The Resident (2018) s03e02 Episode Script
Flesh of My Flesh
1 - Previously on The Resident - BELL: This new neurosurgeon, - Dr.
Cain.
- Do you know how much he bills? $80 million a year.
Dr.
Voss bills $2 million.
Stick with me, and we will rise together.
Sky's the limit for men like us.
Looked up my birth parents.
- Where are they now? - Right here in Atlanta.
Three grown-ass kids.
The ones they didn't give away.
I want to start talking about moving in.
Let me do this at my own pace.
I just only have one request.
I really want those chickens.
(CHUCKLES): No chickens.
("SAME BLOOD" BY ALOE BLACC PLAYING) We got the same blood The same blood - Stay by your side, it's ride or die - We've got the same blood It's ride or die, we've got Good morning.
I'm Dr.
Bell.
We spoke on the phone.
I thought you said there would be cameras.
There will be.
But I'm-I'm just here today to go over the surgery.
Okay.
Come on in.
Dale, Reggie, we are so excited that you're entrusting Chastain with this life-changing separation surgery.
We've always been joined at the hip.
Side by side every day of our lives.
To be honest, the idea of not having my brother right next to me is a little scary.
I don't know what it would be like - to sleep without this jerk - this jerk - snoring in my ear.
- snoring in my ear.
After surgery, you can decide how much togetherness you want.
How dangerous is it? - For Reggie and Dale? - WILMA: June, he already said the risk is minor.
BELL: This is true.
Because the connection is relatively superficial.
I love you.
Reggie, Dale, the two of you are the loves of my life.
And you are my everything.
My whole heart.
WILMA: Boys, we can figure this all out after the surgery.
You both can have your own girlfriend.
Isn't that right, Dr.
Bell? If that's what they want.
You don't seem happy about this.
We want to know what you really think.
- Talk to us.
- Talk to us.
JUNE: If you two want this surgery, I'll be there for you.
But to be totally honest, I think our love is like a three-legged stool.
Remove a leg, and I'm afraid we're gonna tip right over.
WILMA: Uh, this is a bigger decision - than just one girl.
- BELL: Would you like to speak to some separated twins? No, thank you.
We're sorry for wasting your time, but the surgery is off.
- Permanently.
- Permanently.
What are you thinking about? (SIGHS) I'm ready.
Let's move in together.
Mmm.
Absolutely.
- Mmm, mmm, as soon as possible.
- (LAUGHS) Mwah.
I just wish we could get that house that you showed me when you first started talking about it.
- It was so right for us.
- Mm, in this market, somebody probably already took it.
- Yeah.
- But we both have great places now.
I could move into yours or you could move into mine.
- Are those our only options? - No, they're just the quickest.
(CHUCKLES) This place is rent-controlled.
And I've clearly nailed the urban chic look.
(NIC CHUCKLES) NIC: It's just not very private.
Mm, a short walk to work.
Yeah.
How's the ankle? I don't think you're gonna be walking to work anytime soon.
Is that your way of saying we should live at your place? No, actually (SIGHS) After everything - It's been a rough year.
- (WHISPERS): Yeah.
I just think it might be nice to have a fresh start.
You know? Something that's ours together.
WOMAN (OVER P.
A.
): Boarding Flight 416 MONTEL (OVER TV): Now, Dawn, your doctor told you you have cancer of the appendix, which is a very rare, aggressive form of cancer.
So he basically said just go home and give up hope.
Yeah, he did.
But I can't do that.
I have seven beautiful kids.
I want you all to take a look at these pictures.
- Take a look.
- AUDIENCE: Aw.
Dawn is a single mom of seven kids that she adopted through the foster care program.
My kids need me.
- (AGREEABLE CHATTER) - So, I did my research, and it turns out, there is something - that could buy me precious time.
- And what's that? They call it "the Mother of All Surgeries.
" No doctor will do it.
MONTEL: 12 hospitals turned her down.
12.
They say the odds are too long.
But I am ready to fight, Montel.
I just need a surgeon brave enough to help me.
(AGREEABLE CHATTER) Yeah, you can see we all want this for you, Dawn.
- Right? - AUDIENCE: Yes.
- We want this for your family.
- Thank you.
And that's why today you're gonna meet a surgeon who not only has the courage but also has the skills to do the Mother of All Surgeries.
Ladies and gentlemen, from Chastain Memorial Hospital, please welcome Dr.
Barrett Cain to the show.
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Dawn, will you let me fight this cancer with you? (DAWN CRYING) You're the answer to my prayers.
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Dr.
Damn He's Hot can operate on me any day.
(WHOOPS) Mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm.
- BELL: What's this? - Cool hundred if you make the next one in.
(CHUCKLES) Save it for Augusta.
Yeah, that's where the big money is.
Just hang onto it and let me, uh, put it toward a healthier wager on a real course.
I'm sure word must have gotten to you by now that I've brought in the Mother of All Surgeries to Chastain.
Yeah, about that, um typically the chief of surgery decides whether to take on a high-risk, low-reward surgery like that one.
Typically, I'm not used to having someone vet my choices.
This one's newsworthy, it's splashy.
This would be great publicity for Chastain.
Greater than separating conjoined twins.
Not if Chastain turns those seven adorable foster children - into orphans.
- I guarantee that will not happen.
That is not a guarantee you should make.
This surgery is hardly that simple.
It's a brutal procedure.
It's like ten abdominal surgeries rolled into one.
You're worrying too much.
The cancer has already infiltrated her spine.
So, even if the cancer is in end-stage, the woman can die in a week, even without the surgery.
Now, on the off chance she gains no more time Or she dies on the table We gave a mother and her seven kids hope.
We took a moon shot that no other hospital would.
So, regardless of the outcome, we're heroes.
Which is actually why I came to see you today.
I am assembling a team of the very best.
Which means you, as my cocaptain we share in the publicity and in the glory.
- Or the blame.
- You know, Randolph, I actually took you for a gambling man.
The PR payout on this is off the charts.
What's the problem? Stakes too high for you? MINA: If we do this, we could be fired.
If we don't, then I'm quitting.
Is this the breaking and entering stage of grief? Maybe.
- You backing out? - No.
They say it's better to ask for forgiveness Than permission.
CONRAD: Hey.
Give me a shot of cortisone.
What's wrong? Physical therapy isn't helping? (STRAINS): No, it's helping, but it's just a long process.
I need a little help getting through today.
Hmm.
No.
As in N-O, not a chance in hell.
Pain is the body's warning system.
Mask it and what happens? You can push yourself too hard and hurt yourself again.
But I'm a doctor, so I won't do that.
Here's my answer: acetaminophen, ice, elevation.
Now, come on, I'll walk you down to PT ignore that.
(PAGER BEEPING) (WHISPERS): Sorry.
I will find you, Conrad.
I know where you work.
(SIREN WAILING) - Traitor.
- It's a rotation in the oncology service.
Everyone does rotations.
Yeah, but it's breaking my heart to think of you in anything but eye-catching green scrubs.
- Ow.
- Babe magnet.
He's leaving us to roll in chemo cash.
That is not attractive.
It's, you know, it's, it's betrayal.
Tumor biology has fascinated me since my publication in JAMA Oncology.
- You know that.
- Yeah, yeah, well, try to remember us little people down here saving lives without kickbacks from pharma.
(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES) (WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER P.
A.
) - Thank you.
- Thanks.
I'm so glad you could make it for lunch.
Adaku, it's been ages.
The photos you've been posting look amazing, but it's impossible to keep track of where you've been.
Kyoto, New Zealand, Norway.
Okay, please don't tell me that this trip was some sort of bucket list.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY) I'm not dying.
I've never felt more alive.
I beat breast cancer.
(SIGHS) Thank goodness.
I was on a babymoon.
I'm pregnant.
Aren't you gonna say something? What do you want me to say? "I'm happy for you, Adaku.
You've wanted to be a mother your entire life"? - What did your oncologist say? - "Congratulations"? This is not a joke, Adaku.
Have you been following her advice? Completely.
She told me to extract eggs before chemo, so I did.
She told me to wait until after chemo until we knew that I was cancer-free to get pregnant.
And you did all of this without telling me? Your best friend? I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you'd say don't do it.
Have my ovaries and tubes removed.
It's safer.
BRCA1 mutation is definitely linked to ovarian cancer.
Is it so awful that I want you safe? I am safe.
I am healthy.
I am fit as a fiddle.
They said you were free of breast cancer before you got pregnant, right? That was also before your trip, so months ago now.
I have a friend in oncology who can check to make sure there's nothing worrisome on your ovaries either.
Will you just go with me for a quick test? To (CHUCKLES) put my troubled mind at ease? Yes, dear Mina, I can do that.
Yes, yes, yes.
We get this once a month.
It's me and you, baby.
LAMAR: Doughnut holes are my preference.
Baker's dozen.
Glazed, chocolate, jelly.
Finish with the powder.
I like to get my hands dirty in my work and my baked goods, but I do not dunk.
That's me.
Speaking of me, I am I know who you are.
There were photos of you in the files e-mailed to me by the adoption agency.
You are my egg donor's sperm donor.
"Biological father" works just as well.
Ah, the word "father" in any capacity is reserved for the man who raised me.
Come on, dawg.
I-I-In what world did ambushing me like this make sense? I have my reasons.
Now, you can either hear me out or do your damnedest to chase me off.
Don't push my buttons, or I will push back and I will decimate your buttons.
You gonna play fair, I can take it.
But you cross a line, I will defend with a tongue just as keen as yours.
We are grown-ass men now.
And I am here to talk to you about grown-ass men things.
(CLANGING) Half your genes come from me, and I'm dying.
Make an appointment.
It's hereditary.
Which means you might be dying, too.
NIC: If you're experiencing immediate pain, come to the front.
Otherwise, take a seat and we'll be right with you.
Everett Dobb.
Executive director of the transformation team.
- Transformation team? - I facilitate a smooth operational shift between the old and new regimes, Chastain and Red Rock, by managing the golden triangle of patient safety, access, - and cost.
- Well, that's a mouthful.
We did a cost-benefit analysis and closed this clinic.
I'm not clear what you're doing here, - but you're trespassing.
- Well, Chastain has an obligation to provide health care for those in need.
We are a nonprofit hospital and tax-exempt, so it's a legal requirement.
An obligation we fulfill by treating the uninsured in our ER.
I'm not sure it's considered charity when you're turning them into collections and docking paychecks when they can't pay.
All of which is in alignment with our core value of fiscal responsibility and I might point out is totally legal.
You, on the other hand, broke the law.
I can have you arrested for breaking and entering.
If you close the clinic, Chastain could very well lose its nonprofit status, ending the tax break and saddling the hospital with a bill for millions of dollars.
We won't be audited for two years.
Empty this place and vacate now, or I will call the police.
(EXHALES) DEVON: I know you already know this, but Dr.
Grisham is going to do a transvaginal ultrasound.
It'll allow us to check your reproductive organs for any signs of cancer.
Remember, don't get distracted by the fetus.
Just make sure her ovaries look normal.
I love her, but she's bossy.
- I love her because she's bossy.
- (LAUGHS) Never say that again.
GRISHAM: Okay, guys, we're ready to start.
I'll be outside if you need me.
MINA: Grisham's the best and always busy.
- Thanks for getting us in.
- No worries.
She's lucky to have you.
But, Mina, don't scare her off too much.
Let her enjoy being pregnant.
I've watched too many women, particularly women of color, be harmed because no one was looking out for them.
You know that as well as anyone.
I hear you.
But Adaku's getting great care, and she's done everything right.
Her dream of becoming a mother is coming true.
Except the pregnancy hormones might bring her cancer back or increase the risk of ovarian cancer.
I'm afraid of losing her.
I know.
Triple negative breast cancer is scary.
But we understand more about it every day.
And now we can analyze tumor DNA and know that Adaku is less likely to respond to pregnancy hormones.
It won't increase her risk of reoccurrence.
Your fear is understandable but groundless.
I promise.
(PAGER BEEPING) I got to go.
Keep me posted, okay? Thank you.
CONRAD: Lamar gave me full access to his medical file, and it indicates his emphysema's in early stages.
So he's not dying? No.
He does have the alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Which can lead to end-stage lung disease over time but nothing imminent.
Exactly.
So now I'm gonna draw some blood and see if you have the deficiency as well.
Why would he show up and lie like that? I don't know, to get the attention - of the child he gave away? - Yeah, but why? I think there's more to the story than you know.
You think? (LAUGHS) Initial diagnosis.
(BOTH LAUGH) AUSTIN: Biology's a huge bitch, man.
- (CONRAD LAUGHS) - I mean, Lamar rolls up on me with my walk, my talk.
I never met the man, but it's obvious we share DNA.
Yeah, well, I struggled to give my dad a second chance for a lot of reasons.
But then, when I decided to let him in a bit, I discovered some things, some good things about him I wouldn't have known if I'd just shut him out.
Well, you and your dad were estranged, but he raised you.
You had a foundation.
This man gave me away.
He married my biological mom, had three more kids, full siblings to me, and none of 'em cared to look me up.
Until now.
I am very excited to consult on the Mother of All Surgeries.
The cancer has spread from her appendix to her colon, ovaries, gall bladder, kidneys, and peritoneum.
It's hard to believe it's even operable.
- It isn't.
- One opinion.
I'll remove any visible tumor I see, meticulously, even if it means taking the entire organ.
Then the cavity will be filled with hot chemo; we'll bathe them.
Scalding-hot chemo.
- 107 degrees.
- Enough to burn or destroy any microscopic cells that remain.
But still won't touch the lesion wrapped around her spinal column, with a pathological fracture.
Which is why you're an essential part of the surgery.
I'm assuming you'll be taking the anterior approach - to the spinal lesions? - I won't be doing a damn thing.
The cancer is too widespread and too aggressive.
The only acceptable approach here is hospice.
This is a high-profile case.
There's a family counting on us.
And we will fail them.
If so much as a cell, one cell of tumor is missed, which we know will happen, the cancer will grow back before the patient even recovers from this barbaric surgery.
I'm gonna make sure this poor woman understands that.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER) Malia, Malia, Malia, Malia, grab him.
- Oh.
- KIT: Hello, darling.
You don't want to go out there.
It's much nicer in here with Mummy.
So, guys, hey, listen up.
These are the doctors that are gonna be helping Dr.
Cain save Mom.
- Can you say hey? - GIRL: You're gonna save Mom? (KIDS CLAMORING) Oh.
(CHUCKLES) Yeah.
Hey, you know, I heard that the cafeteria's having kind of a special on ice cream sundaes today.
Maybe you could go down there and tell them Dr.
Bell said to have a treat on him.
CHILD: Ice cream! Yay! Shh! Quiet, bunnies.
All right.
Hop, hop, hop.
CHILD: Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop.
They're quite the handful.
(CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS) Malia should be in college right now.
(LAUGHS) I have to get better so I can take over again.
Dawn, would you mind telling me what you understand about your prognosis? I understand everything.
In the best-case scenario, this isn't a cure.
There is only a slim hope this will buy you more time.
I'll take it.
And do you also understand that it's far more likely that you'll have less time with your children? This surgery is so dangerous, y-you may not survive.
I'm dying anyway.
The odds may be long that this will help, but I want to beat them.
And I want to help you, but No buts.
I will do anything, against any odds, to stay with my kids as long as I can.
I can't give up.
I still don't think there's a chance that surgery is going to give that poor woman more time.
I have spoken to her at length, and she understands that.
Yeah, she seems perfectly aware of the lunacy that is the Mother of All Surgeries.
And in the end, it's her decision.
Well, exactly, and she is gonna have this surgery with or without Chastain.
After her last TV appearance, other hospitals tried to poach her case.
They're less qualified, and they don't have you.
Don't worry, I'm in.
But not because I agree.
But because I'm gonna make good and damn well sure that Dawn makes it off that table alive and wakes up to have as many days as possible with her children.
BELL: The clinic costs Chastain money, end of story.
I have graphs and charts that show it actually saves money by diverting the uninsured Your charts don't include infrastructure costs.
And besides, what matters most is income.
NIC: With surgeons who bill $80 million a year and do TV interviews.
What benefits the bottom line benefits everyone.
So now it's profit and publicity over patients.
You forget yourself.
I care as much as you do about our patients.
Everything I do, including publicity, is for profits and patients, because you can't have one without the other.
And by the way, I don't owe you an explanation.
These are all 3-D printed exact replicas of Dawn's anatomy.
I downloaded all the data from Dawn's 2-D scans and images into the computer, then the brain machine combines all that information and prints it out.
And these tiny little bumps on the kidneys Are tumors.
I only see three or so, but I feel at least seven more.
It's part of the reason this surgery is so complicated.
We'll wear gloves and feel for tumors, inch by inch, through the entire abdominal cavity.
It'll take hours and there is no room for error.
Which is why you're practicing.
(SIGHS) Over and over.
This is my third go and I still haven't managed to remove the vertebral body without compromising the iliac artery, which is plastered to it by the tumor.
"Fake Dawn" has bled out every time.
Come on, Pravesh.
Spread the cavity.
DEVON: If the corpectomy is causing problems, should we get Cain in here to rehearse? He thinks it's unnecessary.
Bell didn't RSVP either.
And believe me, this is not a surgery that can be improvised.
You like that car? - It's hideous.
- (CHUCKLES) I designed it.
Frame-off restoration built with these hands.
It's my passion.
It's what keeps me honest.
Does it? (CHUCKLES) That's funny, because you certainly didn't keep it honest with me.
You knew you weren't dying, neither am I.
There is no alpha-1 deficiency here, so I'm good, yo.
Well, that's what you wanted to hear, right? You wanted to know if I was perfectly healthy, right? Well, yes, of course, but I thought You thought what, Lamar? If you are my son that the odds were you would carry the gene.
If? (SCOFFS) Wow, you don't know.
That's why you came.
What, you thought maybe Bio-Mom was sleeping around when she got pregnant? Is that why you gave me away? Because you thought I wasn't yours to begin with? I may not have raised you, but I'm not gonna stand here and have you disrespect me.
Well, then you sit your ass down, or you get the hell out of here.
This is my house, Lamar.
You do not dictate to me how I speak to someone I have no respect for.
We were young.
It was the '70s.
And yes, there is a possibility that you aren't mine.
It sickens me to say that all I have to do is look at you and know who my father is.
A proper DNA test will prove it.
I can't change what we did.
And apologizing - is not gonna make any - When did you apologize?! Let me speak! I wish we could go back and make things right.
It's something that eats at your mother and me every day.
That's why my marriage is in shambles.
- And my life is on the verge of imploding.
- Your life? Man, think about who you're talking to right now.
Do you think I give a rat's ass about your struggles? Is that what you really want to talk to me about right now? - You want to speak? Answer me! - I can't S-Something ain't right.
(GROANS) Hey, hey! I need some help over here! - Watch his head.
- (WHEEZING) Put him down gently.
Let him down gently.
(WHEEZING CONTINUES) MAN: I'll get a gurney.
Good news.
No sign of cancer on your ovaries.
- I wasn't worried.
- I was.
And I know I worry too much, but it's only because You love me.
I get it.
But I'm okay.
(CHUCKLES) You can relax now.
Especially knowing that there is a silver lining to all of this.
Since you implanted your embryos, you were able to test them for the BRCA gene mutation and select one without it.
You did select an embryo that didn't carry the mutation? Oh, no.
Please Uh, what I've done is my decision, Mina.
This is my life.
It's not only yours, Adaku.
It's also the life of your child.
This awful disease killed your mother and your sisters.
With one test, you could have protected your child from it.
I will not play God.
God answered my prayers.
He delivered me - from breast cancer.
- I got you through breast cancer.
I brought my mother from Nigeria to come and operate on you.
And I am so grateful.
But I also see God's hand in that.
Then why not see his hand in genetic testing? Science froze your embryos, medicine got you pregnant.
Without doctors, you would have no baby.
You wanted me to get an oophorectomy.
If I followed your advice, I'd have no baby.
And now, all you're doing is, is judging me, trying to control me.
I am doing all of this to help you.
Can't you see I don't want your help, Mina.
(PAGER RINGING) I have to go.
It's an emergency.
Somebody who does need my help.
We will pick this up later.
I think it's better if we don't.
This is all it's too much for me, Mina.
Goodbye.
What's this? Oh, this is Dawn's spinal column, with the tumor adhesions that make it impossible to remove the cancer without killing the patient.
Something you would know had you bothered to attend even one of my rehearsals.
Your energy and your tone aside, I admire you, Dr.
Voss.
Your compulsive need to practice, it speaks to an obsession with the precise anatomy of the disease.
And I get it.
I get it, because the better you know your enemy before you meet face-to-face on the battlefield the better chance you have of victory.
Oh, you do realize her seven children are out there praying to God that this surgery works, having no idea that there is zero chance for victory.
This surgery will kill her.
I used to be just like you before I realized that all plans go out the window when the war begins.
Sounds like an excuse not to prepare.
I get my head right with my own pre-op ritual, in which you are currently interrupting.
So if you'll excuse yourself, I'd like to get back to it, because Malia, Timmy, Dani, Tunde, Katie, Rosa and Arjun are all counting on me not God, but me to bring my A game and save their mother's life.
Hey.
Verdict on your bio-father? Recent cath showed triple vessel disease.
And now he has diffuse ischemic changes.
Who's doing the bypass? Sieve and Schoneveld are available.
They're Red Rock guys.
Do we know anything about them? So far, none of the new hires are up to snuff.
Forget these Red Rock surgeons.
You should do the surgery.
Lamar is his biological father.
Even more reason to give him the best surgeon.
Who is one without baggage.
You've told me if I had an emotional attachment to a patient, not to operate.
Are you a hypocrite? CONRAD: Regardless of emotional attachments, you are his best chance at survival.
I got to get my head on straight.
Get all the emotion out of this.
You got bad news written all over your face.
Now what could be worse than three clogged arteries? The decision I have to make in the next ten minutes.
I am the right surgeon to fix your heart, but you are not just any patient.
Who you are and what transpired between us plays in my mind and very well could infect these hands.
I am an overachiever.
Gifted with a competitive nature and a need to excel from as young as I can remember.
I collected academic awards like other kids collected baseball cards.
Spelling bee, debate team, Eagle Scout, aikido you name it, I mastered it.
I had an addiction.
This deep-rooted need to conquer all.
You see, there's this tiny voice deep inside of me that cannot be silenced, who always thought, "Maybe maybe if they knew you were special, that that maybe Mom and Dad would come knocking on that front door.
" Realize what they gave away.
And that I was something worth fighting to get back.
You most certainly are.
I'll see you in the OR.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING) It's been over eight hours.
Whose playlist is up next? KIT: Sound of the drill works for me.
BELL: Once we're finished, Cain can work.
Then we still have to do the chemo bath.
If she's under anesthesia too much longer, she'll never wake up.
(DRILL WHIRRING) This tumor's eroded through the bone entirely.
I've dissected as much as I can off the iliac and lumbosacral plexus, but the arterial wall has been compromised.
BELL: Time to pull.
Slow and steady.
One moment.
(EXHALES) Got it.
Deep breath worked the magic? Picturing her kids watching me, hopeful.
That's the magic.
You ready for me yet? - KIT: All yours, Dr.
Cain.
- CAIN: It's about time.
Get the microscope in place.
I need somatosensory and motor EPs on the screen.
Foot and a half from lead position.
Eye level.
A little room.
BELL: We're gonna double-check everything in the abdomen once you've finished to make sure we've got it.
How much longer? - Two more hours? - Nope.
Won't take that long.
I need some curettes, couple of sutures, and some Megadeth on the jukebox.
Spine surgeries beg for headbanging tunes.
Is that irony? ("BULLET TO THE BRAIN" BY MEGADETH PLAYING) Dissecting the tumor off the dural sac.
Gonna need you to put some pressure right there, Dr.
Voss.
I know heavy equipment is Ortho's thing, but you're here on the delicate side, so be gentle.
She had to know CAIN: That's it.
Onc intern, get that chemo bath ready.
You're gonna need it a lot sooner than these guys thought.
(MONITOR BEEPING) - So how did it go? - I'm fine, yo.
(SCOFFS) I don't believe you.
Well, I'm fine enough to do the surgery.
But even if I'm wrong, you'll be there, and I know I can always count on you, my partner.
MALIA: I know everyone at Chastain did everything they could to give my mom every chance, and I just want to thank you guys.
Can you tell us how Dawn is doing after surgery? Well, the hours that we spent preparing for the surgery have paid dividends.
Still, Dawn has endured 17 hours of surgery.
Her body is struggling to recover.
She hasn't regained consciousness and as yet, isn't able to breathe on her own.
When is she gonna wake up? While we don't know for certain, we're very optimistic.
And, Dr.
Cain, I just want to thank you for giving my family hope when no one else would.
- (SNIFFLES) - (CAIN CHUCKLES SOFTLY) We may be witnessing a medical miracle in progress.
Let's all pray for Dawn and give our gratitude to this amazing team of doctors still fighting to save her.
We'll be following Dawn and Malia's story over the next few weeks.
It's families like this, bonding together in crisis, that inspire us all.
You crashed here last night? Yeah.
Surgery was long.
My "Mother of All Surgeries" patient was just on TV, and I wanted to catch it before heading home.
Barely made it out of surgery.
They're calling it a success.
Well, family's still together.
Maybe that's enough, right? I don't know, man.
You know, my first day at Chastain, I was planning on going into oncology.
Mm, but then the infamous Lane Hunter came along.
Well, she was an anomaly.
Criminal, psychopath.
I mean, the majority of oncologists are caring people dedicated to saving lives.
When the treatment cures the patient, that's one thing, but what may help one patient will harm or even kill another, often without any benefit.
It's impossible to know where your patient will fall on that spectrum before you start treating them.
That's why, sometimes, I miss being a medic with the patrol units downrange.
That job was clear.
We could be proud of what we did every day.
No gray areas.
But all this corporatized medicine, profit over patients, I guess I just look at it as a different kind of battlefield.
One where we need to keep showing up, keep fighting, keep making a difference.
No matter what the odds are against us.
Yeah.
(SIGHS) Yeah.
- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER) - (SIGHS) Big-time oncologist - just couldn't stay away, huh? - (MAN SCREAMING) My toe! Oh, my God, I need a doctor! Looks like things got out of control without me.
(CHUCKLES) Bed 4, perfect for you.
You'll want a wardrobe change and some gloves.
What's the bullet? Patient's been stopped up for weeks.
Disimpaction time.
I'm on it.
Watch out, she's a biter.
I can never thank you enough.
Thank you.
Oh, you're more than welcome.
Seriously, people need to know about it.
- Just excuse me for a second.
- Yeah.
MONTEL: I am so impressed with what you guys are doing here.
I'm telling you, the world needs to know about this.
NIC: Well, thank you so much.
I appreciate it.
MONTEL: Especially at a time right now where Dr.
Bell.
Nurse Nevin has been telling me about the clinic.
I was just saying how invested you are in our service to the uninsured.
How you care about all of our patients, not just the big newsworthy cases.
I'm telling you, Dr.
Bell, - he's one of the good ones.
- Well, as a nonprofit, charity work is an essential part of Chastain's mission.
You know, I can see the segment now: "World-renowned surgeon makes time for the disadvantaged.
" You in? - Just say when.
- Come on now.
- Thank you, sir.
- (CHUCKLES) - And thank you.
- Thank you.
Yes, ma'am.
Let's go.
Neat trick.
It won't work again.
I made this for the baby.
Is this your apology? I can't apologize for wishing you'd done genetic testing, but it is your choice, and I am sorry I did not respect that.
Thank you.
Come in.
I'm filling out my baby registry.
Do you think I need a baby bouncy? I have no idea what that is.
Me either, but we can figure it out together, yes? Sounds awful, but I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.
Aw.
NIC: On three.
One, two, three.
(LAUGHS) What? How did you get this place? Dumb luck or karma.
It just came back on the market.
Whatever it is, I'm so happy we're here now.
Ah.
When you brought me here the first time, it's just I had so much going on, you know? And you still do, but we will get through it all together.
I know.
It's a shakedown Are you sure right now is the right time to make this move? I've never been so sure.
All my blood keeps me up - I love you.
- I love you, too.
- And I love this house.
- (LAUGHS) Well, get ready to love it more.
I'm believing in the change Ta-da! - (CLUCKING) - CONRAD (LAUGHS): Oh, my God! - We have chickens.
- Oh! (LAUGHING) Wow! Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh Ooh Engine still purring like a '69 Firebird? Incision is healing well.
Your heart function and rhythm sounds within normal range.
Your cardiologist can manage your recovery.
- Good luck.
- Wait.
I'll be your safe and sound Don't go.
Please.
My mind and mouth move at the same time.
I act before I think things through all the way.
Character flaw.
I'm working on it.
I did what I did and I want to do better.
If you can't forgive, I have to live with that.
But my wife, your mother, is better than me in every way.
She never would've messed things up the way I did.
Dark clouds, it's a shakedown I wouldn't know.
My hope is that you'll reach out to her, when you're ready.
She's truly special, like you.
Goodbye, Lamar.
Ooh, ooh.
Cain.
- Do you know how much he bills? $80 million a year.
Dr.
Voss bills $2 million.
Stick with me, and we will rise together.
Sky's the limit for men like us.
Looked up my birth parents.
- Where are they now? - Right here in Atlanta.
Three grown-ass kids.
The ones they didn't give away.
I want to start talking about moving in.
Let me do this at my own pace.
I just only have one request.
I really want those chickens.
(CHUCKLES): No chickens.
("SAME BLOOD" BY ALOE BLACC PLAYING) We got the same blood The same blood - Stay by your side, it's ride or die - We've got the same blood It's ride or die, we've got Good morning.
I'm Dr.
Bell.
We spoke on the phone.
I thought you said there would be cameras.
There will be.
But I'm-I'm just here today to go over the surgery.
Okay.
Come on in.
Dale, Reggie, we are so excited that you're entrusting Chastain with this life-changing separation surgery.
We've always been joined at the hip.
Side by side every day of our lives.
To be honest, the idea of not having my brother right next to me is a little scary.
I don't know what it would be like - to sleep without this jerk - this jerk - snoring in my ear.
- snoring in my ear.
After surgery, you can decide how much togetherness you want.
How dangerous is it? - For Reggie and Dale? - WILMA: June, he already said the risk is minor.
BELL: This is true.
Because the connection is relatively superficial.
I love you.
Reggie, Dale, the two of you are the loves of my life.
And you are my everything.
My whole heart.
WILMA: Boys, we can figure this all out after the surgery.
You both can have your own girlfriend.
Isn't that right, Dr.
Bell? If that's what they want.
You don't seem happy about this.
We want to know what you really think.
- Talk to us.
- Talk to us.
JUNE: If you two want this surgery, I'll be there for you.
But to be totally honest, I think our love is like a three-legged stool.
Remove a leg, and I'm afraid we're gonna tip right over.
WILMA: Uh, this is a bigger decision - than just one girl.
- BELL: Would you like to speak to some separated twins? No, thank you.
We're sorry for wasting your time, but the surgery is off.
- Permanently.
- Permanently.
What are you thinking about? (SIGHS) I'm ready.
Let's move in together.
Mmm.
Absolutely.
- Mmm, mmm, as soon as possible.
- (LAUGHS) Mwah.
I just wish we could get that house that you showed me when you first started talking about it.
- It was so right for us.
- Mm, in this market, somebody probably already took it.
- Yeah.
- But we both have great places now.
I could move into yours or you could move into mine.
- Are those our only options? - No, they're just the quickest.
(CHUCKLES) This place is rent-controlled.
And I've clearly nailed the urban chic look.
(NIC CHUCKLES) NIC: It's just not very private.
Mm, a short walk to work.
Yeah.
How's the ankle? I don't think you're gonna be walking to work anytime soon.
Is that your way of saying we should live at your place? No, actually (SIGHS) After everything - It's been a rough year.
- (WHISPERS): Yeah.
I just think it might be nice to have a fresh start.
You know? Something that's ours together.
WOMAN (OVER P.
A.
): Boarding Flight 416 MONTEL (OVER TV): Now, Dawn, your doctor told you you have cancer of the appendix, which is a very rare, aggressive form of cancer.
So he basically said just go home and give up hope.
Yeah, he did.
But I can't do that.
I have seven beautiful kids.
I want you all to take a look at these pictures.
- Take a look.
- AUDIENCE: Aw.
Dawn is a single mom of seven kids that she adopted through the foster care program.
My kids need me.
- (AGREEABLE CHATTER) - So, I did my research, and it turns out, there is something - that could buy me precious time.
- And what's that? They call it "the Mother of All Surgeries.
" No doctor will do it.
MONTEL: 12 hospitals turned her down.
12.
They say the odds are too long.
But I am ready to fight, Montel.
I just need a surgeon brave enough to help me.
(AGREEABLE CHATTER) Yeah, you can see we all want this for you, Dawn.
- Right? - AUDIENCE: Yes.
- We want this for your family.
- Thank you.
And that's why today you're gonna meet a surgeon who not only has the courage but also has the skills to do the Mother of All Surgeries.
Ladies and gentlemen, from Chastain Memorial Hospital, please welcome Dr.
Barrett Cain to the show.
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Dawn, will you let me fight this cancer with you? (DAWN CRYING) You're the answer to my prayers.
(CHEERING, APPLAUSE) Dr.
Damn He's Hot can operate on me any day.
(WHOOPS) Mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm.
- BELL: What's this? - Cool hundred if you make the next one in.
(CHUCKLES) Save it for Augusta.
Yeah, that's where the big money is.
Just hang onto it and let me, uh, put it toward a healthier wager on a real course.
I'm sure word must have gotten to you by now that I've brought in the Mother of All Surgeries to Chastain.
Yeah, about that, um typically the chief of surgery decides whether to take on a high-risk, low-reward surgery like that one.
Typically, I'm not used to having someone vet my choices.
This one's newsworthy, it's splashy.
This would be great publicity for Chastain.
Greater than separating conjoined twins.
Not if Chastain turns those seven adorable foster children - into orphans.
- I guarantee that will not happen.
That is not a guarantee you should make.
This surgery is hardly that simple.
It's a brutal procedure.
It's like ten abdominal surgeries rolled into one.
You're worrying too much.
The cancer has already infiltrated her spine.
So, even if the cancer is in end-stage, the woman can die in a week, even without the surgery.
Now, on the off chance she gains no more time Or she dies on the table We gave a mother and her seven kids hope.
We took a moon shot that no other hospital would.
So, regardless of the outcome, we're heroes.
Which is actually why I came to see you today.
I am assembling a team of the very best.
Which means you, as my cocaptain we share in the publicity and in the glory.
- Or the blame.
- You know, Randolph, I actually took you for a gambling man.
The PR payout on this is off the charts.
What's the problem? Stakes too high for you? MINA: If we do this, we could be fired.
If we don't, then I'm quitting.
Is this the breaking and entering stage of grief? Maybe.
- You backing out? - No.
They say it's better to ask for forgiveness Than permission.
CONRAD: Hey.
Give me a shot of cortisone.
What's wrong? Physical therapy isn't helping? (STRAINS): No, it's helping, but it's just a long process.
I need a little help getting through today.
Hmm.
No.
As in N-O, not a chance in hell.
Pain is the body's warning system.
Mask it and what happens? You can push yourself too hard and hurt yourself again.
But I'm a doctor, so I won't do that.
Here's my answer: acetaminophen, ice, elevation.
Now, come on, I'll walk you down to PT ignore that.
(PAGER BEEPING) (WHISPERS): Sorry.
I will find you, Conrad.
I know where you work.
(SIREN WAILING) - Traitor.
- It's a rotation in the oncology service.
Everyone does rotations.
Yeah, but it's breaking my heart to think of you in anything but eye-catching green scrubs.
- Ow.
- Babe magnet.
He's leaving us to roll in chemo cash.
That is not attractive.
It's, you know, it's, it's betrayal.
Tumor biology has fascinated me since my publication in JAMA Oncology.
- You know that.
- Yeah, yeah, well, try to remember us little people down here saving lives without kickbacks from pharma.
(ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES) (WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER P.
A.
) - Thank you.
- Thanks.
I'm so glad you could make it for lunch.
Adaku, it's been ages.
The photos you've been posting look amazing, but it's impossible to keep track of where you've been.
Kyoto, New Zealand, Norway.
Okay, please don't tell me that this trip was some sort of bucket list.
(LAUGHS SOFTLY) I'm not dying.
I've never felt more alive.
I beat breast cancer.
(SIGHS) Thank goodness.
I was on a babymoon.
I'm pregnant.
Aren't you gonna say something? What do you want me to say? "I'm happy for you, Adaku.
You've wanted to be a mother your entire life"? - What did your oncologist say? - "Congratulations"? This is not a joke, Adaku.
Have you been following her advice? Completely.
She told me to extract eggs before chemo, so I did.
She told me to wait until after chemo until we knew that I was cancer-free to get pregnant.
And you did all of this without telling me? Your best friend? I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you'd say don't do it.
Have my ovaries and tubes removed.
It's safer.
BRCA1 mutation is definitely linked to ovarian cancer.
Is it so awful that I want you safe? I am safe.
I am healthy.
I am fit as a fiddle.
They said you were free of breast cancer before you got pregnant, right? That was also before your trip, so months ago now.
I have a friend in oncology who can check to make sure there's nothing worrisome on your ovaries either.
Will you just go with me for a quick test? To (CHUCKLES) put my troubled mind at ease? Yes, dear Mina, I can do that.
Yes, yes, yes.
We get this once a month.
It's me and you, baby.
LAMAR: Doughnut holes are my preference.
Baker's dozen.
Glazed, chocolate, jelly.
Finish with the powder.
I like to get my hands dirty in my work and my baked goods, but I do not dunk.
That's me.
Speaking of me, I am I know who you are.
There were photos of you in the files e-mailed to me by the adoption agency.
You are my egg donor's sperm donor.
"Biological father" works just as well.
Ah, the word "father" in any capacity is reserved for the man who raised me.
Come on, dawg.
I-I-In what world did ambushing me like this make sense? I have my reasons.
Now, you can either hear me out or do your damnedest to chase me off.
Don't push my buttons, or I will push back and I will decimate your buttons.
You gonna play fair, I can take it.
But you cross a line, I will defend with a tongue just as keen as yours.
We are grown-ass men now.
And I am here to talk to you about grown-ass men things.
(CLANGING) Half your genes come from me, and I'm dying.
Make an appointment.
It's hereditary.
Which means you might be dying, too.
NIC: If you're experiencing immediate pain, come to the front.
Otherwise, take a seat and we'll be right with you.
Everett Dobb.
Executive director of the transformation team.
- Transformation team? - I facilitate a smooth operational shift between the old and new regimes, Chastain and Red Rock, by managing the golden triangle of patient safety, access, - and cost.
- Well, that's a mouthful.
We did a cost-benefit analysis and closed this clinic.
I'm not clear what you're doing here, - but you're trespassing.
- Well, Chastain has an obligation to provide health care for those in need.
We are a nonprofit hospital and tax-exempt, so it's a legal requirement.
An obligation we fulfill by treating the uninsured in our ER.
I'm not sure it's considered charity when you're turning them into collections and docking paychecks when they can't pay.
All of which is in alignment with our core value of fiscal responsibility and I might point out is totally legal.
You, on the other hand, broke the law.
I can have you arrested for breaking and entering.
If you close the clinic, Chastain could very well lose its nonprofit status, ending the tax break and saddling the hospital with a bill for millions of dollars.
We won't be audited for two years.
Empty this place and vacate now, or I will call the police.
(EXHALES) DEVON: I know you already know this, but Dr.
Grisham is going to do a transvaginal ultrasound.
It'll allow us to check your reproductive organs for any signs of cancer.
Remember, don't get distracted by the fetus.
Just make sure her ovaries look normal.
I love her, but she's bossy.
- I love her because she's bossy.
- (LAUGHS) Never say that again.
GRISHAM: Okay, guys, we're ready to start.
I'll be outside if you need me.
MINA: Grisham's the best and always busy.
- Thanks for getting us in.
- No worries.
She's lucky to have you.
But, Mina, don't scare her off too much.
Let her enjoy being pregnant.
I've watched too many women, particularly women of color, be harmed because no one was looking out for them.
You know that as well as anyone.
I hear you.
But Adaku's getting great care, and she's done everything right.
Her dream of becoming a mother is coming true.
Except the pregnancy hormones might bring her cancer back or increase the risk of ovarian cancer.
I'm afraid of losing her.
I know.
Triple negative breast cancer is scary.
But we understand more about it every day.
And now we can analyze tumor DNA and know that Adaku is less likely to respond to pregnancy hormones.
It won't increase her risk of reoccurrence.
Your fear is understandable but groundless.
I promise.
(PAGER BEEPING) I got to go.
Keep me posted, okay? Thank you.
CONRAD: Lamar gave me full access to his medical file, and it indicates his emphysema's in early stages.
So he's not dying? No.
He does have the alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
Which can lead to end-stage lung disease over time but nothing imminent.
Exactly.
So now I'm gonna draw some blood and see if you have the deficiency as well.
Why would he show up and lie like that? I don't know, to get the attention - of the child he gave away? - Yeah, but why? I think there's more to the story than you know.
You think? (LAUGHS) Initial diagnosis.
(BOTH LAUGH) AUSTIN: Biology's a huge bitch, man.
- (CONRAD LAUGHS) - I mean, Lamar rolls up on me with my walk, my talk.
I never met the man, but it's obvious we share DNA.
Yeah, well, I struggled to give my dad a second chance for a lot of reasons.
But then, when I decided to let him in a bit, I discovered some things, some good things about him I wouldn't have known if I'd just shut him out.
Well, you and your dad were estranged, but he raised you.
You had a foundation.
This man gave me away.
He married my biological mom, had three more kids, full siblings to me, and none of 'em cared to look me up.
Until now.
I am very excited to consult on the Mother of All Surgeries.
The cancer has spread from her appendix to her colon, ovaries, gall bladder, kidneys, and peritoneum.
It's hard to believe it's even operable.
- It isn't.
- One opinion.
I'll remove any visible tumor I see, meticulously, even if it means taking the entire organ.
Then the cavity will be filled with hot chemo; we'll bathe them.
Scalding-hot chemo.
- 107 degrees.
- Enough to burn or destroy any microscopic cells that remain.
But still won't touch the lesion wrapped around her spinal column, with a pathological fracture.
Which is why you're an essential part of the surgery.
I'm assuming you'll be taking the anterior approach - to the spinal lesions? - I won't be doing a damn thing.
The cancer is too widespread and too aggressive.
The only acceptable approach here is hospice.
This is a high-profile case.
There's a family counting on us.
And we will fail them.
If so much as a cell, one cell of tumor is missed, which we know will happen, the cancer will grow back before the patient even recovers from this barbaric surgery.
I'm gonna make sure this poor woman understands that.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER) Malia, Malia, Malia, Malia, grab him.
- Oh.
- KIT: Hello, darling.
You don't want to go out there.
It's much nicer in here with Mummy.
So, guys, hey, listen up.
These are the doctors that are gonna be helping Dr.
Cain save Mom.
- Can you say hey? - GIRL: You're gonna save Mom? (KIDS CLAMORING) Oh.
(CHUCKLES) Yeah.
Hey, you know, I heard that the cafeteria's having kind of a special on ice cream sundaes today.
Maybe you could go down there and tell them Dr.
Bell said to have a treat on him.
CHILD: Ice cream! Yay! Shh! Quiet, bunnies.
All right.
Hop, hop, hop.
CHILD: Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop.
They're quite the handful.
(CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS) Malia should be in college right now.
(LAUGHS) I have to get better so I can take over again.
Dawn, would you mind telling me what you understand about your prognosis? I understand everything.
In the best-case scenario, this isn't a cure.
There is only a slim hope this will buy you more time.
I'll take it.
And do you also understand that it's far more likely that you'll have less time with your children? This surgery is so dangerous, y-you may not survive.
I'm dying anyway.
The odds may be long that this will help, but I want to beat them.
And I want to help you, but No buts.
I will do anything, against any odds, to stay with my kids as long as I can.
I can't give up.
I still don't think there's a chance that surgery is going to give that poor woman more time.
I have spoken to her at length, and she understands that.
Yeah, she seems perfectly aware of the lunacy that is the Mother of All Surgeries.
And in the end, it's her decision.
Well, exactly, and she is gonna have this surgery with or without Chastain.
After her last TV appearance, other hospitals tried to poach her case.
They're less qualified, and they don't have you.
Don't worry, I'm in.
But not because I agree.
But because I'm gonna make good and damn well sure that Dawn makes it off that table alive and wakes up to have as many days as possible with her children.
BELL: The clinic costs Chastain money, end of story.
I have graphs and charts that show it actually saves money by diverting the uninsured Your charts don't include infrastructure costs.
And besides, what matters most is income.
NIC: With surgeons who bill $80 million a year and do TV interviews.
What benefits the bottom line benefits everyone.
So now it's profit and publicity over patients.
You forget yourself.
I care as much as you do about our patients.
Everything I do, including publicity, is for profits and patients, because you can't have one without the other.
And by the way, I don't owe you an explanation.
These are all 3-D printed exact replicas of Dawn's anatomy.
I downloaded all the data from Dawn's 2-D scans and images into the computer, then the brain machine combines all that information and prints it out.
And these tiny little bumps on the kidneys Are tumors.
I only see three or so, but I feel at least seven more.
It's part of the reason this surgery is so complicated.
We'll wear gloves and feel for tumors, inch by inch, through the entire abdominal cavity.
It'll take hours and there is no room for error.
Which is why you're practicing.
(SIGHS) Over and over.
This is my third go and I still haven't managed to remove the vertebral body without compromising the iliac artery, which is plastered to it by the tumor.
"Fake Dawn" has bled out every time.
Come on, Pravesh.
Spread the cavity.
DEVON: If the corpectomy is causing problems, should we get Cain in here to rehearse? He thinks it's unnecessary.
Bell didn't RSVP either.
And believe me, this is not a surgery that can be improvised.
You like that car? - It's hideous.
- (CHUCKLES) I designed it.
Frame-off restoration built with these hands.
It's my passion.
It's what keeps me honest.
Does it? (CHUCKLES) That's funny, because you certainly didn't keep it honest with me.
You knew you weren't dying, neither am I.
There is no alpha-1 deficiency here, so I'm good, yo.
Well, that's what you wanted to hear, right? You wanted to know if I was perfectly healthy, right? Well, yes, of course, but I thought You thought what, Lamar? If you are my son that the odds were you would carry the gene.
If? (SCOFFS) Wow, you don't know.
That's why you came.
What, you thought maybe Bio-Mom was sleeping around when she got pregnant? Is that why you gave me away? Because you thought I wasn't yours to begin with? I may not have raised you, but I'm not gonna stand here and have you disrespect me.
Well, then you sit your ass down, or you get the hell out of here.
This is my house, Lamar.
You do not dictate to me how I speak to someone I have no respect for.
We were young.
It was the '70s.
And yes, there is a possibility that you aren't mine.
It sickens me to say that all I have to do is look at you and know who my father is.
A proper DNA test will prove it.
I can't change what we did.
And apologizing - is not gonna make any - When did you apologize?! Let me speak! I wish we could go back and make things right.
It's something that eats at your mother and me every day.
That's why my marriage is in shambles.
- And my life is on the verge of imploding.
- Your life? Man, think about who you're talking to right now.
Do you think I give a rat's ass about your struggles? Is that what you really want to talk to me about right now? - You want to speak? Answer me! - I can't S-Something ain't right.
(GROANS) Hey, hey! I need some help over here! - Watch his head.
- (WHEEZING) Put him down gently.
Let him down gently.
(WHEEZING CONTINUES) MAN: I'll get a gurney.
Good news.
No sign of cancer on your ovaries.
- I wasn't worried.
- I was.
And I know I worry too much, but it's only because You love me.
I get it.
But I'm okay.
(CHUCKLES) You can relax now.
Especially knowing that there is a silver lining to all of this.
Since you implanted your embryos, you were able to test them for the BRCA gene mutation and select one without it.
You did select an embryo that didn't carry the mutation? Oh, no.
Please Uh, what I've done is my decision, Mina.
This is my life.
It's not only yours, Adaku.
It's also the life of your child.
This awful disease killed your mother and your sisters.
With one test, you could have protected your child from it.
I will not play God.
God answered my prayers.
He delivered me - from breast cancer.
- I got you through breast cancer.
I brought my mother from Nigeria to come and operate on you.
And I am so grateful.
But I also see God's hand in that.
Then why not see his hand in genetic testing? Science froze your embryos, medicine got you pregnant.
Without doctors, you would have no baby.
You wanted me to get an oophorectomy.
If I followed your advice, I'd have no baby.
And now, all you're doing is, is judging me, trying to control me.
I am doing all of this to help you.
Can't you see I don't want your help, Mina.
(PAGER RINGING) I have to go.
It's an emergency.
Somebody who does need my help.
We will pick this up later.
I think it's better if we don't.
This is all it's too much for me, Mina.
Goodbye.
What's this? Oh, this is Dawn's spinal column, with the tumor adhesions that make it impossible to remove the cancer without killing the patient.
Something you would know had you bothered to attend even one of my rehearsals.
Your energy and your tone aside, I admire you, Dr.
Voss.
Your compulsive need to practice, it speaks to an obsession with the precise anatomy of the disease.
And I get it.
I get it, because the better you know your enemy before you meet face-to-face on the battlefield the better chance you have of victory.
Oh, you do realize her seven children are out there praying to God that this surgery works, having no idea that there is zero chance for victory.
This surgery will kill her.
I used to be just like you before I realized that all plans go out the window when the war begins.
Sounds like an excuse not to prepare.
I get my head right with my own pre-op ritual, in which you are currently interrupting.
So if you'll excuse yourself, I'd like to get back to it, because Malia, Timmy, Dani, Tunde, Katie, Rosa and Arjun are all counting on me not God, but me to bring my A game and save their mother's life.
Hey.
Verdict on your bio-father? Recent cath showed triple vessel disease.
And now he has diffuse ischemic changes.
Who's doing the bypass? Sieve and Schoneveld are available.
They're Red Rock guys.
Do we know anything about them? So far, none of the new hires are up to snuff.
Forget these Red Rock surgeons.
You should do the surgery.
Lamar is his biological father.
Even more reason to give him the best surgeon.
Who is one without baggage.
You've told me if I had an emotional attachment to a patient, not to operate.
Are you a hypocrite? CONRAD: Regardless of emotional attachments, you are his best chance at survival.
I got to get my head on straight.
Get all the emotion out of this.
You got bad news written all over your face.
Now what could be worse than three clogged arteries? The decision I have to make in the next ten minutes.
I am the right surgeon to fix your heart, but you are not just any patient.
Who you are and what transpired between us plays in my mind and very well could infect these hands.
I am an overachiever.
Gifted with a competitive nature and a need to excel from as young as I can remember.
I collected academic awards like other kids collected baseball cards.
Spelling bee, debate team, Eagle Scout, aikido you name it, I mastered it.
I had an addiction.
This deep-rooted need to conquer all.
You see, there's this tiny voice deep inside of me that cannot be silenced, who always thought, "Maybe maybe if they knew you were special, that that maybe Mom and Dad would come knocking on that front door.
" Realize what they gave away.
And that I was something worth fighting to get back.
You most certainly are.
I'll see you in the OR.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING) It's been over eight hours.
Whose playlist is up next? KIT: Sound of the drill works for me.
BELL: Once we're finished, Cain can work.
Then we still have to do the chemo bath.
If she's under anesthesia too much longer, she'll never wake up.
(DRILL WHIRRING) This tumor's eroded through the bone entirely.
I've dissected as much as I can off the iliac and lumbosacral plexus, but the arterial wall has been compromised.
BELL: Time to pull.
Slow and steady.
One moment.
(EXHALES) Got it.
Deep breath worked the magic? Picturing her kids watching me, hopeful.
That's the magic.
You ready for me yet? - KIT: All yours, Dr.
Cain.
- CAIN: It's about time.
Get the microscope in place.
I need somatosensory and motor EPs on the screen.
Foot and a half from lead position.
Eye level.
A little room.
BELL: We're gonna double-check everything in the abdomen once you've finished to make sure we've got it.
How much longer? - Two more hours? - Nope.
Won't take that long.
I need some curettes, couple of sutures, and some Megadeth on the jukebox.
Spine surgeries beg for headbanging tunes.
Is that irony? ("BULLET TO THE BRAIN" BY MEGADETH PLAYING) Dissecting the tumor off the dural sac.
Gonna need you to put some pressure right there, Dr.
Voss.
I know heavy equipment is Ortho's thing, but you're here on the delicate side, so be gentle.
She had to know CAIN: That's it.
Onc intern, get that chemo bath ready.
You're gonna need it a lot sooner than these guys thought.
(MONITOR BEEPING) - So how did it go? - I'm fine, yo.
(SCOFFS) I don't believe you.
Well, I'm fine enough to do the surgery.
But even if I'm wrong, you'll be there, and I know I can always count on you, my partner.
MALIA: I know everyone at Chastain did everything they could to give my mom every chance, and I just want to thank you guys.
Can you tell us how Dawn is doing after surgery? Well, the hours that we spent preparing for the surgery have paid dividends.
Still, Dawn has endured 17 hours of surgery.
Her body is struggling to recover.
She hasn't regained consciousness and as yet, isn't able to breathe on her own.
When is she gonna wake up? While we don't know for certain, we're very optimistic.
And, Dr.
Cain, I just want to thank you for giving my family hope when no one else would.
- (SNIFFLES) - (CAIN CHUCKLES SOFTLY) We may be witnessing a medical miracle in progress.
Let's all pray for Dawn and give our gratitude to this amazing team of doctors still fighting to save her.
We'll be following Dawn and Malia's story over the next few weeks.
It's families like this, bonding together in crisis, that inspire us all.
You crashed here last night? Yeah.
Surgery was long.
My "Mother of All Surgeries" patient was just on TV, and I wanted to catch it before heading home.
Barely made it out of surgery.
They're calling it a success.
Well, family's still together.
Maybe that's enough, right? I don't know, man.
You know, my first day at Chastain, I was planning on going into oncology.
Mm, but then the infamous Lane Hunter came along.
Well, she was an anomaly.
Criminal, psychopath.
I mean, the majority of oncologists are caring people dedicated to saving lives.
When the treatment cures the patient, that's one thing, but what may help one patient will harm or even kill another, often without any benefit.
It's impossible to know where your patient will fall on that spectrum before you start treating them.
That's why, sometimes, I miss being a medic with the patrol units downrange.
That job was clear.
We could be proud of what we did every day.
No gray areas.
But all this corporatized medicine, profit over patients, I guess I just look at it as a different kind of battlefield.
One where we need to keep showing up, keep fighting, keep making a difference.
No matter what the odds are against us.
Yeah.
(SIGHS) Yeah.
- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER) - (SIGHS) Big-time oncologist - just couldn't stay away, huh? - (MAN SCREAMING) My toe! Oh, my God, I need a doctor! Looks like things got out of control without me.
(CHUCKLES) Bed 4, perfect for you.
You'll want a wardrobe change and some gloves.
What's the bullet? Patient's been stopped up for weeks.
Disimpaction time.
I'm on it.
Watch out, she's a biter.
I can never thank you enough.
Thank you.
Oh, you're more than welcome.
Seriously, people need to know about it.
- Just excuse me for a second.
- Yeah.
MONTEL: I am so impressed with what you guys are doing here.
I'm telling you, the world needs to know about this.
NIC: Well, thank you so much.
I appreciate it.
MONTEL: Especially at a time right now where Dr.
Bell.
Nurse Nevin has been telling me about the clinic.
I was just saying how invested you are in our service to the uninsured.
How you care about all of our patients, not just the big newsworthy cases.
I'm telling you, Dr.
Bell, - he's one of the good ones.
- Well, as a nonprofit, charity work is an essential part of Chastain's mission.
You know, I can see the segment now: "World-renowned surgeon makes time for the disadvantaged.
" You in? - Just say when.
- Come on now.
- Thank you, sir.
- (CHUCKLES) - And thank you.
- Thank you.
Yes, ma'am.
Let's go.
Neat trick.
It won't work again.
I made this for the baby.
Is this your apology? I can't apologize for wishing you'd done genetic testing, but it is your choice, and I am sorry I did not respect that.
Thank you.
Come in.
I'm filling out my baby registry.
Do you think I need a baby bouncy? I have no idea what that is.
Me either, but we can figure it out together, yes? Sounds awful, but I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.
Aw.
NIC: On three.
One, two, three.
(LAUGHS) What? How did you get this place? Dumb luck or karma.
It just came back on the market.
Whatever it is, I'm so happy we're here now.
Ah.
When you brought me here the first time, it's just I had so much going on, you know? And you still do, but we will get through it all together.
I know.
It's a shakedown Are you sure right now is the right time to make this move? I've never been so sure.
All my blood keeps me up - I love you.
- I love you, too.
- And I love this house.
- (LAUGHS) Well, get ready to love it more.
I'm believing in the change Ta-da! - (CLUCKING) - CONRAD (LAUGHS): Oh, my God! - We have chickens.
- Oh! (LAUGHING) Wow! Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh Ooh Engine still purring like a '69 Firebird? Incision is healing well.
Your heart function and rhythm sounds within normal range.
Your cardiologist can manage your recovery.
- Good luck.
- Wait.
I'll be your safe and sound Don't go.
Please.
My mind and mouth move at the same time.
I act before I think things through all the way.
Character flaw.
I'm working on it.
I did what I did and I want to do better.
If you can't forgive, I have to live with that.
But my wife, your mother, is better than me in every way.
She never would've messed things up the way I did.
Dark clouds, it's a shakedown I wouldn't know.
My hope is that you'll reach out to her, when you're ready.
She's truly special, like you.
Goodbye, Lamar.
Ooh, ooh.