Chicago Med (2015) s10e17 Episode Script

1
I was not a typical teenager.
That doesn't make it
OK for a grown woman
to start a relationship with a minor.
I'm not a victim here.
You wouldn't even be
here now if it wasn't for me,
for what we had.
You loved me.
I did love you.
Today was a particularly stressful day.
It's not just today.
My nurses are regularly missing breaks
and being asked to perform
duties that are outside
of our job description.
After I got sober, it
took my family a while
to trust me again, but they did.
Except my sister, Lizzie.
I got your message.
And I was hoping we could talk?
Here I go again on my own ♪
[WHITESNAKE'S "HERE I GO AGAIN"]
Going down the only road ♪
- [MUSIC PLAYING LOUDLY]
- I've ever known ♪
Like a drifter, I was
born to walk alone ♪
But I've made up my mind ♪
I ain't wasting no more time ♪
But here I go again ♪
Here I go again ♪
Here I go again ♪
And you you'll escape
in the nick of time ♪
And you'll escape
in the nick of time ♪
[RINGTONE CHIMING]
And you'll escape
in the nick of time! ♪
You're up early.
Hey, Dad.
So how's Florida treating you?
Not not good, I expect.
Um, something's happened.
Are you OK?
I'm fine.
But I'm at the hospital.
Why are you at the hospital?
The ambulance brought Mom here.
She went on a bender,
tripped, and
hit her head on the kitchen counter.
It caused a brain bleed.
Subdural or or epidural?
Uh never mind.
Just just, uh, put me on
the phone with her doctor.
She's gone, Dad.
Uh uh uh
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[SNIFFLES]
[SIGHS]
[HAND THUMPS ON TABLE]
I'm so sorry, Son.
Um
I will
catch the next flight down and, uh
I'll help you figure everything out.
There's nothing you can do.
Mom didn't want a funeral
and she wanted to be cremated.
Oh, Dad, I'm sorry, I gotta go.
They need me for something.
Yeah, of course. All right.
[SNIFFLES]
[TAPS TABLE]
Shoot, uh [SNIFFLES]
[ROUGH SIGH]
[INDISTINCT PA ANNOUNCEMENT]
[SOMBER MUSIC FADING]
Oh, who's that handsome devil?
I assume that's a rhetorical question,
since I obviously haven't aged a day.
[CHUCKLES]
Is that Leanne?
In happier times, yeah.
Yeah, you said she'd been struggling.
Is she doing better now?
Uh
far as I know.
Oh, that's good to hear.
Look, I I have a favor to ask, Dean.
I need you to run the ED today as chief.
Uh, you finally came to your
senses and demoted Lenox?
- Huh?
- No no.
She's taking a personal day.
Oh. Lenox and personal are two words
I never thought I'd
hear the same sentence.
Be nice.
I'd be happy to fill in.
Thank you. Warning.
You're going to be short-staffed
without Lenox and Ripley.
That's what makes it fun, Sharon.
[ELEVATOR BELL CHIMES]
Hey, I hear you're back in charge today.
Mm. Head's already heavy with the crown.
Stop. You love the crown.
Even a temporary one.
Mm. Oh, boy.
- Someone's chipper today.
- Mm.
You and Ripley giving
it another go, are you?
Guess that's a no.
I am chipper today.
- Mm.
- Lizzie came over last night.
We went hard at her baby registry,
and there might have been some baking.
Mm. It was really nice.
Ah, sounds like you
got your sister back.
Yeah. [SIGHS]
I think so.
Best not let the past fester.
What's wrong?
What? Just
just being my curmudgeonly self.
- Don't do that.
- Don't do what?
Just pretend that everything's OK
when clearly it's not.
I don't have time for this today.
Oh, fine. I I I
Fine.
What?
Good timing, Chief.
We got a kid with cardiac issues
pulling into the ambo bay.
All right. What's, uh
what's with all the new faces?
Oh, traveling nurses.
Lenox came through with
my request for reinforcements.
Excellent.
It's not a real solution.
They don't know our system.
A lot of time is wasted
just playing catch-up.
Well, can they draw
blood and empty bedpans?
Wow.
We do a lot more than that, Dr. Archer.
[PA SYSTEM CHIMES]
- You're going to trauma one.
- [PATIENT PANTING]
Milo Perdera, 12-year-old male.
BP's 190 over 110, heart rate 144.
Developed severe chest
pains while swimming at the Y.
My heart's beating so fast. [PANTING]
Get that off him. Get transferred.
- It'll be OK, Milo.
- On my count.
Just got to stay calm.
One, two, three.
All right.
I'm going to lift this up, OK?
Is that heart surgery?
Transplant. Six months ago.
- His EKG.
- All right.
I know what's wrong. Tell them, Dad.
Just focus on your breathing, Milo.
Let the doctors do their work.
All right. Lungs are clear,
but with labored
breathing and tachycardia.
- Has this ever happened before?
- No.
This is Milo's first time in
the pool since the surgery.
Did you call Mom?
She just texted me back, Bud.
She's on her way now.
We recently separated.
BP's 202 over 120.
Take some slow, deep breaths. OK?
[MILO EXHALES DEEPLY]
Uh, this blood pressure could
put his new heart into failure.
We'll treat that, but I'm also
going to need to sedate him.
Is his body rejecting his heart?
- He's still within
- Dad.
The time frame where
that's a possibility.
Hypertension isn't a
symptom of rejection.
But let's not jump to any conclusions.
I'm going to run some tests.
Let's start an esmolol drip.
Let's get a transthoracic echo
and give him some
Ativan for his anxiety.
Why won't you listen to me?
[PANTING] I know what's wrong.
It doesn't want me.
What? What doesn't want you?
The heart.
It told me it wants out of my body.
[TENSE MUSIC]
So Milo says his new
heart doesn't want him.
So he says, yeah.
I wonder if it's how he's
emotionally processing
his physical distress?
I mean, could he actually
be rejecting the heart?
Not likely. His echo came back normal.
But his hypertension is very real,
and a threat to his heart long-term.
What anti-rejection meds is he taking?
- Prednisone.
- Oh.
Well-known psychological
side effects there.
Uh, I I'm happy to
have a chat with him.
Great.
Uh, what's, uh
[MOUSE CLICKING]
[VIOLENT MOUSE CLICKS]
Why are the screens frozen?
EMR software is down.
Yeah, did you call IT?
Yeah. I'm on hold, honey.
There was a server update last night,
now the whole system's gone haywire.
Yeah, I'm still here.
Three hours.
- OK.
- No, no, no. Come here.
Yeah.
Yeah, We don't have
three hours, Leonard.
We need these fixed in ten minutes flat.
Unacceptable.
The emergency department
takes precedence.
It's it's literally in the name.
Deal. If you come through.
IT is like an insurance company.
You never accept the first no.
What did you promise him, Dr. Asher?
Archer.
Wait, you have a Dr. Asher
and Archer in the same department?
Must be terribly confusing.
Where's my dad?
Outside waiting for your mom.
Milo, I'm Dr. Charles.
Um
Dr. Archer was hoping that
we could have a little chat.
Would that be OK with you?
I guess.
Um, so
he was telling me that your
your new heart has been talking to you.
Well, she talks to me through her heart.
Her heart? Your donor's, you mean?
Yeah.
Huh.
So you know who she was?
Who she is?
No.
I I don't know her name.
OK. Well, I I guess I'm just curious.
How did you know that
your donor was a she?
I don't know.
I just know.
[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]
She doesn't want me to
have her heart anymore.
So when did she start talking to you?
Today.
When I was swimming.
That's when my heart started racing.
I couldn't breathe.
But I could feel
her anger.
I wonder why she'd be angry at you.
Because I'm still alive and she isn't.
OK.
"Nowadays most people die of
a sort of creeping common sense
"and discover when it is too late
that the only things one never
regrets are one's mistakes."
Do you agree with Oscar Wilde?
I think it's an interesting point.
Hey, uh
does Dr. Lenox personally
know the patient in treatment five?
No, but she did her intake last night.
The patient ingested
tetrodotoxin from a pufferfish.
She arrested in the
ambulance, arrived hypotensive,
and now she's in
fulminant liver failure.
Did she tried neostigmine
or monoclonal antibody?
They tried everything.
It's tragic, but Lenox
sees tragic on the regular.
Why'd she decide to read
to this particular patient?
All I know is that Lenox went in there
last night after her shift
ended and she hasn't come out.
Mm.
Hey, do you want me
to take the Milo Perdera
case off your hands?
No, I'm gonna see it through.
- [SETS FILE DOWN HARD]
- All right.
[KEYBOARD CLICKING] [COMPUTER CHIMES]
Boomshakalaka! [CLAPS]
Back online with two minutes to spare.
Time to collect my reward.
Actually two minutes late, Leonard.
But, uh, nice try.
Don't worry. I'm still good for it.
Just come back at the end of your shift.
Thanks, Dr. A.
Not as bad as everyone says.
Really? What do they say?
Grump, grouch.
"Pissy little bitch,"
gets tossed around.
Thank you, Leonard.
I just want to clear the air.
It's already forgotten.
It's not about me.
It's about work. Trying to tell you.
Please, can we just
leave it in the past?
- Jonathan.
- No, I'm we're good.
We're good.
[SOFT TENSE MUSIC]
Don't ask.
- Don't worry.
- [PA SYSTEM CHIMES]
Please can somebody help my wife?
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I got this, Wendy.
- Hold it right there.
- You're going to treatment three.
All right. What happened?
- She shocked herself.
- No, I'm fine.
We threw a breaker
and I got a tiny jolt when
I reset it in the garage.
- This is all my fault.
- And my husband, he's overreacting.
Look, this is our first.
I should have had an electrician
rewire the house before we moved in.
How far along are you?
- I'm 18 weeks.
- 18 weeks.
All right, well, your husband
was right to bring you in.
- I hate to say I told you so.
- I'll never live this down.
[YELPS]
- Where does it hurt?
- [GROANS] My stomach.
Has this happened before?
- First time.
- No.
Maggie, will you page
Hannah, have her meet me?
All right. Come on. Let's go in here.
Come on.
Laura, what's your pain level now?
Mm, maybe a five.
OK, that's good, but we could do better.
Another four of morphine?
Yeah, that should work.
Is the pain from being shocked?
Possibly.
The uterus is an excellent conductor,
so even a small electric shock
could put significant
stress on the baby.
So it did hurt the baby?
Your baby looks just fine.
Maybe a little agitated, though.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Did you have a 12-week
checkup with your OB/GYN?
Yeah. Dr. Fisher did a full ultrasound.
OK, I will give him a call,
let him know that you're here,
and ask to see those images.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
I don't know how
her OB/GYN missed a
mass that big on her ovary.
I know.
I'll, uh. Get the 12-week
ultrasound images.
The CEA and CA-125 tumor
markers in the meantime.
Ah, Dorian, how happy you are.
What an exquisite life you have had.
You have drunk deeply of everything.
You have crushed the
grapes against your palate.
Nothing has been hidden from you.
- And
- Dr. Lenox?
Yes, Astrid?
Why are you here with me?
Shouldn't you be out there saving lives?
I don't think you should be alone.
Certainly I'm not your first
terminal patient with no family.
Why me?
I don't know.
Are you happy with the life you lived?
Oh.
Let's not waste time talking about me.
I'm about to die.
What else are we going to talk about?
You took him to the pool
without checking with me first?
Why would I?
His cardiologist said it
would be good for him.
Why would I? Because I'm his mother!
Barely. When's the
last time you sat down
and ate a meal with our son?
- Please stop fighting.
- Yeah, please calm down.
[MACHINES BEEPING]
All right, he's tachycardic,
hypertensive again.
What does that mean?
It means his heart's beating too fast
and his blood pressure
is out of control.
All right, let's increase
his esmolol drip
and throw in nitroprusside.
You got it.
Gonna need you to take
some slow, deep breaths.
Can you do that for me?
My heart doesn't want me.
She's going to kill me!
All right. Doris, let's push
40 milligrams of ketamine.
I'm going to give you something
to calm your heart down, all right?
- OK, OK.
- OK?
OK, count backward from 100.
Ketamine's on board.
100
99
9 98.
Oh, he's out.
What the hell is going on with my son?
I think Milo's issues
might be psychological.
Why?
He thinks the heart doesn't want him,
that the donor is speaking
to him through the heart.
How could you not tell me that?
Well, Jessie, when you
work 70 hours a week,
you're bound to miss something.
Enough! Enough.
I get that you two are
having marital issues,
but your son is sick.
You've got one responsibility right now,
and that's to make this kid feel safe!
You have no right!
Oh, please, just suck it up.
Dr. Archer, could I get
a quick word, please?
[TENSE MUSIC]
They are killing that kid.
Very possibly.
But you know, in my experience,
inside voice tends to
be a little more effective
when you're trying to impart
that kind of information.
Sure, sure, sure, but I tell you,
it's very clear to me
that Milo's panic attacks
are being caused by
his parents' separation.
Look, I don't disagree.
But I think situation also
might have gotten a little
more complicated than that.
Yeah? Complicated how?
You ever heard of cellular memory
in post-surgical organ transplants?
Supposedly, transplanted organs retain
the memory of the donors,
which the recipients
then experience, yeah.
Right. Evidence is mostly anecdotal,
but there, you know, a
couple documented cases.
Yeah, yeah. It sounds
a little magical to me.
You actually believe that's
what's happening to Milo?
I don't know. Point is, he believes it.
So kind of got to meet him
where he lives, you know?
Yeah.
So what? We should just
go along with his delusion?
Uh, I don't know.
I can't help thinking that
if he were to learn
something about his donor,
it would just demystify the
situation for him, you know?
- Dissipate his fear.
- So what?
You're suggesting that we
reach out to the donor family
and have them meet Milo?
If both sides were open to it, yeah.
I mean, donor families and recipients
are absolutely allowed to meet
if everyone's on the same page.
Your OB/GYN took this ultrasound image
when you were 12 weeks pregnant.
Here you can see a small
mass growing on your right ovary.
I know. It's a cyst.
Dr. Fisher said it was
nothing to worry about.
It's not a cyst.
Unfortunately, on
today's ultrasound image,
the mass has doubled in size
and increased
significantly in vascularity.
OK, so what does that mean?
I have cancer.
Your tumor markers
would signify that, yes.
OK.
What do I do to ensure I
deliver my baby safely?
Your best and first option
would be removing the cyst surgically.
But isn't that a risk for our baby?
As with any surgery,
there's always a certain degree of risk.
But the second trimester
is actually the safest time
to perform this procedure.
I think we do it, Laurel.
And if I don't do the surgery,
can I still carry to term?
You could, yes.
But by then, the cancer
will likely have metastasized
and your chances of
survival would diminish.
Yeah, but there would
be less risk to my baby.
Well, technically, yes,
that's correct, but
- Yeah, that's what I want to do.
- Laurel, uh
I would strongly suggest reconsidering.
No, my mind is made up.
Yeah, that's an
incredibly stupid decision.
- Dr. Archer.
- You think you're protecting your baby,
but the risk of the surgery harming her
is significantly lower
than the cancer killing
you if left untreated.
So bottom line, you skip the surgery,
that baby grows up without a mother.
It's up to you.
I'll be right back.
Hey.
What the hell was that?
I'm just cutting through the
mental gymnastics, that's all.
She doesn't need tough love, Dean.
She needs empathy and direction.
No, what she needs is
to live another 18 years.
I'd think that you, of all
people, would get that.
[SCOFFS]
Oh, cool.
You're going to play my
dead mom card on me?
Of course I get it.
But whatever choice they make,
we have to respect their decision.
And it's a bad decision.
I mean, people will justify any excuse
to avoid what's hard and scary,
but somebody's got to step in
and save them from themselves.
Oh, well, thank God
you're here to save us all.
Sorry to interrupt,
but, uh, Laurel decided
to do the surgery.
[BANGING AND SHOUTING]
Damn it.
Unfortunately, I have some bad news.
The mother of Milo's donor
opted out of any contact
with him before the transplant.
So we know nothing about the donor?
No name, no address?
Their records are sealed.
The only information I got
from Organ Donors of America
is that the heart came
from a 14-year-old girl.
A girl?
Lucky guess for Milo.
All right, so worth a shot.
Um, we're going to
pivot to traditional therapy
and, uh [SCOFFS]
Have a chat with Mom and Dad
about toning it down
in front of their kid.
I mean, give me a break.
Yeah, I have zero faith that those two
will ever see clearly
through their own anger,
let alone do right by their own son.
Yeah, but what other choice do we have?
Thank you, Leonard.
You're a peach.
We will never speak of this again.
We got a trauma en route.
Man versus drive-through.
Oh. That sounds compelling.
My DoorDash arrive?
Uh
ask Doris.
Oh, awesome.
What?
It was just sitting here getting cold.
That was Leonard's reward for
getting the EMR up and running.
I promised him.
It's a Portillo's hot dog.
I I can't be held
responsible for my actions.
That's a fair point.
Did you did you put
ketchup on that dog?
Maybe.
Call yourself a Chicagoan.
- [DORIS SIGHS]
- Another fair point.
I can't get behind no ketchup, Doris.
[DORIS GROANS]
[PA SYSTEM CHIMES]
Oh, boy. What's with the mask?
The spit hood?
He kept spitting at the
cops, so they muzzled him.
The devil gets dessert,
but the bees are stinging my tongue!
I want my McFlurry!
McFlurry.
Suspected PCP user
approached a drive-through window
screaming for a McFlurry.
When the employees refused to serve him,
he punched a hole through
the glass and tried to climb in.
Lacerated knuckles on his right hand.
BP is 150 over 91, heart rate's 130.
Maybe they just could've
given the man a free McFlurry
and avoided all this?
He was at Taco Bell.
Oh.
I will light your eyeballs on fire!
Goodness gracious,
he's acting crazier
than a sprayed roach.
That's the PCP. Give him a 5 and 2.
IV or IM?
You think you can give this guy an IV?
- IM.
- I feel no pain.
Oh, you will, you will,
you will, my friend, you will.
Glass hasn't lacerated anything vital.
I'll have a med student remove these
and suture the deeper wounds.
- Give me a tox panel and chemistry.
- OK.
Five milligrams of
Haldol and two of Ativan.
It's nappy time.
There you go.
- I would like fries with that.
- [CHUCKLES]
Let's loosen the restraints.
Get him ready for transfer on my count.
One, two, three.
Get him in four-point restraints
and then get X-ray in here ASAP.
I'll make it happen.
Dr. Archer.
Dr. Lenox needs you in treatment five.
It can't wait.
I can't call time of death
'cause I'm not on shift.
[EKG DRONING STEADILY]
Time of death, 15:29.
[BEEPING STOPS]
Thank you.
[SOMBER MUSIC FADING]
- Can I help you?
- Yes. Hi.
Uh, I'm Dr. Dean Archer
and I work at Gaffney
Chicago Medical Center.
- Are you Heather Williams?
- I am.
I'm here because of
a 12-year-old patient of
mine named Milo Perdera.
He received your daughter's heart.
How did you find me?
Milo's experiencing some
psychiatric challenges
due to his parents' breakup,
and his anxiety is causing him
to have some potentially
serious heart issues.
I'm sorry to hear that, but
that has nothing to do with me.
OK. Milo believes that your daughter is
speaking to him through her heart.
What are you talking about?
He thinks your daughter doesn't want him
to have the heart anymore.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
I'm not sure what you want from me.
You could convince him that he's wrong.
I'm sorry, I I just
can't go back there.
I understand, and I have
no right to ask this of you.
But Milo's a sweet kid and
he's very scared right now
and I wouldn't want you to regret
standing by and letting your
daughter's gift go to waste.
Hi, Milo. I'm
I'm Heather.
My daughter Mackenzie
donated her heart to you.
I'm sorry she died.
I [SIGHS]
Dr. Archer told me
Mackenzie's been talking to you.
Yeah.
What'd she say?
She doesn't want me to
have her heart anymore.
But she's right.
I don't deserve it.
Well, that doesn't sound like Mackenzie.
She knows I make my parents argue.
They're getting a divorce.
And if I hadn't gotten
sick and needed surgery
I think they'd still be together.
Mm.
[CLICKS TONGUE]
Well, I've got bad news for you.
People argue.
Mackenzie and I used
to argue all the time.
What did you guys argue about?
[CHUCKLES AND SIGHS]
What didn't we argue about?
Um, cleaning her room.
Not getting a phone until she was 13.
About the fact her dad and I
got divorced when she was 11.
She was very angry at us about that.
I don't blame her.
[SOFT SOMBER MUSIC]
But Mackenzie was an amazing daughter.
How did she die?
Um
She was waterskiing with her cousins
and she got tangled in the rope
and it pulled her underwater
and she couldn't get any air.
My baby drowned.
Maybe that's what upset her.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
What do you mean?
I was in the pool,
swimming for the first time.
That's when my heart
started pounding out of control.
I couldn't breathe.
Maybe she was scared of the water.
[SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
Milo.
I'm so glad a little
piece of my Mackenzie
lives on in you.
But I promise you, she's not angry.
I know she wants to share her heart.
I just
I can feel it.
Can you?
I can now.
Mm.
Do you want to talk with her?
[HEATHER SIGHS]
[HEATHER SIGHS]
There you are, my Mackenzie.
[HEATHER INHALES DEEPLY]
I love you so much, and I miss
you more than you can imagine.
[HEATHER SNIFFLES]
But I am so glad that
you are with Milo now.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
And I know you're going
to take good care of him
for a very, very long time.
So I guess it was just a
coincidence that Milo's
cardiac episode occurred in a
pool and his donor drowned?
Uh, probably.
Mm, who really knows?
I feel like I just witnessed something
that can't totally be explained.
Welcome to my world.
I don't think it was a coincidence.
Very, um
open minded of you, Dean-o.
He was carrying a lot of guilt, though,
and guilt can be a powerful emotion.
And absolution can be
a very powerful remedy.
Right?
Right.
[PERSON GROWLS]
No cage can hold me!
- [PEOPLE GASPING AND CLAMORING]
- I want my McFlurry now!
We have a situation with a
male patient high on PCP.
With Oreos!
Do you understand?
Hey, hey, hey, hey. Buddy, buddy, buddy.
Why don't you put that glass down?
We can have a little chat. Come on.
With Oreos!
Absolutely, double-stuffed.
But I I need you to
look at me right now.
Just leave it right here, man.
Right here. Right up here.
- You cannot defeat me.
- Absolutely not.
You're way too smart for me, man.
- [PATIENT SHOUTS]
- [LENOX GASPS]
[PEOPLE SHOUTING AND CLAMORING]
[LENOX GROANS]
Thought it was coming!
[PATIENT SHOUTS]
[PATIENT GROWLING]
[LENOX GASPING AND GROANING]
[ARCHER SIGHS]
[SIGHS]
Thanks for the assist.
The assist?
I saved your ass. [SCOFFS]
It was your responsibility
to make sure that the patient
- was properly restrained.
- I did restrain him.
Properly?
Instead, he sliced Dr. Lenox's arm
with a shard of glass that
you should have discarded.
That was her own fault, not mine.
[SCOFFING] Wow.
OK.
Go home.
You're not allowed to fire me.
I'm not trying to.
Sadly, I need you.
So just
come back tomorrow and just
do better.
Yeah, I think you
really got through to her.
This situation is unsustainable.
We need more full-time nurses.
Well, you should take that on the road.
I'm being serious.
So am I.
Didn't a leadership position
just open up in the nurses union?
Yeah, Holly Spots is retiring
and our contracts are about to expire.
So then what are you waiting for?
All right? Toss your name in the ring.
[SIGHS]
[LENOX GROANS SOFTLY]
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[LENOX INHALES DEEPLY]
[LENOX GROANING]
[LENOX SIGHS]
Sorry about your patient.
Astrid didn't have a family,
so I didn't want her to be alone.
I never thought it would
be a random patient
that would, uh
melt your cold, dead heart.
- I admired Astrid's strength.
- Mm.
You know, a week ago, she had no clue
that she was about to die.
And it didn't break her.
She was really proud
of the life that she lived.
No regrets.
She represents to you
all the sins you have never
had the courage to commit.
Excuse me. You've read "Dorian Gray?"
I read books, Dr. Lenox.
Not a lot else to do on a Naval ship.
I hope I have Astrid's
strength when the time comes.
You're a baby.
Don't worry about it.
My mother died of prion disease
when she was 45 years old.
Sorry.
From the day she was diagnosed
to the day she died was 11 months.
It was very fast.
My father took his own
life three hours later.
Didn't know how to live without her.
It was like this
silent nuclear explosion
that decimated our family.
And I was 19, so I
adopted my brother Kip.
And
Which prion disease?
Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker.
GSS.
Do you have it?
I don't know.
My brother and I took an oath
that we would never get tested.
So [SIGHS]
If my brain has an expiration date,
no, I I don't want to know.
Even with 50/50 odds?
You think I'm foolish.
No.
It takes courage
to live with that uncertainty.
Just drives me to live a life
that does as much good as possible,
just in case.
You'll be OK, soldier.
Why did you share this
with me, of all people?
I knew you wouldn't pity me.
Us cold, dead hearts
have to stick together.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC FADING]
Time to pay up, Dr. Archer.
Indeed it is, Leonard.
Maggie.
Yes.
- Just arrived and still warm.
- Awesome sauce.
And you'll do this
every day for a month?
- Mm.
- A month?
- You promised.
- Just greasing the wheels, Maggie.
Leonard was hugely helpful today.
Got our EMR back in working order.
Among other internet crimes.
Goodbye, Leonard.
Mm-hmm.
Hey, Dr. Archer.
I just examined Milo, per your request.
And his hypertension has been resolved.
OK, great.
Thank you.
Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
Sure.
What was that all about?
You guys are usually so tight.
I gave him a little too much truth.
Looks like it hurt.
[SIGHS]
There you are.
Hey.
That was a long surgery. How'd it go?
Yeah. Good, good.
Mom and unborn baby are doing great.
And I have no reason
to think that Laurel
won't be able to carry
her baby girl to full term.
Excellent. How's dad holding up?
He's beating himself up again.
That's his thing.
As opposed to mine,
who beats up on others.
Is that an apology?
Yeah.
I was, uh
I was awful.
- You were.
- Yeah.
And I accept.
What's going on?
Sean found his mother dead this morning.
What?
Oh, my God. Dean, I'm
- Yeah.
- I'm so sorry.
Yeah, yeah. Bad.
Subdural hematoma.
Leanne fell, hit her
head. She was drunk.
[SIGHS]
How's Sean?
I don't know. Shaken up.
How are you?
Right after I got off
the phone with Sean, I
went and fished out an old
picture of Leanne and me
before we were engaged.
And you could just tell
how crazy about each
other we were, you know?
[CHUCKLES]
We got married. And just
we had we had a ball.
Mm.
She started drinking
just after Sean was born.
And I would ship out
for months at a time
and leave her to parent alone
and she became resentful.
And then I got resentful.
I got wounded.
It was a mess.
Oh.
And somehow, I convinced myself
that the best thing for
everybody would be to leave.
I mean, who does that?
If I'd stuck around, maybe Sean
- wouldn't have been a drug addict.
- Mm-mm.
Maybe Leanne would be alive today.
- Stop.
- What?
- Stop.
- Stop what?
- Stop torturing yourself.
- Oh, come on.
My inability to change the past
leaves me with no other option.
OK, well, I think
you're choosing that option.
And if you're going to keep
choosing to torture yourself,
then you're going to do it alone.
Hey, alone is something
I'm pretty good at. [SCOFFS]
And how is that working
out for you, Dean?
You can't
woulda-coulda-shoulda your life.
Trust me, I've tried. It's a dead end.
You still have time to live your life,
but you have to take the
past, treat it as a lesson,
a necessary step to get
you to where you want to be.
Where do I want to be?
That's up to you.
I'm flying to O'Hare tomorrow afternoon.
I'll be there.
I'm sorry I was MIA today.
Hey, that's OK.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I meant to text you, but
my brain was screaming and I just
Yeah, didn't feel like talking.
Yeah.
Wonder where I get that.
Yeah, it's a mystery, I guess.
[LAUGHS]
[CHUCKLES]
[SIGHS]
Look, your mother
wasn't perfect.
But she always
really loved you.
In fact, that was the one thing
we always had in common.
Loving you.
I love you, too, Dad.
Well, I know you do.
You gave me a kidney.
[BOTH LAUGH]
[LAUGHS]
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Hey.
[SIGHS]
I, uh, brought dinner and
Dessert.
Oh, I, uh, I don't do berries.
You don't do berries?
Yeah, I've I've [CHUCKLES]
I've always found them indulgent.
Well, maybe it's time for a change.
Maybe it is.
Come in.