobbered for it? You get clobbered I'm sorry, by who? Oh [SIGHS.]
By the relentlessly unfair and stupid system we all live in.
- Ah, that.
- [MOANS.]
Yes, I'm very familiar with its work.
Do you, um do you remember the patient you referred to me? - Yeah, Louise Galena.
- Galena, yeah.
So despite substantial physical and emotional suffering, insurance, in their infinite wisdom, has decided not to cover her skin removal surgery.
They're calling it cosmetic.
Cosmetic It's just, like [CHUCKLES.]
If you had a breast cancer patient who needed a mastectomy, insurance would cover that plus the reconstructive surgery after it, yes? - Mm-hmm.
- Yeah! Because with cancer, insurance pays to finish the job.
But Louise has been just abandoned halfway through a treatment because even though obesity is a disease, it still isn't treated like one.
[LIVELY PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Then let's give her cancer.
What? [MONITOR BEEPING.]
[CONTEMPLATIVE PIANO MUSIC.]
[SIGHS.]
[CHUCKLES.]
Hello? Up there? I'm not really into this whole praying thing, but, uh My parents did a lot of it when my sister was sick, and Didn't do a lot of good, but I could really use a miracle down here.
And I know that's not how it works.
Believe me.
But of all the chaos in the world, all the unfathomable, unspeakable things that happen to people Can't one of them be good? I don't have anything to, um, bargain with, or offer except maybe this Empty part of me that I'm willing to fill up with something.
New.
Yeah, anyways.
Jackson could really use your help.
We're in OR 7 if you need specifics.
[EXHALES.]
There you go.
Hang in there.
What are we missing? Who has Ikaika's chart? - Something useful to add? - No.
But he had some dizziness when I took him to the bathroom.
Whew, how about his pee, right? - What? - It stank.
- How'd you not notice that? - Glass houses, my friend.
Psh, no, my pee smells great.
No, I mean you didn't notice how swollen his neck was? I read your notes.
You skipped right by it.
How would you even fit that in the notes? It isn't a computer.
You can write on the side.
He's an elephant.
Let's get Ikaika on dialysis.
It's nephrotic syndrome.
I think I speak for a few of us here when I ask, how is he an elephant? Well, a bunch of blind people touching an elephant when asked, will all say it's something different.
The person at the trunk will say it's a snake, the person at the leg will say it's a tree.
Only by combining all of these observations do we see it's an elephant.
Numb feet, swollen neck, foul-smelling urine.
- It's nephrotic syndrome.
- Huh.
You had better get the L Train done on time, okay? - [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- Okay, Dr.
Bloom.
That's it.
Just gotta reboot the system and this whole place will be back online.
[REFLECTIVE MUSIC.]
You know what? Take your time.
Oh, yeah, that definitely looks like a dysplastic nevi to me.
And there's one.
Yup, yup, that one's gonna work.
Ooh, that dot looks super cancery.
Maybe leave this bit to the oncologist.
Right.
Is this really gonna work? Louise, patients with more than 100 moles are at far greater risk of developing severe melanoma.
At this point, let's just say I've lost count.
So I'm going to suggest we skip the biopsy entirely and have all of the skin removed.
Just to be safe.
And there's definitely an insurance code for that.
Does that mean? Your procedure will be covered fully? Yeah.
[HOPEFUL MUSIC.]
I don't know what to say! [LAUGHS.]
Thank you! Ooh, thank you so much! [CRYING.]
Annie? Tell her.
It's okay.
[SIGHS.]
We want you to be a part of our life.
Your life.
We just want our mom back.
[CRIES.]
There are times when even we find ourselves surprised.
How did this happen? Could be the experimental agent we used to reduce the inflammation.
It could be his own body fighting back the damage.
The CDC is still searching for treatments, and there are kids Jackson's age who haven't been so lucky.
We may never know what helped your son turn the corner today, but sometimes you just take the win.
Right, Max? Amen to that.
- Uh, hey.
- Hey.
- Uh, sorry about earlier.
- It's fine.
No, it's not, so I made up for it.
Well, I seem to have missed the making up for it part.
Yeah, well, I got a call from our Insurance Liaison about a patient who had 107 perfectly spaced, atypical moles spanning both arms, requiring reconstructive surgery.
She thought that sounded a little suspect.
Did you approve it? Sure did.
Told her today was full of miracles.
I hear you're taking the morning off.
- No, I canceled my thing.
- What thing? I accidentally accepted a date with a woman, and I am [LAUGHS.]
Not ready for that.
Someone asked you on a date? Yeah, well, she called it a playdate.
It was for the baby.
She's a mom.
Oh.
Where was this supposed to take place? Park.
- What time? - 8:00 a.
m.
Well, that doesn't really sound like a date.
To be fair, she didn't explicitly say it's not a date.
Then why did you think it was a date? Because I have no idea what I'm doing.
[SIGHS.]
Max, doesn't Luna deserve to have a new friend? And don't you? [BOYGENIUS'S "SOUVENIR".]
Dreamcatcher in the rearview mirror Hi.
[LAUGHS.]
Hasn't caught a thing Oh, look who's here.
It's Luna.
Hi.
Hi, Bobbi.
- Hey.
- Hi $20 in souvenirs Anything's worth trying To stay out of your nightmares Few hours in your dream last night Always end up dying You said because of course I did Oooh Ooooh
- How is Jacob today? - Same as yesterday.
[WISTFUL PIANO MUSIC.]
Ava.
How is Jacob today? That's why I've been looking for you.
[HOPEFUL MUSIC.]
[WHISTLING.]
Well, if it isn't my daily lifesaver.
Ah oh, don't forget that tomorrow the daycare is closed until 10:00.
It is? Uh, how am I What am I gonna do? Doesn't Luna have a babysitter? Uh, you're looking at him.
- Friends? - [LAUGHS.]
Yeah, you're looking at him.
Sorry, Dr.
Goodwin, but tomorrow's the "Breastfeeding Class for New Moms.
" Right whose idea was that? - Yours.
- Yeah, it was mine.
I knew that.
Bye.
[LINE TRILLING.]
- Hello? - Um, hi, this is, uh, Max Goodwin, not sure if you remember me.
We met in the waiting room at New Amsterdam.
Mm.
No, it doesn't ring a bell.
Oh, uh, okay.
Sorry, nevermind.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding! How could I forget the doctor who snuck me in to my kid's surgery? Yeah.
Yeah, right.
Um So, the reason I'm calling is that it appears Luna has an opening in her very busy schedule tomorrow morning and was wondering if Bobbi would like to play some competitive racquetball.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, Bobbi would love that.
She's been working on her backhand.
Good, okay, great.
'Cause Luna has been practicing her topspin, so Actually, we have this routine.
We've been spending our mornings in Madison Square Park across from the dog run.
Around 8:00 a.
m.
? Uh, yeah no, 8:00 a.
m.
is, uh, perfect.
I will see you there We will see you there.
Okay.
[ANXIOUS PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Yeah.
It's not as though I haven't tried to tell him.
It's not that hard.
You just say, "Max, Amy and I are moving to San Francisco.
" Boom.
Done.
Unless you were dragging your size 12's for a reason.
Woman - you are way off base.
- [LAUGHS.]
- Am I? - Yeah.
Maybe you just prefer subway rats and dirty slush over wine country and winters that feel like spring.
- Ah.
- Thank you.
Oh, here we go.
About to show you how bad I wanna go right here, right now.
All right, show me what you got.
All right, look.
Yo, Max.
Can I talk to you for a second? Yeah, actually, you're just the man I wanted to see.
Uh, can you cover for me tomorrow at the, uh, "Pharmacy Formulary Meeting"? Look before we get into all that I know it's boring, but I've been struggling with this whole single parenting thing, and, um, I have an opportunity to give Luna a playdate with this other little girl, and I just feel like I need some time to, you know, be a dad and try to give her everything Georgia would've wanted.
- Max, I - He'll cover for you.
- He will cover for you.
- Really? You kidding? Go be a dad.
Yeah? Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
- Amazing.
I owe you, buddy.
Big time.
Thank you.
Yeah, okay, that was harder than it looked.
You're weak.
[YOUNG GIRL SCREAMING.]
Morning.
Yikes.
Hey.
Sounds like Ashley's trying to break her own record, huh? Nonstop screaming for three days takes dedication.
Right.
I think she's determined to make a point.
A thank you from Nelson's family.
- Isn't that so nice? - Aw, yeah.
That is lovely.
And out you go.
Okay.
If you'd read the card, you'd know they were for the whole department.
I'm only making healthy choices now.
For Martin, for my kids.
Healthy choices, Gladys.
Healthy choices! [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Okay, do you know what? Just stop.
Rodney, look at me.
This is an emergency room.
Every time you guys update the system this happens, and it's unacceptable.
I need to be able to update patient files.
I need to be able to check lab results.
I need computers that recognize the letter "H".
I fixed the "H" thing.
- Rodney.
- Just give me another minute.
I put Louise Galena in Bay 28.
She definitely has cellulitis and a severe fungal infection.
Okay, we're gonna need a Hematology consult.
Let's page Sharpe.
Oh, uh, I wouldn't.
It's all connected.
Just to be safe.
Go and find Sharpe in person and drag her down here yourself, and you yeah.
Almost got it! Thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
It's very exciting.
It is a Phase Two trial of a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor antagonist.
How many patients do you anticipate enrolling? Funding covers up to 40.
And are there any demographic parameters? Yes, I am looking for men and women age 40 to 65 with naive tumors.
Do any of you have patients fitting that criteria? Fabulous.
Forward me their files, and we will get started on this bad boy.
[LAUGHTER.]
Okay, now we have a lot to cover so let's start on page one.
Using objective market and Louise, hi.
I'm Dr.
Sharpe.
- Hi.
- May I take a look at your arm? - Mm-hmm.
- Now that's pretty.
- Is it a daisy? - Daylily.
I like to grow them.
[WINCES.]
There's fabric around the infection sites.
- Do you know what it is? - [LAUGHS.]
Pantyhose.
Sometimes I try to hide my extra skin by wrapping them up.
[LAUGHS.]
When I wear the right blouse, people don't stare so much.
They make compression sleeves for that - that won't abrade your skin.
- I can't afford those.
I tried to leave it looser this time.
- So this has happened before? - Yeah.
Okay, we're going to get you started on some anti-fungals.
Have you feeling better straight away.
Know what would actually make me feel better? Taking my garden shears and slicing these things clean off.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
We're gonna do everything that we can.
Lauren.
Louise Galena just mentioned self-harm.
Minister Reid.
Brand new T-shirts, I see? Very bright.
Helps if people know why we're here, Max.
Yeah, didn't realize it was our turn again so soon.
You can always check our website to see our route.
- Good to know.
- What do you say? Have a little interfaith prayer with us today? - We could use your help.
- I think I'll, uh, stick to helping people the old fashioned way.
I think prayer's been around longer than medicine, my friend.
- Dr.
Goodwin.
- Yeah? You want me to clear these folks out of here? Aw, no, it's fine, Joe.
They're not hurting anybody.
You got that right.
I heard after they showed up, some guy who was in a coma 14 years woke up.
[INSPIRING MUSIC.]
I knew this day would come.
After all these years, his eyes are finally open.
And he's looking at me! He's squeezing my hand.
I can feel him! Those are reflexive actions of his brainstem.
I have been coming here for 14 years, sitting by his side, waiting for him to look at me.
And he is.
[CRIES.]
[SIGHS.]
People have been known to wake up from comas, yes, but that's not Jacob.
He remains in a persistent vegetative state.
- He's not in there, Annie.
- How can you say that? I mean, how can you know? - Truly? - [SIGHS.]
This is the miracle I've been waiting for.
My husband's back.
And now you have to make him whole again.
Oh, keep the change.
Thank you.
Hello.
So I see your prayer buddies have returned.
It does feel like they're here more often, doesn't it? Why? What's that smile? - What this thing? - Yeah.
- It's nothing.
- They irk you, and I find it funny.
No, I think it's great they wanna help the sick, I just don't know how they're gonna do that from the lobby.
Although, I gotta say, right after they showed up my patient Ashley who's been screaming at the top of her lungs for three days - miraculously stopped.
- You don't seriously think - it's from the praying, do you? - I don't ask questions.
I just enjoy the silence.
Which has allowed me, actually, to jot down a bunch of ideas for our Pharmacy Formulary meeting tomorrow.
Spoiler alert: they're some winners.
Well, you'll be sharing them with Reynolds because I have a, um, playdate.
You have a playdate? Luna and her new friend have a playdate.
Her mother and I will just be there for supervision.
You know, make sure nobody falls off a Yes, Max Goodwin, I fully support this next step for you.
- This is good.
- Not a step, not a step.
Not stepping, just a playdate.
Yeah, but it's got the word "date" baked right into it.
I know, but play is the first word, - so I don't think it's a date.
- Semantics.
- I don't think it's a date.
- It's a date, it's a date.
- I think it's just playing.
- Boy, you do not stay - in one place for long, do you? - Could've just paged me.
It's not really an option.
We just admitted a 13-year-old who's presenting with symptoms of a heart attack.
He checks all the CDC boxes, and you wanted to know if When New Amsterdam got our first case.
Yeah, and Reynolds is with him right now.
Okay, thanks.
Jackson has extensive damage to both of his lungs.
I'm going to have to perform what is called a "Bronchial-Alveolar Lavage" to determine the extent of his injuries.
So it's not a heart attack? No, CDC is calling it "EVALI.
" I've never heard of that.
That's because the disease is only a few months old.
It stands for E-cigarette or Vaping Lung Injury.
Vaping? He's an honor student.
He's in all AP courses.
- Have you seen him smoking? - No, never.
Well, kids have become really good at hiding these things sometimes in, uh, plain sight.
It's an epidemic.
Jack? Will he be all right? This is an unknown world, Mrs.
Lowe.
Even now, your son is one of only hundreds of cases.
But we are gonna do everything that we can.
[GURGLED BREATHING.]
Um, hi, Alice, this message is for Bobbi, actually.
Unfortunately, Luna had something very important come up, and she can no longer make it to the playdate tomorrow, so Uh, sorry for the short notice, I'm just um, sorry.
Looks like you could use some positive vibes aimed your way.
I have no problem with you guys being here, but I also have a 13-year-old patient with a disease that has no known cure.
So if you and your group really wanted to help out, you could try donating blood or volunteering.
Max, these people are donating.
You know what I mean.
But I don't think you know what I mean, hmm? I love science, medicine.
I believe in them, but they can't explain what I appreciate most in this world.
Love, music, heroism.
So we throw our anchor past the senses into a deeper truth.
The intangible.
Yeah, well, I guess when lives are at stake, I'm just more interested in the tangible.
- Hey, Dr.
G, did you hear? - Hear what? They just told me I was in remission.
What are the odds, huh? [LAUGHS.]
- [AFFECTIONATE GRUNT.]
- [LAUGHS.]
- Big Mike, that's amazing.
- Give me some.
[INSPIRING MUSIC.]
- You mind if I sit in? - No, man, please.
[SIGHS HEAVILY.]
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- This is ridiculous.
Unbelievable.
[ANGRY CHATTER.]
[COMPUTER BEEPS.]
Okay, okay, listen up.
I mean, we have already cut screens from patient interactions.
We don't need computers.
All we need is our wits and some paper.
All right, come on.
Let's do this.
Since I can't email prescriptions to the pharmacy, how are discharged patients gonna get their meds? You'll write them down.
Maybe here on this pad.
And what shall we call this amazing invention? This pad on which we write prescriptions? [ANXIOUS PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Um, he's got abdominal pain.
And? Usually the computer tells me what comes next after I type in the symptom.
Are you seriously telling me that one of my residents doesn't know what to do about a tummy ache? [SIGHS.]
Okay, this is ridiculous.
How is there not a single working pen - in this entire building? - Here, try this one.
Incoming! All right, now we're in business.
Watch and learn.
All right, fellas, what do we got? 53-year-old male complaining of crushing substernal chest pain.
Okay, what's your name, sir? Ikaika Namakaokealohahaunele.
[HEAVY BREATHING.]
With an "A" or an "E"? Ever since I was a kid, I was big.
By the time I was 20, I was about 375 pounds.
I could barely walk.
That must've been frustrating.
People'd say I wasn't trying hard enough to lose the weight.
That it was my fault I was so fat.
That's Obesity is not a willpower issue.
- It's not.
- Mm-hmm.
I've, um, you know I've been there.
So you know.
Then one of my doctors told me obesity was a disease.
- Yeah.
- And like any other disease, - it could be treated.
- Yeah, that's correct.
Well, I was ready to try damn near anything.
So I started taking this medication, and I started losing weight, and I felt healthier.
I really did, but they never told me about these skin flaps.
Wasn't like I loved my body before, but at least it was my body.
This makes me feel like I'm wearing an extra coat.
People stare at me more now than they did when I was fat.
[CRIES.]
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Louise, do you ever think about hurting yourself? [CRIES.]
Hey, there are There are surgeries.
You know that right? Where they remove the excess skin It's all I think about, but it costs a fortune, and my insurance won't pay for it, so this is my life now.
No, no, that is not the case.
I'm not giving up on you.
Okay? Don't you either.
- Helen, hey.
- Hi.
Did any of your patients get into Dr.
Castro's Stage Two trial? - Only one.
- Hm.
Not a single one of my eligible patients got in.
- None? - None of Dr.
Shoji's either.
Now if Dr.
Castro's gotten government funding for 40 patients, where are they coming from? I flew all the way from Chicago for this? - Sam, come on.
- Sorry, it's just Your father's still in there trying to talk to us.
- Trying to communicate with us.
- But he's not.
I mean, why can't you see that? He's gone.
Mom, we know how badly you want Dad to still be here.
We miss him too, but these are just involuntary movements.
I mean, at this point we're all doing involuntary movements.
You haven't been here.
Neither of you have been here enough to see that these are different.
Are these different? No.
Does our father show any signs of what is it? Higher brain function? No.
And you told us 14 years ago that it takes more than a beating heart to declare someone alive, so is my father alive? He has no cerebral cortical function, so I would have to say no.
You listen to him, Mom? Please? He told us this 14 years ago.
He just said it again.
How much longer do we have to be stuck at this never-ending wake? Sam's right, Mom.
It looked so real.
[SIGHS.]
We all want it to be real; it just isn't.
What would happen if we were to, uh To let him go? If we were to remove his, uh, feeding tube, his body would be deprived of nutrients, and within a few days his organs would start to fail, but I assure you that he would not experience any pain or suffering.
[MOANING.]
[MOANS.]
90.
50 mils normal saline at 24 degrees standing by.
Initial BAL results show lipid laden macrophages consistent with hot chemical burns.
Basically the same as chemical warfare.
- Any ideas? - Not off the top of my head.
So let's see what the CDC recommends.
When's the last time you had to look up a treatment guideline? I don't know.
Not since I was an intern.
All right, the, uh, CDC recommends this week, let's see here "vent settings with low tidal volumes and high P.
E.
E.
P.
" That's temporizing, at best.
Well, we're all flying blind here.
Let me try to locate a, uh, PCSK9 modulator.
A dose or two might knock down some of the inflammation.
- Based on what evidence? - Like I said, flying blind.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
He could hear us.
He knew what we were talking about.
- He was begging for us to stop - Mom, please.
Annie, that was an expulsion of air over his vocal cords.
Just a reflex, like his eye movements.
I can't believe I almost made the biggest mistake of my life.
Dr.
Kapoor, how long could he live if she kept the feeding tube in? Conservative guess? Another 20 years.
I can't do this another 20 years.
I can't.
- Goodbye, Mom.
- You're leaving? I don't I don't know what else to do.
He's my husband! He was.
He was your husband.
And he was my father.
I swear it's like you both died that day.
Sam, your mother has She's tethered herself to this bed.
Never leaving the borough.
Never getting to know her grandchildren.
14 years wasted and for what? I'm not removing his feeding tube.
Yeah.
Well Well, despite the chest pains and labored breathing, your EKG came back normal.
So maybe there's an environmental cause? - [GRUNTS.]
- What do you do for a living? I work the L Train expansion.
Oh, so we're both in the Dark Ages.
[CHUCKLES.]
You wear a mask in the tunnels? Nah, I don't like the smell of my own breath.
- You exercise? - Only if you count smoking.
All right, deep breath for me.
[STRAINED INHALE.]
All right, this could be pulmonary edema.
We're gonna get you on lasix, and then back to making questionable health choices in no time.
Hey, doc, just remember, if I drop dead, the L Train's only gonna take longer.
Duly noted.
[ANXIOUS PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
- Where's his chart? - Whose chart? Who's got Ikaika's chart? Sorry, I was putting notes on it.
- Is that a coffee stain? - while getting coffee.
Okay, new rule, people.
The charts don't come with you.
You come to the charts, okay? Give me that.
Valentina! I've, uh, I've been meaning to ask, how's enrollment going on your trial? Great.
Thanks.
You filled all 40 slots? I'm only enrolling 15.
Isn't it our goal to help as many people as we can? My goal is not to help 40 people right now, but to help millions later when we bring a new drug to market.
I just see people who are suffering now, and you can help them.
That's why I brought you here.
Helen, you did not bring me here.
And I don't appreciate your tone.
In fact, now that I'm chair, I don't even have to have this conversation.
No.
Was not the answer I was hoping to hear.
We don't cover brachioplasties.
They're cosmetic.
No.
No, no, no.
This, uh, this is not cosmetic.
I mean, yes, technically it is cosmetic.
You busted me, but, uh, Louise Her skin leaves her with a whole host of very real psychological and physical problems.
Sorry.
Her claim is rejected.
Hardball.
I heard about you.
I can play that game.
May I? Why don't I reword Louise's diagnosis? "Louise Galena has Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
" And that one is in the DSM.
So what do you say? You wanna try this dance one more time? Mental illness is not justifiable reason for cosmetic surgery.
If it were, they'd have to cover every sad person who thought a face lift could cure their depression.
Brachioplasties are coded in the system as cosmetic, and there are no enhancements or modifiers that will ever change that.
But this is this is a life or death situation, Larkin.
It is.
Louise is depressed.
She's angry.
She's struggling.
She came to us for help, and we only cured her halfway.
We left he with rolls of loose skin that chafe and give her necrotic infections.
And you're telling me with all your knowhow, there's nothing we can do for her? We can cover meds for the rashes.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
Dr.
Kapoor.
Something's wrong with Jacob.
I only had my eyes closed for a moment.
And when I woke he was like this.
You have to do something.
You have to bring him back.
Annie, there is nothing I can do.
Surely there's something He was improving! He wasn't.
Whether his eyes are closed or open, whether he's squeezing your hand or sleeping, Jacob is not here.
He never was.
He's all I have left.
Uh, got the modulator.
Almost to you.
Jackson popped a lung.
The ventilator was supposed to keep him stabilized! He was stable, and then he just crashed.
I can't figure out what the hell changed.
Hey, uh, what happened to the prayer group? They left, like, five minutes ago.
Oh, there you are.
I'm on my way out.
Can it wait? It's about Castro's clinical trial.
- I have some concerns.
- So I've heard.
What do you mean? Uh, Castro already came to me.
Apparently she has some concerns with you.
[LAUGHS.]
She has concerns with me? Well, that you're having trouble accepting your new role in the department, and that you're overstepping her trial.
That's all I did was point out that she's leaving 25 patient slots unfilled.
That's 25 patients we could be helping, but we're not.
Well, I hear you, and I agree.
- I should jolly well hope so.
- But NIH is funding the trial.
They're paying us, and Castro is in the driver's seat.
Okay, so we just stand by and watch her cherry-pick patients? No, we stand by and let Castro run the trial the way she wants because those are the rules.
I'm certainly glad to know that we're all about following rules these days.
Helen, that's not what [GROANS.]
May I? [SIGHS.]
Your mother loves you very much.
She barely knows me.
Or my kids.
She gave up everything after Dad's accident.
[SOMBER MUSIC.]
[SIGHS.]
My wife died several years ago And I would have done anything to bring her back.
I cannot imagine if she was still breathing in front of my very eyes.
As a neurologist, I know your father is dead.
His soul is gone.
But even I would find it difficult to say good-bye.
Your mother sees that And she's trapped between life and death.
She wants to move on.
She wants to let go.
So why can't she? Because she has pushed you both away.
If she lets your father go, once and for all, she believes she will be truly alone.
We've reached a crossroads, Rodney.
Look, closing in.
No, like, for real this time.
- How close are we talking? - Four keystrokes.
Just gotta pop in my ADMIN password, and we're home.
- [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- Oh.
Oh, you are so lucky you're in an emergency room right now, Rodney.
Hey, help! I need help! - What is it? - I can't see.
It's my right eye.
I can't see anything! Okay, okay, okay.
Uh, we're gonna need a C with contrast, and let's page No, no, run and find ophthalmology.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Lowe? So your son's lungs have failed, and we had to put Jackson on heart-lung bypass.
Will he be okay? [CRIES.]
Will he get We just don't know enough about the disease yet to make any kind of prediction.
Vaping's been around for years.
How can you guys still not know? The products are always changing.
And they're not being tested; they're not being regulated.
I mean, we're still learning what the chemicals are doing to his body and to his lungs.
I'm sorry, I wish I had better news.
What are you saying? I'm gonna do everything in my power to help your boy, but you need to be prepared for No.
- It's - No! [CRYING.]
Hey, uh, Mr.
Reid.
Uh, I checked the website.
You're right, very thorough.
Max, what are you doing here? Um, do you remember the teenager that I was telling you about? He's, uh Let's say his situation has exceeded the limits of, uh, modern medicine, and he's just a kid.
Uh, he made an honest mistake, and, uh, he's running out of time, so I thought [SIGHS.]
I thought maybe you guys could Pray for him? Put him in your minds, or whatever it is that you Um, his name is Jackson Lowe, - and he could really use - A miracle.
If you have one to spare.
Max.
Doesn't work that way.
Then why do you do it? I mean, why else do you come in my hospital? Why do you come here? You know what miracles are? They're the word for the shoreline between what we understand and what we can't.
Then what is praying if not asking for some higher power to do something helpful, something useful? When we do it right, prayer changes us.
Not the other way around.
Whether we're praying for forgiveness, or gratitude, or guidance, we're not looking out, Max.
We're looking in.
And if you can find that shoreline within yourself, I mean really find it, that's when you got a shot at one of your miracles.
[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC.]
[SHOUTING.]
Hey.
Hi.
Sorry, I'm I usually save my violent outbursts for somewhere a little more private.
Hey, believe me, there are way worse things you can do alone in a stairwell.
All I was trying to do was help more people, and I'm the one who gets clobbered for it? You get clobbered I'm sorry, by who? Oh [SIGHS.]
By the relentlessly unfair and stupid system we all live in.
- Ah, that.
- [MOANS.]
Yes, I'm very familiar with its work.
Do you, um do you remember the patient you referred to me? - Yeah, Louise Galena.
- Galena, yeah.
So despite substantial physical and emotional suffering, insurance, in their infinite wisdom, has decided not to cover her skin removal surgery.
They're calling it cosmetic.
Cosmetic It's just, like [CHUCKLES.]
If you had a breast cancer patient who needed a mastectomy, insurance would cover that plus the reconstructive surgery after it, yes? - Mm-hmm.
- Yeah! Because with cancer, insurance pays to finish the job.
But Louise has been just abandoned halfway through a treatment because even though obesity is a disease, it still isn't treated like one.
[LIVELY PERCUSSIVE MUSIC.]
Then let's give her cancer.
What? [MONITOR BEEPING.]
[CONTEMPLATIVE PIANO MUSIC.]
[SIGHS.]
[CHUCKLES.]
Hello? Up there? I'm not really into this whole praying thing, but, uh My parents did a lot of it when my sister was sick, and Didn't do a lot of good, but I could really use a miracle down here.
And I know that's not how it works.
Believe me.
But of all the chaos in the world, all the unfathomable, unspeakable things that happen to people Can't one of them be good? I don't have anything to, um, bargain with, or offer except maybe this Empty part of me that I'm willing to fill up with something.
New.
Yeah, anyways.
Jackson could really use your help.
We're in OR 7 if you need specifics.
[EXHALES.]
There you go.
Hang in there.
What are we missing? Who has Ikaika's chart? - Something useful to add? - No.
But he had some dizziness when I took him to the bathroom.
Whew, how about his pee, right? - What? - It stank.
- How'd you not notice that? - Glass houses, my friend.
Psh, no, my pee smells great.
No, I mean you didn't notice how swollen his neck was? I read your notes.
You skipped right by it.
How would you even fit that in the notes? It isn't a computer.
You can write on the side.
He's an elephant.
Let's get Ikaika on dialysis.
It's nephrotic syndrome.
I think I speak for a few of us here when I ask, how is he an elephant? Well, a bunch of blind people touching an elephant when asked, will all say it's something different.
The person at the trunk will say it's a snake, the person at the leg will say it's a tree.
Only by combining all of these observations do we see it's an elephant.
Numb feet, swollen neck, foul-smelling urine.
- It's nephrotic syndrome.
- Huh.
You had better get the L Train done on time, okay? - [COMPUTER BEEPS.]
- Okay, Dr.
Bloom.
That's it.
Just gotta reboot the system and this whole place will be back online.
[REFLECTIVE MUSIC.]
You know what? Take your time.
Oh, yeah, that definitely looks like a dysplastic nevi to me.
And there's one.
Yup, yup, that one's gonna work.
Ooh, that dot looks super cancery.
Maybe leave this bit to the oncologist.
Right.
Is this really gonna work? Louise, patients with more than 100 moles are at far greater risk of developing severe melanoma.
At this point, let's just say I've lost count.
So I'm going to suggest we skip the biopsy entirely and have all of the skin removed.
Just to be safe.
And there's definitely an insurance code for that.
Does that mean? Your procedure will be covered fully? Yeah.
[HOPEFUL MUSIC.]
I don't know what to say! [LAUGHS.]
Thank you! Ooh, thank you so much! [CRYING.]
Annie? Tell her.
It's okay.
[SIGHS.]
We want you to be a part of our life.
Your life.
We just want our mom back.
[CRIES.]
There are times when even we find ourselves surprised.
How did this happen? Could be the experimental agent we used to reduce the inflammation.
It could be his own body fighting back the damage.
The CDC is still searching for treatments, and there are kids Jackson's age who haven't been so lucky.
We may never know what helped your son turn the corner today, but sometimes you just take the win.
Right, Max? Amen to that.
- Uh, hey.
- Hey.
- Uh, sorry about earlier.
- It's fine.
No, it's not, so I made up for it.
Well, I seem to have missed the making up for it part.
Yeah, well, I got a call from our Insurance Liaison about a patient who had 107 perfectly spaced, atypical moles spanning both arms, requiring reconstructive surgery.
She thought that sounded a little suspect.
Did you approve it? Sure did.
Told her today was full of miracles.
I hear you're taking the morning off.
- No, I canceled my thing.
- What thing? I accidentally accepted a date with a woman, and I am [LAUGHS.]
Not ready for that.
Someone asked you on a date? Yeah, well, she called it a playdate.
It was for the baby.
She's a mom.
Oh.
Where was this supposed to take place? Park.
- What time? - 8:00 a.
m.
Well, that doesn't really sound like a date.
To be fair, she didn't explicitly say it's not a date.
Then why did you think it was a date? Because I have no idea what I'm doing.
[SIGHS.]
Max, doesn't Luna deserve to have a new friend? And don't you? [BOYGENIUS'S "SOUVENIR".]
Dreamcatcher in the rearview mirror Hi.
[LAUGHS.]
Hasn't caught a thing Oh, look who's here.
It's Luna.
Hi.
Hi, Bobbi.
- Hey.
- Hi $20 in souvenirs Anything's worth trying To stay out of your nightmares Few hours in your dream last night Always end up dying You said because of course I did Oooh Ooooh