ER s15e15 Episode Script
The Family Man
Food is here.
I have never had so much take-out in my life.
-I thought you liked Vietnamese.
-Yeah, I like it.
There are places in Chicago with chairs and tables and, uh, food on plates.
Ah, but no bed.
-Now, that's an excellent point.
-Yes.
We're not on for another two hours, so we should ride in together.
Unless someone might see us.
Hmm.
Being covert is more exciting, isn't it?.
Yeah.
[PHONE RlNGlNG.]
-Oh, wait.
-No, no, no.
Leave it, leave it, leave it.
Ah! Hello?.
Yeah.
Really?.
Yeah, that's great.
Can l, uh--?.
Can I take a number?.
Yep, thank you.
That was Duke.
The department chair wants to meet me.
-What, uh, about the Attending position?.
-Yeah, I can't believe it.
I thought I sank myself in that interview.
Well, Dr.
Corday must have been very impressed.
When is it?.
-This weekend.
-This--?.
That's soon.
That's great.
Can you actually imagine me being in North Carolina?.
I only took the interview to get Dubenko off my back.
I didn't actually consider moving.
Well, that is the risk of being a brilliant surgeon, Neela.
Everyone's gonna be interested.
-Are you leaving?.
-Y eah, I should, um.
I should get back to my apartment, grab some clothes before my shift.
But I thought we were gonna-- You save me a spring roll.
Yeah?.
[DOOR OPENS.]
GRADY: No fractures of the alveolar ridge.
I knew better than to play at that shady club.
Belly's soft, no obstruction.
Lost my health insurance, -Two teeth in the small intestine.
-Thank God.
Can you get them out?.
Yeah, they should pass on their own in a day or two.
Um, here.
Flush discriminately.
-Poor guy.
-That's disgusting.
I gotta call my accountant.
Okay, tooth guy's going home.
Botox lady is up in Psych, and Mr.
Lam is sleeping it off in 2.
-Are you talking to me?.
-No.
-Where's Brenner?.
-Break room, suiting up.
Come on.
I gotta go.
What did you decide on?.
Gibsons or Divina Cucina?.
-None.
Claudia made the plans.
-Ooh, I like the sound of that.
I'm meeting her in Elmhurst.
I'm going in blind.
-I'll bet it's something romantic.
-Wine tasting?.
I bet it's hot-cop-fantasy role-play stuff.
Handcuffs and whatnot.
No.
Grady.
I'll let you know.
What kind of operation do you run here?.
My back is killing me.
I'm sorry.
We're waiting on HMO approval for your MRl.
Well, hurry it up.
If I'm gonna rot, I'd rather do it in my La-Z-Boy.
-That's the last of the Marcaine.
-All right, thanks, Cecilia.
Dilantin level on your seizure guy came back low.
Push 5OO milligrams and I'll get him ready to go.
-That's it?.
-For now.
-You know, this is-- This is still weird.
-What are you talking about?.
Us.
We've broken up, we're working together.
We said we weren't gonna screw up our schedules.
Some awkwardness is.
-Weird.
-It's expected.
-lf that's what you say.
-Guys, listen up.
Banfield is out sick.
She left instructions to get patient-satisfaction scores up.
T ony, yours are the worst in the department.
She's had me on Geriatrics study for weeks.
They're not the most enthusiastic group.
Rub their feet, work a jigsaw puzzle.
Whatever.
combative in the rig.
-Ten minutes out.
-Bingo.
Oh, come on.
Banfield's not here.
Give me someone a little less salty.
-I got a kid mixing X and valerian root.
-Okay.
Fine.
You get Dr.
Gates' numbers up, it's dinner at Gibsons.
-I'll foot the bill.
-Don't blow this for me.
Sam, you're with me.
Hey, you know department policy about switching weekend shifts?.
Depends on Banfield's mood.
Going out of town?.
No.
Well, maybe.
Uh, North Carolina, maybe.
Hey, my delivery was short.
Mind if I steal some Kerlix?.
-Yeah, sure.
-I'll grab it for you.
-What's in North Carolina?.
-Ah, not sure, really.
Nothing-- Nothing-- Nothing definite.
-Yeah, there's nothing.
-All right.
-I get it.
Secret getaway.
-Yeah.
Well, whoever it is, my advice?.
Keep it casual, keep it fun.
-You think?.
-Believe me.
It's a long way down.
-ls that the rig?.
SAM: They said it was 1 O minutes out.
Stop.
Stop! [HORN HONKS.]
[CAR ALARM WAlLlNG.]
LUCY: Mom.
GATES: What happened?.
Check on Zadro.
-I'm Dr.
Brenner.
-Joanie.
Okay, Joanie.
Any trouble breathing?.
-Lucy, are you okay?.
-I think so.
-Honey-- Ow! -Mom.
Oh, Mom.
SAM: What is it?.
-My hip.
BRENNER: Don't move, Joanie.
-That goes for you too, Lucy.
BRENNER: Take a big deep breath.
-Pulse rate, 1 20.
-I'm okay.
I can get out.
Lucy?.
Lucy?.
You stay there.
Let us check you first, okay?.
I need a collar.
I hit my head.
-We gotta get you on a backboard.
-Are you serious?.
You' re lucky to be alive.
BRENNER: C-spine, chest and pelvis.
-Clear bilaterally, sternal contusion.
-Ah! -Y eah, the seatbelt hurt your chest.
-Okay.
Ouch! -Right hip tender with internal rotation.
-Mom.
-Daughter's here.
-Are you okay?.
Listen to the doctors.
-She has a minor forearm burn.
-Put her in sutures.
Mom has a broken hip.
Could have an intra-abdominal bleed.
Just give them a minute, okay?.
Okay, fine.
We need a HemoCue.
Check Curtain 2.
-I wanna go.
-We got this.
Frank has my sign-outs.
Make sure the back gets an MRl.
His HMO won't approve.
BRENNER: What do you want me to do?.
-Talk them into it.
Not today.
Stay if you feel that strongly about it.
-I can't.
-I'm sorry.
Pulse ox is 97 on two liters.
Set up for a FAST.
All right, your neck is fine.
I just need to sew up your forehead.
-What about Steri-Strips?.
-Eh, it's well into the sub-Q.
Well, how about that superglue?.
You'll have much better results with sutures.
Listen to your doctor.
-Hey, Sam, drunk driver?.
-Mom and daughter.
Not sure why.
I hope they're okay.
Dr.
Gates, that old guy with syncope is here.
-Go.
Someone else can stitch me up.
-Okay.
I'll come back to check you out.
I need a signature for Dr.
Gates on this patient-satisfaction form before you go.
-It's already filled out.
-Just sign it.
[SlREN WHOOPS.]
Leo Malcolm, found at home.
Unconscious on the scene.
Woke up after a liter.
Mr.
Malcolm, I'm Dr.
Gates.
You know where you are?.
Some fleabag hospital, looks like.
Tachy at 1 1 8.
BP, 98/40.
Sats, 97.
Heart's beating fast.
Does anything hurt?.
I'm fine.
Man can't take a nap without Big Brother knocking at the door.
PlCKMAN: Motion detector.
No movement for an hour paramedics get a call from the monitoring company.
-May as well get it over with.
-I feel the same way.
Dr.
Gates?.
I mean, welcome to County, sir.
We're so glad you're here.
-Acetabular fracture.
-That's bad?.
You broke the socket of the hip joint.
We can reconstruct it surgically, but you'll need to stay at the hospital.
-How long will that take?.
-A week.
Another month of rehab.
No, I can't.
I have Lucy.
If the pelvis doesn't heal, you'll develop arthritis, chronic pain.
-You could need a total hip replacement.
-All set.
I got a tetanus shot, Mom.
SAM: Your daughter is very brave.
-She's my angel.
I don't know what happened.
I mean, one minute we were driving along and the next, my car won't stop.
SAM: You're lucky it happened in front of a hospital.
God's plan, right?.
Right.
Right, Mom.
-Excuse me.
Dr.
Fazzio's on the phone.
-ls he approving the MRl?.
Fork over the 4 grand, he says you can do anything you want.
-Unbelievable.
I'm ordering it.
BRENNER: Hey, careful, Archie.
Let's not stick a patient with a huge bill for an unauthorized procedure.
Hey, Lucy, have you ever seen a newborn baby close up?.
I'll take you to where they' re sleeping.
-It's okay.
LUCY: Okay.
I'll be right back.
I've been looking after her alone for so long.
You never expect something like this to happen.
Well, we can hold off on surgery while you find someone to take her home.
SAM: Do you have any family nearby?.
-Uh, my mom died when I was in college.
Do you have any friends that can take her?.
Uh, siblings?.
I have a brother, Stuart, but we haven't talked in a while.
Last I heard, he works a bar on Cicero.
I can call him if you want.
If he's reachable, we need to try.
Look, Lucy was 3 the last time we saw him.
He shows up late one night, says he's in trouble he needs a place to stay, regroup, whatever.
When we woke up, he was long gone.
He'd stolen cash from my wallet and my mom's wedding ring.
My family's gotten pretty small since then.
I have a neighbor that looks after her sometimes.
We can just ask her.
Okay.
-What labs do you want?.
-CBC, BMP, and a blood culture.
Oh! All right, mid-epigastric tenderness.
Yeah, your stomach would hurt like this too if I pushed you like that.
-There's nothing wrong with me.
-Systolic only 88.
-So this doesn't hurt?.
-Don't be so disappointed.
Little stick here.
-Ah, ah, ah.
That's it, I'm out of here.
-Where you going?.
-I'm going home.
-No, come on.
-Get out of my way.
-You're not going anywhere.
-Do you want me to call Dr.
Brenner?.
-I got this.
The paramedics would not have brought you here if they thought nothing was wrong.
Your heart's beating way too fast, your blood pressure's very low.
Let me help you.
I'm fine, you know.
I'm fine.
Finger.
Everyone wants to help me.
-Draw some blood, will you?.
-What?.
Hold on.
Wait.
-My daughter, you know?.
GATES: Mm-hm.
She got these computers all over my house.
Couldn't even go to the can without this little light blinking at me.
She's worried about you.
Yeah, she should have let me go to the assisted-living place.
At least there, I wouldn't be bothering nobody.
Let's order an abdominal series.
-What's that?.
-T ake X-rays of your belly.
-I'm fine.
-No, no.
Come on.
Look, if it's clear, I'll call you a cab.
Deal?.
[SNlFFlNG AND GRUNTlNG.]
Deal.
No fever, no neuro deficits.
An epidural abscess is a long throw.
Worsening pain, not relieved with vicodin.
We should image him before he's paralyzed.
Of course.
But it's not our call.
Somebody called this guy about his sister.
You're Stuart Moore?.
-Joanie was asking about me?.
-Y eah, I called you, yeah.
Must be bad, man.
I'm the last person she'd call.
-Okay, she's back here.
-Uh, Dr.
Brenner?.
Frank, his sister is in Trauma 1.
Would you mind?.
Look, Dr.
Fazzio promised he'd be down in the next hour.
If he doesn't approve it, call my cell.
I'll deal with it.
-Fine.
-Really?.
I can go?.
Hallelujah.
Thank you.
NEELA: Hey, Sam.
I, uh, talked to Dubenko about the Roux-en-Y with the robotic surgery system next week.
-You got me in?.
Cool, thanks.
-Mm-hm.
We've seen you upstairs quite a bit.
Yeah, I'm taking as many O.
R.
shifts as I can.
I'm not really having a great time down here.
Tony.
Breakup.
-Oh, well, you seem to be managing.
-For the most part.
But you know him.
You know.
We had coffee.
He apologized, I yelled then we both decided we didn't want it to affect our jobs -so that's that.
-I'm sorry.
It's okay.
From now on, I am keeping my work life out of my ""life"" life.
Well, sounds like a plan.
-You were done loaning me money.
-So you rob me?.
My car was in the shop, Joanie.
That is not what I'm talking about.
I am talking about what you did to me.
You want your half of Mom's ring?.
The ring was a joke.
What is he doing here?.
I did not want him called.
I'm sorry, but we called your neighbors, they're out of town.
It's him or foster care.
-She'd be better off with strangers.
-We're fine.
CT can take her.
-Everything okay?.
-My brother needs to leave.
Call CT.
We're gonna take her upstairs.
If something's happening with Lucy, I should know.
Why should you know?.
You don't deserve anything.
Okay, you know what?.
Here.
Have a nice life.
Get out! Stuart, I'm sorry about all this.
I didn't realize-- -Yeah, look, it was my mistake to come.
-Look, your sister's sick.
-Someone needs to take care of Lucy.
-That ain't me.
-Hey.
-Sam, he's not interested.
-I'm leaving.
-You're just gonna walk away?.
-It's what she wants.
-Not what your niece wants.
-What do you know?.
-She needs someone.
BRENNER: Stuart.
[SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY.]
Lucy's not my niece.
She's my daughter.
So Joanie's not her mother?.
I don't know where her mom is.
She took off when, uh, Lucy was 3.
And Lucy has no idea?.
I haven't exactly been around.
Yeah, I know.
Look, I didn't know what I was doing.
I wasn't supposed to have a kid.
I figured leaving her with Joanie was the best I could do.
Well, uh-- Asking your sister to raise your child, it's a pretty big favor.
I guess that's why I didn't ask.
Joanie's in trouble.
She needs your help now.
[STUART SNlFFLES.]
I got a tiny apartment.
I play guitar at a bar.
I can't take care of a 9-year-old kid.
Hey, maybe you'll surprise yourself.
[CHUCKLES.]
I doubt it.
Uh, look, I gotta go, so, uh, tell Joanie I had to go to work.
-Uh, maybe I'll come visit later.
-Sure.
So?.
He's not gonna do it.
Call foster care when you're done with the CT.
It's been over an hour.
You were gonna call me a cab.
-The results are on their way.
-Huh.
Hey, look.
I got lightheaded and I fainted, ain't no big deal.
Why can't you understand?.
Whatever you have, Leo, let us try to fix it.
Ah, I'm sure you will.
Hi, I'm Dr.
Rasgotra.
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
I got tied up.
I've got the O.
R.
standing by.
-Free air under the diaphragm.
-It's most likely a perfed ulcer.
He's been taking large doses of ibuprofen for his arthritis.
-Do you have any belly pain?.
-No.
The NSAlDs could be masking the symptoms.
Uh, Mr.
Malcolm, air in the abdomen is not normal.
We need to go in, find the perforation, and repair it.
-Go in?.
NEELA: Mm-hm.
Lady, I'm 78 years old.
There is some increased risk associated with surgery at your age but there's every reason to believe there will be a good outcome.
If you don't do this operation, you could die.
[SCOFFS.]
What are we waiting for?.
Cancer?.
I've seen that.
No, thank you.
-Are you sure this is your decision?.
-Y es.
No, thank you.
[DOOR OPENS.]
-His daughter is here.
GATES: Have them hold on a second.
Look, Leo, this is one relatively routine operation.
-You could be home in a few days.
-That's what they told my wife.
Two years later, she was still in the hospital, tied to hoses and machines.
I can't do that, man.
You get to stay here and watch all the action.
-We're going to see inside my mom?.
RONNlE: Yeah, it's pretty cool.
I can do a 3-D reconstruction.
Wow.
SAM: How are you doing?.
JOANlE: A little dizzy.
SAM: It's probably the morphine.
Will I be able to meet the foster family before she goes?.
Of course.
-And she can visit me here?.
-Y eah.
Every day.
Two weeks is gonna fly by, you'll see.
She deserves better than Stuart.
Does she remember him at all?.
She knows that she has an uncle.
She knows that she met him once.
That he lives in the city.
My brother-- He wasn't always like this.
But I'm worried that if I'm stuck here, he'll use it against me.
He could use custody to blackmail me for money.
It's what he does.
But you're her mom now.
Not legally.
I always thought adoption was just a formality.
I never thought that I could ever really Iose her.
You won't.
Joanie, he's not coming back.
So, what happens now?.
Well, if he's refusing treatment, there's nothing we can do.
Nothing?.
This is a hospital.
You can't just let someone die.
It's his choice.
It's been one battle after another since my mom died.
Trying to move him out of his house, give up his car.
Feels like I should know how to do this.
Sometimes, people make this kind of decision when they're depressed.
Maybe we can have him talk to somebody.
-Like a psychiatrist?.
-We can offer counseling, medication.
I know he's not ready to say goodbye.
[LATlN MUSlC PLAYlNG.]
-Hi, Archie.
-I'm late, I'm sorry.
-Don't worry about it.
Come on in.
MORRlS: Oh.
-Nice place.
Here, these are for you.
-Aww.
-I have a surprise for you.
-Yeah?.
What kind of surprise?.
-Hey, are those cupcakes?.
-Yes.
And balloons.
I like balloons, I guess.
Archie, this is my mom, Olga.
My sister, Lorraine.
My cousins Bianca, Javier, Gabriella, Jose.
And these are my grandmothers, Carmen and Alicia.
-Hey.
I'm having Psych see Leo.
-What?.
Why?.
If we can have him declared incompetent we can have power of attorney transferred to his daughter.
He's not incompetent.
He doesn't want treatment.
If not incompetent, then depressed.
It's natural.
It's part of the process of letting go.
If a 25-year-old kid refused surgery, you'd get Psych involved just like that.
It's his right to decide whether he wants his last years spent in and out of hospital beds.
You have to respect his wishes.
Here you go, Frank.
Isn't it ridiculous to file four copies of the base-station report?.
Gee, that thought has never occurred to me.
Neela.
Uh, just put the rest in the break room.
I'll deal with them.
Also, your father of the year is out there in Waiting.
Stuart Moore?.
He came back?.
Y eah, I'm watching my wallet, suggest you do the same.
Car crash in the ambulance bay, dysfunctional family drama.
-Yeah, listen, I was-- About Duke.
-Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
I don't know why I was going on.
I guess I got caught off-guard.
It's a big move.
You're probably right to be a little hesitant.
-I was thinking maybe we could-- -I booked my flight.
-You did?.
-Lucien switched my schedule.
He said if I couldn't come up with a better reason than nerves.
-Of course.
That's good.
-It's just an interview, right?.
No need to make any big life decisions.
-I'll see you later.
-All right.
Bye.
[ELEVATOR BELL DlNGS.]
-Need some help here! -Mom.
-I need some help! LUCY: Mom, wake up.
-I need a doc-- Dr.
Brenner.
-Mom?.
Dropped her pressure, dropped her sats, lungs are wet.
-Pink frothy sputum.
Pulmonary edema.
SAM: Congestive heart failure?.
We're helping her breathe.
She might have bruised her heart in the crash.
BiPAP, 4O of Lasix, titrate, dopamine, and set up for an ultrasound.
SAM: Calm down, okay?.
Calm down, step aside and let us do our job.
Thirty on 1 5.
Let's see if we can avoid intubation.
SAM: Multifocal PVCs.
-Hundred of lidocaine.
Mommy, please talk to me.
Mommy.
She's sleeping, Lucy.
Her oxygen level is low.
When the heart isn't pumping well, the lungs fill with fluid.
GATES: BiPAP is on.
BRENNER: Diffuse hypokinesis.
-Ejection fraction, 2O percent.
GATES: Looks dilated cardiomyopathy.
-Can't be from the crash.
-What's happening?.
Your mom's heart isn't doing its job.
We're trying to find out why.
Run of six on the monitor.
-Did she present in failure?.
-No.
Couldn't handle the two liters of saline we gave her.
LUCY: Mommy.
-V-tach.
Charge to 300.
-Stop! SAM: You're charged.
All right, clear.
-Could someone get her out of here?.
-All right, clear.
SAM: No change.
-No! No! Mommy! Mommy! I wanna stay! I wanna stay! [LUCY SCREAMS.]
She was down for two minutes, came back after the third shock.
Yeah.
Okay, that sounds good.
You call me when you're ready.
-Was that Cardiology?.
-Fulminant myocarditis.
Heart biopsy is gonna tell us if it's treatable with steroids.
What about the hip surgery?.
We'll keep her in traction, give her lungs a chance to dry out before we subject her to anesthesia.
I put the little girl in the break room.
Social Service is on their way.
Jeez, poor kid.
Two weeks is scary enough, but a month?.
And if the biopsy shows scarring.
The brother's out in Waiting.
I'll speak to him.
-We are not sending her with that guy.
-He's the father.
He deserves to know if his child is gonna be sent off.
-He didn't mind abandoning her.
-That was six years ago.
-This is different.
-You think?.
Hey.
It was a slow night.
-How did the surgery go?.
-She hasn't had it yet.
We discovered Joanie was in heart failure.
-What?.
From the car crash?.
-No, it's something else, I think.
We're running a test now to assess the damage.
Stuart, your daughter was with Joanie when she needed CPR.
And she's scared.
And she needs a place to stay tonight.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
[MUSlC PLAYlNG OVER HEADPHONES.]
-ls my mom okay?.
-Uh, she might be upstairs for a while.
Lucy, there's someone here to see you.
This-- This is Stuart.
Your, uh, mom's told you about me, I think.
A little.
You're my uncle?.
You probably don't remember, but, uh, we met when you were little.
Yeah.
It was a long time ago.
I've been busy.
I, uh.
Stuart here is a musician.
Really?.
That's cool.
What kind of music?.
-Uh, rock, mostly.
You like music?.
-I like The Police.
Tsk.
What?.
Come on.
The Police, really?.
My mom and I like the song about dinosaurs.
-You ever, uh, listen to The Clash?.
-They're all right.
[DOOR OPENS.]
-Liz Dade is here.
-Okay.
Um, Lucy, do you mind if l, um, leave you guys alone for a minute?.
-No, it's okay.
-Okay.
[STUART CHUCKLES.]
You know, your mom and I used to listen to The Police when we were kids.
We had it on a cassette tape.
You know what that is?.
We used to blast it so loud.
Drove your grandma crazy.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
DADE: That's Stuart Moore?.
-Yeah, he's the father.
-Technically.
That's what the birth certificate says.
No criminal record, no history of violence, no record of abuse.
Given the gravity of Joanie's condition, he's a candidate for temporary custody.
-lf he wants.
-I think he will.
You can't show up after six years and act like nothing's happened.
I'll interview him.
Get a sense if he can handle it.
But, yeah, he's the father.
-What about Joanie?.
-She knows Lucy best.
She'll need to sign off.
And, Sam, we are not gonna add to the stress of her illness.
I think it's a mistake.
[SlNGlNG ""SOUTHSlDE OF HEAVEN"".]
Check this out.
Here it comes.
All right, you ready?.
[SlNGlNG.]
Sing that part with me.
[BOTH SlNGlNG.]
That's it.
[WHlSPERlNG lN SPANlSH.]
[POP MUSlC PLAYlNG.]
So, uh, her nephew's Seven years.
Boy, what a fun age, huh?.
Just running around with other 7-year-olds.
[SPEAKS lN SPANlSH.]
Come on.
Come on.
They don't speak English.
Kind of wish I knew that.
-You speak Spanish?.
-No, not really.
I'm fine.
Come on.
Okay, you know?.
That's my cousin, Rogelio.
He always does this.
Don't worry.
We'll just serve the cake.
Superhero Gary is, like, Philip's favorite TV character.
If he sees this, he'll freak.
-What can we do?.
-I don't know.
[CHANTlNG.]
Superhero Gary! Superhero Gary! Greetings, small children.
BOY 1 : You' re not Gary.
BOY 2: Nice tights.
It's, uh, a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
A beautiful day for a birthday.
-It's somebody's birthday.
GlRL: It's Philip's birthday.
It's somebody's birthday.
Philip.
Yes.
-What a rip-off.
-Ahh! -How old are you, Philip?.
-You're not Superhero Gary.
Of course I am.
Yeah, I'm Superhero Gary.
I'm the strongest man in Chicago.
With the.
Behold my biceps of superness.
BOY 3: Boo! Those are fake.
-Your hair looks different.
-And his legs.
-Superhero Gary has man legs.
These are my bionic legs, yes.
For leaping buildings in a single bound.
-What's a bound?.
-It's-- Don't do that.
BOY 4: Get him.
-Okay, Philip.
Seriously.
-You guys.
Come on.
Stop.
-Get him! -You guys.
-Stop it.
[KlDS SHOUTlNG.]
BRENNER: How are you feeling, Joanie?.
JOANlE: Better.
Satting well on BiPAP, switching her to 1 O liters by mask.
JOANlE: I felt like I was drowning.
Over a liter of urine output with the Lasix.
You get the results?.
Joanie most of your heart muscle has been replaced by scar tissue.
JOANlE: I don't understand.
-A virus attacked your heart.
-A virus?.
What kind of virus?.
Well, it could have been a cold or a flu.
Something in the last -How does something like this happen?.
-It's extremely rare.
Now, unfortunately, the damage is irreversible.
Now we'll wait to see if your heart responds to lV medication.
But if it doesn't, we may have to put you on the transplant list.
[WHEEZlNG.]
Mom.
Mom.
Mom.
JOANlE: What about Lucy?.
-I'm gonna take her, Joan.
JOANlE: No.
Just for a couple of weeks, till you're better.
It's a lot of responsibility.
Every day.
-He knows that.
-It's more than just watching her.
There's an old woman in my building.
She can help out if I need it.
-ls that cool, kiddo?.
LUCY: It's cool.
-We'll catch up for lost time.
-Stuart.
Hey.
I can do this.
Let me prove it to you.
-You don't have to if you don't want to.
-I want to.
Here we go again.
What did the psychiatrist say?.
He says you're not suicidal, you're not depressed and you have the right to refuse treatment.
Finally, a doctor around here who listens.
Refusing treatment is the first step.
-We need to walk you through the rest.
-The rest of what?.
He means the hospice, if that's the path you're choosing.
Yeah, it is.
Contents of your bowel could spill into your abdomen and, uh, cause a massive infection.
Get through your blood stream, infect your lungs.
-Which we will treat with antibiotics.
-Fine.
Blood pressure could, uh, drop so low that fluid could get into your lungs.
We'll give you medication to keep you comfortable.
-lf you have to.
GATES: Morphine.
Which will make you out of it.
You won't be able to see, talk.
Your daughter will watch you lose the ability to breathe.
You wanna put your daughter through that?.
Tony.
Can you step outside, please?.
-What was that?.
-He's making a mistake.
You think scaring him is the best solution?.
-What choice do I have?.
-Let it go.
Hey.
-What is it?.
-I wanna apologize for earlier.
I watched my wife turn into a corpse before my very eyes.
What makes you think that I can't handle a little shortness of breath?.
Hey, you, uh, religious or something?.
Huh?.
You afraid that God's gonna get mad at me?.
It's not about that.
Why can't l, uh, show my family that I'm still strong?.
That I can, uh, leave this world with some kind of dignity?.
You wanna protect your family.
I get it.
Yeah.
I sat with my wife for two years waiting, watching her disappear.
I did that so that my family didn't have to.
Two years.
And then, when it was over, she didn't even remember who I was.
Now, what kind of cruel joke is that?.
Leo, you don't have cancer.
We can fix this, man.
Yeah.
You did what you needed to do.
Now you just let me do mine.
I was talking to your granddaughter, Alyssa.
She's going to, uh, Wisconsin in the fall.
Civil engineering.
Building cities.
Must be a tough field to get into, huh?.
She said she talked about it when she was a kid with you.
That you wanted to do the same thing.
They never had anything like that when I was in the Navy.
[COUGHS AND CLEARS THROAT.]
She's got more opportunities than I ever had.
-You must be proud.
-Oh! I'm proud of all my grandchildren.
They always remember what they come from.
You know, I have a daughter.
-Oh, yeah?.
-Mm-hm.
Haven't always done the right thing, that's for sure.
Seeing you with your family, meeting them and the way they look up to you, all that you've accomplished, it's.
-You figure it out as you go.
-Yeah.
The college, the classes, the career.
You've talked to her about that your whole life.
That's cool.
-And she's doing it.
-Mm-hm.
She's doing it.
And she's doing it not just for herself, but for you.
She's gonna graduate, and she's gonna look out there and you're not gonna be there.
Is that how you want it to be?.
[DOOR BUZZES.]
MARQUEZ: You're buying me dinner.
-Holy Moses.
-Morris?.
Dislocation of the left elbow needs post-reduction films and an ortho consult.
Come on, kids.
I'll show you where they reattached Evil Staxx's arm after I threw him off the Sears T ower.
These are from the county, state and DCFS saying that you agree to the terms of the four-week custody arrangement.
It's a lot of forms.
Here's a map and directions to Lucy's school.
You're responsible for getting her to and from.
I got her pediatrician's office.
She's got an annual physical scheduled in two weeks.
Why--?.
Can't some of this wait until Joanie's better?.
It's important to keep her routine stable during the transition.
You need to bring her here every day.
Contact with Joanie is vital.
-How am I supposed to work?.
-You'll figure it out.
Call me if you have any questions.
-You okay?.
-Yeah.
Now, this is nothing you can't handle.
Listen, uh, Lucy's with your sister until we take her upstairs.
Why don't you go and pick up some food?.
Ike Ryan's is a block down.
Grab yourself some dinner.
-All right.
-All right?.
-You need money?.
-No, man.
I got money.
I'll see you in half an hour.
And, um, this is a bench.
Yeah, where people wait to hear matters of life and death.
Oh, and this is one of Superhero Gary's favorite nurses, Sam T aggart.
Sam, this is Claudia and her whole family.
Hi.
-""Superhero Gary""?.
-Kid's birthday party.
Gates has got Neurosurgery coming down on your patient.
-What patient?.
-Your back-pain guy.
-BP dropped and he can't move his legs.
-He's still here?.
Excuse me.
Two liters of saline wide open.
Temp spiked to 1 03.
DAWN: BP, 85/5O.
GATES: Oh, good.
Here he comes.
What the hell?.
-Can you feel this?.
-No.
I can't move my legs.
Spinal shock.
I'll throw in a central line.
Why can't I move my legs?.
You have an infection.
-Costume party?.
-Seventh birthday.
DAWN: Sats are down, 87 percent.
MORRlS: Okay, 1 OO percent nonrebreather.
Mix Levophed, four migs in 500 ccs.
DAWN: Vanco and ceftriaxone are hanging.
MORRlS: lntroducer and guidewire.
SAM: Neurosurge will meet us in MRl.
GATES: I'm holding an O.
R.
We need to take you to Surgery to prevent permanent paralysis.
-Oh, God, I'm gonna be paralyzed?.
GATES: Well, we hope not.
Don't worry.
I got you.
Okay, let's roll.
The clock is ticking.
-You're our hero.
MORRlS: Coming though.
JOANlE: Lucy?.
Lucy?.
-Yeah, Mom?.
Do you have your backpack and your sweatshirt?.
-Yeah.
Don't worry, Mom.
-Okay.
Hey, listen.
You be a good girl, okay?.
All right?.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[JOANlE CHUCKLES.]
Okay.
-I love you.
-I love you more.
Come on.
CLAUDlA: Good night, guys.
-Bye, Dr.
Morris.
-Happy birthday, Philip.
You know, impersonating a superhero is a misdemeanor.
-lt is?.
-Mm-hm.
And resisting arrest will only make it worse.
I guess I'm in big trouble.
-I guess you are.
-Ooh.
[lNAUDlBLE DlALOGUE.]
He probably went to get his place ready for you.
We can wait out here for a few minutes if you like.
He's not coming.
How do you know that?.
I could tell.
It's kind of cold out here.
I'm okay.
How long is she gonna be here?.
It's hard to say.
I hope it's not too long.
Me too.
I have never had so much take-out in my life.
-I thought you liked Vietnamese.
-Yeah, I like it.
There are places in Chicago with chairs and tables and, uh, food on plates.
Ah, but no bed.
-Now, that's an excellent point.
-Yes.
We're not on for another two hours, so we should ride in together.
Unless someone might see us.
Hmm.
Being covert is more exciting, isn't it?.
Yeah.
[PHONE RlNGlNG.]
-Oh, wait.
-No, no, no.
Leave it, leave it, leave it.
Ah! Hello?.
Yeah.
Really?.
Yeah, that's great.
Can l, uh--?.
Can I take a number?.
Yep, thank you.
That was Duke.
The department chair wants to meet me.
-What, uh, about the Attending position?.
-Yeah, I can't believe it.
I thought I sank myself in that interview.
Well, Dr.
Corday must have been very impressed.
When is it?.
-This weekend.
-This--?.
That's soon.
That's great.
Can you actually imagine me being in North Carolina?.
I only took the interview to get Dubenko off my back.
I didn't actually consider moving.
Well, that is the risk of being a brilliant surgeon, Neela.
Everyone's gonna be interested.
-Are you leaving?.
-Y eah, I should, um.
I should get back to my apartment, grab some clothes before my shift.
But I thought we were gonna-- You save me a spring roll.
Yeah?.
[DOOR OPENS.]
GRADY: No fractures of the alveolar ridge.
I knew better than to play at that shady club.
Belly's soft, no obstruction.
Lost my health insurance, -Two teeth in the small intestine.
-Thank God.
Can you get them out?.
Yeah, they should pass on their own in a day or two.
Um, here.
Flush discriminately.
-Poor guy.
-That's disgusting.
I gotta call my accountant.
Okay, tooth guy's going home.
Botox lady is up in Psych, and Mr.
Lam is sleeping it off in 2.
-Are you talking to me?.
-No.
-Where's Brenner?.
-Break room, suiting up.
Come on.
I gotta go.
What did you decide on?.
Gibsons or Divina Cucina?.
-None.
Claudia made the plans.
-Ooh, I like the sound of that.
I'm meeting her in Elmhurst.
I'm going in blind.
-I'll bet it's something romantic.
-Wine tasting?.
I bet it's hot-cop-fantasy role-play stuff.
Handcuffs and whatnot.
No.
Grady.
I'll let you know.
What kind of operation do you run here?.
My back is killing me.
I'm sorry.
We're waiting on HMO approval for your MRl.
Well, hurry it up.
If I'm gonna rot, I'd rather do it in my La-Z-Boy.
-That's the last of the Marcaine.
-All right, thanks, Cecilia.
Dilantin level on your seizure guy came back low.
Push 5OO milligrams and I'll get him ready to go.
-That's it?.
-For now.
-You know, this is-- This is still weird.
-What are you talking about?.
Us.
We've broken up, we're working together.
We said we weren't gonna screw up our schedules.
Some awkwardness is.
-Weird.
-It's expected.
-lf that's what you say.
-Guys, listen up.
Banfield is out sick.
She left instructions to get patient-satisfaction scores up.
T ony, yours are the worst in the department.
She's had me on Geriatrics study for weeks.
They're not the most enthusiastic group.
Rub their feet, work a jigsaw puzzle.
Whatever.
combative in the rig.
-Ten minutes out.
-Bingo.
Oh, come on.
Banfield's not here.
Give me someone a little less salty.
-I got a kid mixing X and valerian root.
-Okay.
Fine.
You get Dr.
Gates' numbers up, it's dinner at Gibsons.
-I'll foot the bill.
-Don't blow this for me.
Sam, you're with me.
Hey, you know department policy about switching weekend shifts?.
Depends on Banfield's mood.
Going out of town?.
No.
Well, maybe.
Uh, North Carolina, maybe.
Hey, my delivery was short.
Mind if I steal some Kerlix?.
-Yeah, sure.
-I'll grab it for you.
-What's in North Carolina?.
-Ah, not sure, really.
Nothing-- Nothing-- Nothing definite.
-Yeah, there's nothing.
-All right.
-I get it.
Secret getaway.
-Yeah.
Well, whoever it is, my advice?.
Keep it casual, keep it fun.
-You think?.
-Believe me.
It's a long way down.
-ls that the rig?.
SAM: They said it was 1 O minutes out.
Stop.
Stop! [HORN HONKS.]
[CAR ALARM WAlLlNG.]
LUCY: Mom.
GATES: What happened?.
Check on Zadro.
-I'm Dr.
Brenner.
-Joanie.
Okay, Joanie.
Any trouble breathing?.
-Lucy, are you okay?.
-I think so.
-Honey-- Ow! -Mom.
Oh, Mom.
SAM: What is it?.
-My hip.
BRENNER: Don't move, Joanie.
-That goes for you too, Lucy.
BRENNER: Take a big deep breath.
-Pulse rate, 1 20.
-I'm okay.
I can get out.
Lucy?.
Lucy?.
You stay there.
Let us check you first, okay?.
I need a collar.
I hit my head.
-We gotta get you on a backboard.
-Are you serious?.
You' re lucky to be alive.
BRENNER: C-spine, chest and pelvis.
-Clear bilaterally, sternal contusion.
-Ah! -Y eah, the seatbelt hurt your chest.
-Okay.
Ouch! -Right hip tender with internal rotation.
-Mom.
-Daughter's here.
-Are you okay?.
Listen to the doctors.
-She has a minor forearm burn.
-Put her in sutures.
Mom has a broken hip.
Could have an intra-abdominal bleed.
Just give them a minute, okay?.
Okay, fine.
We need a HemoCue.
Check Curtain 2.
-I wanna go.
-We got this.
Frank has my sign-outs.
Make sure the back gets an MRl.
His HMO won't approve.
BRENNER: What do you want me to do?.
-Talk them into it.
Not today.
Stay if you feel that strongly about it.
-I can't.
-I'm sorry.
Pulse ox is 97 on two liters.
Set up for a FAST.
All right, your neck is fine.
I just need to sew up your forehead.
-What about Steri-Strips?.
-Eh, it's well into the sub-Q.
Well, how about that superglue?.
You'll have much better results with sutures.
Listen to your doctor.
-Hey, Sam, drunk driver?.
-Mom and daughter.
Not sure why.
I hope they're okay.
Dr.
Gates, that old guy with syncope is here.
-Go.
Someone else can stitch me up.
-Okay.
I'll come back to check you out.
I need a signature for Dr.
Gates on this patient-satisfaction form before you go.
-It's already filled out.
-Just sign it.
[SlREN WHOOPS.]
Leo Malcolm, found at home.
Unconscious on the scene.
Woke up after a liter.
Mr.
Malcolm, I'm Dr.
Gates.
You know where you are?.
Some fleabag hospital, looks like.
Tachy at 1 1 8.
BP, 98/40.
Sats, 97.
Heart's beating fast.
Does anything hurt?.
I'm fine.
Man can't take a nap without Big Brother knocking at the door.
PlCKMAN: Motion detector.
No movement for an hour paramedics get a call from the monitoring company.
-May as well get it over with.
-I feel the same way.
Dr.
Gates?.
I mean, welcome to County, sir.
We're so glad you're here.
-Acetabular fracture.
-That's bad?.
You broke the socket of the hip joint.
We can reconstruct it surgically, but you'll need to stay at the hospital.
-How long will that take?.
-A week.
Another month of rehab.
No, I can't.
I have Lucy.
If the pelvis doesn't heal, you'll develop arthritis, chronic pain.
-You could need a total hip replacement.
-All set.
I got a tetanus shot, Mom.
SAM: Your daughter is very brave.
-She's my angel.
I don't know what happened.
I mean, one minute we were driving along and the next, my car won't stop.
SAM: You're lucky it happened in front of a hospital.
God's plan, right?.
Right.
Right, Mom.
-Excuse me.
Dr.
Fazzio's on the phone.
-ls he approving the MRl?.
Fork over the 4 grand, he says you can do anything you want.
-Unbelievable.
I'm ordering it.
BRENNER: Hey, careful, Archie.
Let's not stick a patient with a huge bill for an unauthorized procedure.
Hey, Lucy, have you ever seen a newborn baby close up?.
I'll take you to where they' re sleeping.
-It's okay.
LUCY: Okay.
I'll be right back.
I've been looking after her alone for so long.
You never expect something like this to happen.
Well, we can hold off on surgery while you find someone to take her home.
SAM: Do you have any family nearby?.
-Uh, my mom died when I was in college.
Do you have any friends that can take her?.
Uh, siblings?.
I have a brother, Stuart, but we haven't talked in a while.
Last I heard, he works a bar on Cicero.
I can call him if you want.
If he's reachable, we need to try.
Look, Lucy was 3 the last time we saw him.
He shows up late one night, says he's in trouble he needs a place to stay, regroup, whatever.
When we woke up, he was long gone.
He'd stolen cash from my wallet and my mom's wedding ring.
My family's gotten pretty small since then.
I have a neighbor that looks after her sometimes.
We can just ask her.
Okay.
-What labs do you want?.
-CBC, BMP, and a blood culture.
Oh! All right, mid-epigastric tenderness.
Yeah, your stomach would hurt like this too if I pushed you like that.
-There's nothing wrong with me.
-Systolic only 88.
-So this doesn't hurt?.
-Don't be so disappointed.
Little stick here.
-Ah, ah, ah.
That's it, I'm out of here.
-Where you going?.
-I'm going home.
-No, come on.
-Get out of my way.
-You're not going anywhere.
-Do you want me to call Dr.
Brenner?.
-I got this.
The paramedics would not have brought you here if they thought nothing was wrong.
Your heart's beating way too fast, your blood pressure's very low.
Let me help you.
I'm fine, you know.
I'm fine.
Finger.
Everyone wants to help me.
-Draw some blood, will you?.
-What?.
Hold on.
Wait.
-My daughter, you know?.
GATES: Mm-hm.
She got these computers all over my house.
Couldn't even go to the can without this little light blinking at me.
She's worried about you.
Yeah, she should have let me go to the assisted-living place.
At least there, I wouldn't be bothering nobody.
Let's order an abdominal series.
-What's that?.
-T ake X-rays of your belly.
-I'm fine.
-No, no.
Come on.
Look, if it's clear, I'll call you a cab.
Deal?.
[SNlFFlNG AND GRUNTlNG.]
Deal.
No fever, no neuro deficits.
An epidural abscess is a long throw.
Worsening pain, not relieved with vicodin.
We should image him before he's paralyzed.
Of course.
But it's not our call.
Somebody called this guy about his sister.
You're Stuart Moore?.
-Joanie was asking about me?.
-Y eah, I called you, yeah.
Must be bad, man.
I'm the last person she'd call.
-Okay, she's back here.
-Uh, Dr.
Brenner?.
Frank, his sister is in Trauma 1.
Would you mind?.
Look, Dr.
Fazzio promised he'd be down in the next hour.
If he doesn't approve it, call my cell.
I'll deal with it.
-Fine.
-Really?.
I can go?.
Hallelujah.
Thank you.
NEELA: Hey, Sam.
I, uh, talked to Dubenko about the Roux-en-Y with the robotic surgery system next week.
-You got me in?.
Cool, thanks.
-Mm-hm.
We've seen you upstairs quite a bit.
Yeah, I'm taking as many O.
R.
shifts as I can.
I'm not really having a great time down here.
Tony.
Breakup.
-Oh, well, you seem to be managing.
-For the most part.
But you know him.
You know.
We had coffee.
He apologized, I yelled then we both decided we didn't want it to affect our jobs -so that's that.
-I'm sorry.
It's okay.
From now on, I am keeping my work life out of my ""life"" life.
Well, sounds like a plan.
-You were done loaning me money.
-So you rob me?.
My car was in the shop, Joanie.
That is not what I'm talking about.
I am talking about what you did to me.
You want your half of Mom's ring?.
The ring was a joke.
What is he doing here?.
I did not want him called.
I'm sorry, but we called your neighbors, they're out of town.
It's him or foster care.
-She'd be better off with strangers.
-We're fine.
CT can take her.
-Everything okay?.
-My brother needs to leave.
Call CT.
We're gonna take her upstairs.
If something's happening with Lucy, I should know.
Why should you know?.
You don't deserve anything.
Okay, you know what?.
Here.
Have a nice life.
Get out! Stuart, I'm sorry about all this.
I didn't realize-- -Yeah, look, it was my mistake to come.
-Look, your sister's sick.
-Someone needs to take care of Lucy.
-That ain't me.
-Hey.
-Sam, he's not interested.
-I'm leaving.
-You're just gonna walk away?.
-It's what she wants.
-Not what your niece wants.
-What do you know?.
-She needs someone.
BRENNER: Stuart.
[SPEAKlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY.]
Lucy's not my niece.
She's my daughter.
So Joanie's not her mother?.
I don't know where her mom is.
She took off when, uh, Lucy was 3.
And Lucy has no idea?.
I haven't exactly been around.
Yeah, I know.
Look, I didn't know what I was doing.
I wasn't supposed to have a kid.
I figured leaving her with Joanie was the best I could do.
Well, uh-- Asking your sister to raise your child, it's a pretty big favor.
I guess that's why I didn't ask.
Joanie's in trouble.
She needs your help now.
[STUART SNlFFLES.]
I got a tiny apartment.
I play guitar at a bar.
I can't take care of a 9-year-old kid.
Hey, maybe you'll surprise yourself.
[CHUCKLES.]
I doubt it.
Uh, look, I gotta go, so, uh, tell Joanie I had to go to work.
-Uh, maybe I'll come visit later.
-Sure.
So?.
He's not gonna do it.
Call foster care when you're done with the CT.
It's been over an hour.
You were gonna call me a cab.
-The results are on their way.
-Huh.
Hey, look.
I got lightheaded and I fainted, ain't no big deal.
Why can't you understand?.
Whatever you have, Leo, let us try to fix it.
Ah, I'm sure you will.
Hi, I'm Dr.
Rasgotra.
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
I got tied up.
I've got the O.
R.
standing by.
-Free air under the diaphragm.
-It's most likely a perfed ulcer.
He's been taking large doses of ibuprofen for his arthritis.
-Do you have any belly pain?.
-No.
The NSAlDs could be masking the symptoms.
Uh, Mr.
Malcolm, air in the abdomen is not normal.
We need to go in, find the perforation, and repair it.
-Go in?.
NEELA: Mm-hm.
Lady, I'm 78 years old.
There is some increased risk associated with surgery at your age but there's every reason to believe there will be a good outcome.
If you don't do this operation, you could die.
[SCOFFS.]
What are we waiting for?.
Cancer?.
I've seen that.
No, thank you.
-Are you sure this is your decision?.
-Y es.
No, thank you.
[DOOR OPENS.]
-His daughter is here.
GATES: Have them hold on a second.
Look, Leo, this is one relatively routine operation.
-You could be home in a few days.
-That's what they told my wife.
Two years later, she was still in the hospital, tied to hoses and machines.
I can't do that, man.
You get to stay here and watch all the action.
-We're going to see inside my mom?.
RONNlE: Yeah, it's pretty cool.
I can do a 3-D reconstruction.
Wow.
SAM: How are you doing?.
JOANlE: A little dizzy.
SAM: It's probably the morphine.
Will I be able to meet the foster family before she goes?.
Of course.
-And she can visit me here?.
-Y eah.
Every day.
Two weeks is gonna fly by, you'll see.
She deserves better than Stuart.
Does she remember him at all?.
She knows that she has an uncle.
She knows that she met him once.
That he lives in the city.
My brother-- He wasn't always like this.
But I'm worried that if I'm stuck here, he'll use it against me.
He could use custody to blackmail me for money.
It's what he does.
But you're her mom now.
Not legally.
I always thought adoption was just a formality.
I never thought that I could ever really Iose her.
You won't.
Joanie, he's not coming back.
So, what happens now?.
Well, if he's refusing treatment, there's nothing we can do.
Nothing?.
This is a hospital.
You can't just let someone die.
It's his choice.
It's been one battle after another since my mom died.
Trying to move him out of his house, give up his car.
Feels like I should know how to do this.
Sometimes, people make this kind of decision when they're depressed.
Maybe we can have him talk to somebody.
-Like a psychiatrist?.
-We can offer counseling, medication.
I know he's not ready to say goodbye.
[LATlN MUSlC PLAYlNG.]
-Hi, Archie.
-I'm late, I'm sorry.
-Don't worry about it.
Come on in.
MORRlS: Oh.
-Nice place.
Here, these are for you.
-Aww.
-I have a surprise for you.
-Yeah?.
What kind of surprise?.
-Hey, are those cupcakes?.
-Yes.
And balloons.
I like balloons, I guess.
Archie, this is my mom, Olga.
My sister, Lorraine.
My cousins Bianca, Javier, Gabriella, Jose.
And these are my grandmothers, Carmen and Alicia.
-Hey.
I'm having Psych see Leo.
-What?.
Why?.
If we can have him declared incompetent we can have power of attorney transferred to his daughter.
He's not incompetent.
He doesn't want treatment.
If not incompetent, then depressed.
It's natural.
It's part of the process of letting go.
If a 25-year-old kid refused surgery, you'd get Psych involved just like that.
It's his right to decide whether he wants his last years spent in and out of hospital beds.
You have to respect his wishes.
Here you go, Frank.
Isn't it ridiculous to file four copies of the base-station report?.
Gee, that thought has never occurred to me.
Neela.
Uh, just put the rest in the break room.
I'll deal with them.
Also, your father of the year is out there in Waiting.
Stuart Moore?.
He came back?.
Y eah, I'm watching my wallet, suggest you do the same.
Car crash in the ambulance bay, dysfunctional family drama.
-Yeah, listen, I was-- About Duke.
-Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
I don't know why I was going on.
I guess I got caught off-guard.
It's a big move.
You're probably right to be a little hesitant.
-I was thinking maybe we could-- -I booked my flight.
-You did?.
-Lucien switched my schedule.
He said if I couldn't come up with a better reason than nerves.
-Of course.
That's good.
-It's just an interview, right?.
No need to make any big life decisions.
-I'll see you later.
-All right.
Bye.
[ELEVATOR BELL DlNGS.]
-Need some help here! -Mom.
-I need some help! LUCY: Mom, wake up.
-I need a doc-- Dr.
Brenner.
-Mom?.
Dropped her pressure, dropped her sats, lungs are wet.
-Pink frothy sputum.
Pulmonary edema.
SAM: Congestive heart failure?.
We're helping her breathe.
She might have bruised her heart in the crash.
BiPAP, 4O of Lasix, titrate, dopamine, and set up for an ultrasound.
SAM: Calm down, okay?.
Calm down, step aside and let us do our job.
Thirty on 1 5.
Let's see if we can avoid intubation.
SAM: Multifocal PVCs.
-Hundred of lidocaine.
Mommy, please talk to me.
Mommy.
She's sleeping, Lucy.
Her oxygen level is low.
When the heart isn't pumping well, the lungs fill with fluid.
GATES: BiPAP is on.
BRENNER: Diffuse hypokinesis.
-Ejection fraction, 2O percent.
GATES: Looks dilated cardiomyopathy.
-Can't be from the crash.
-What's happening?.
Your mom's heart isn't doing its job.
We're trying to find out why.
Run of six on the monitor.
-Did she present in failure?.
-No.
Couldn't handle the two liters of saline we gave her.
LUCY: Mommy.
-V-tach.
Charge to 300.
-Stop! SAM: You're charged.
All right, clear.
-Could someone get her out of here?.
-All right, clear.
SAM: No change.
-No! No! Mommy! Mommy! I wanna stay! I wanna stay! [LUCY SCREAMS.]
She was down for two minutes, came back after the third shock.
Yeah.
Okay, that sounds good.
You call me when you're ready.
-Was that Cardiology?.
-Fulminant myocarditis.
Heart biopsy is gonna tell us if it's treatable with steroids.
What about the hip surgery?.
We'll keep her in traction, give her lungs a chance to dry out before we subject her to anesthesia.
I put the little girl in the break room.
Social Service is on their way.
Jeez, poor kid.
Two weeks is scary enough, but a month?.
And if the biopsy shows scarring.
The brother's out in Waiting.
I'll speak to him.
-We are not sending her with that guy.
-He's the father.
He deserves to know if his child is gonna be sent off.
-He didn't mind abandoning her.
-That was six years ago.
-This is different.
-You think?.
Hey.
It was a slow night.
-How did the surgery go?.
-She hasn't had it yet.
We discovered Joanie was in heart failure.
-What?.
From the car crash?.
-No, it's something else, I think.
We're running a test now to assess the damage.
Stuart, your daughter was with Joanie when she needed CPR.
And she's scared.
And she needs a place to stay tonight.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
[MUSlC PLAYlNG OVER HEADPHONES.]
-ls my mom okay?.
-Uh, she might be upstairs for a while.
Lucy, there's someone here to see you.
This-- This is Stuart.
Your, uh, mom's told you about me, I think.
A little.
You're my uncle?.
You probably don't remember, but, uh, we met when you were little.
Yeah.
It was a long time ago.
I've been busy.
I, uh.
Stuart here is a musician.
Really?.
That's cool.
What kind of music?.
-Uh, rock, mostly.
You like music?.
-I like The Police.
Tsk.
What?.
Come on.
The Police, really?.
My mom and I like the song about dinosaurs.
-You ever, uh, listen to The Clash?.
-They're all right.
[DOOR OPENS.]
-Liz Dade is here.
-Okay.
Um, Lucy, do you mind if l, um, leave you guys alone for a minute?.
-No, it's okay.
-Okay.
[STUART CHUCKLES.]
You know, your mom and I used to listen to The Police when we were kids.
We had it on a cassette tape.
You know what that is?.
We used to blast it so loud.
Drove your grandma crazy.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
DADE: That's Stuart Moore?.
-Yeah, he's the father.
-Technically.
That's what the birth certificate says.
No criminal record, no history of violence, no record of abuse.
Given the gravity of Joanie's condition, he's a candidate for temporary custody.
-lf he wants.
-I think he will.
You can't show up after six years and act like nothing's happened.
I'll interview him.
Get a sense if he can handle it.
But, yeah, he's the father.
-What about Joanie?.
-She knows Lucy best.
She'll need to sign off.
And, Sam, we are not gonna add to the stress of her illness.
I think it's a mistake.
[SlNGlNG ""SOUTHSlDE OF HEAVEN"".]
Check this out.
Here it comes.
All right, you ready?.
[SlNGlNG.]
Sing that part with me.
[BOTH SlNGlNG.]
That's it.
[WHlSPERlNG lN SPANlSH.]
[POP MUSlC PLAYlNG.]
So, uh, her nephew's Seven years.
Boy, what a fun age, huh?.
Just running around with other 7-year-olds.
[SPEAKS lN SPANlSH.]
Come on.
Come on.
They don't speak English.
Kind of wish I knew that.
-You speak Spanish?.
-No, not really.
I'm fine.
Come on.
Okay, you know?.
That's my cousin, Rogelio.
He always does this.
Don't worry.
We'll just serve the cake.
Superhero Gary is, like, Philip's favorite TV character.
If he sees this, he'll freak.
-What can we do?.
-I don't know.
[CHANTlNG.]
Superhero Gary! Superhero Gary! Greetings, small children.
BOY 1 : You' re not Gary.
BOY 2: Nice tights.
It's, uh, a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
A beautiful day for a birthday.
-It's somebody's birthday.
GlRL: It's Philip's birthday.
It's somebody's birthday.
Philip.
Yes.
-What a rip-off.
-Ahh! -How old are you, Philip?.
-You're not Superhero Gary.
Of course I am.
Yeah, I'm Superhero Gary.
I'm the strongest man in Chicago.
With the.
Behold my biceps of superness.
BOY 3: Boo! Those are fake.
-Your hair looks different.
-And his legs.
-Superhero Gary has man legs.
These are my bionic legs, yes.
For leaping buildings in a single bound.
-What's a bound?.
-It's-- Don't do that.
BOY 4: Get him.
-Okay, Philip.
Seriously.
-You guys.
Come on.
Stop.
-Get him! -You guys.
-Stop it.
[KlDS SHOUTlNG.]
BRENNER: How are you feeling, Joanie?.
JOANlE: Better.
Satting well on BiPAP, switching her to 1 O liters by mask.
JOANlE: I felt like I was drowning.
Over a liter of urine output with the Lasix.
You get the results?.
Joanie most of your heart muscle has been replaced by scar tissue.
JOANlE: I don't understand.
-A virus attacked your heart.
-A virus?.
What kind of virus?.
Well, it could have been a cold or a flu.
Something in the last -How does something like this happen?.
-It's extremely rare.
Now, unfortunately, the damage is irreversible.
Now we'll wait to see if your heart responds to lV medication.
But if it doesn't, we may have to put you on the transplant list.
[WHEEZlNG.]
Mom.
Mom.
Mom.
JOANlE: What about Lucy?.
-I'm gonna take her, Joan.
JOANlE: No.
Just for a couple of weeks, till you're better.
It's a lot of responsibility.
Every day.
-He knows that.
-It's more than just watching her.
There's an old woman in my building.
She can help out if I need it.
-ls that cool, kiddo?.
LUCY: It's cool.
-We'll catch up for lost time.
-Stuart.
Hey.
I can do this.
Let me prove it to you.
-You don't have to if you don't want to.
-I want to.
Here we go again.
What did the psychiatrist say?.
He says you're not suicidal, you're not depressed and you have the right to refuse treatment.
Finally, a doctor around here who listens.
Refusing treatment is the first step.
-We need to walk you through the rest.
-The rest of what?.
He means the hospice, if that's the path you're choosing.
Yeah, it is.
Contents of your bowel could spill into your abdomen and, uh, cause a massive infection.
Get through your blood stream, infect your lungs.
-Which we will treat with antibiotics.
-Fine.
Blood pressure could, uh, drop so low that fluid could get into your lungs.
We'll give you medication to keep you comfortable.
-lf you have to.
GATES: Morphine.
Which will make you out of it.
You won't be able to see, talk.
Your daughter will watch you lose the ability to breathe.
You wanna put your daughter through that?.
Tony.
Can you step outside, please?.
-What was that?.
-He's making a mistake.
You think scaring him is the best solution?.
-What choice do I have?.
-Let it go.
Hey.
-What is it?.
-I wanna apologize for earlier.
I watched my wife turn into a corpse before my very eyes.
What makes you think that I can't handle a little shortness of breath?.
Hey, you, uh, religious or something?.
Huh?.
You afraid that God's gonna get mad at me?.
It's not about that.
Why can't l, uh, show my family that I'm still strong?.
That I can, uh, leave this world with some kind of dignity?.
You wanna protect your family.
I get it.
Yeah.
I sat with my wife for two years waiting, watching her disappear.
I did that so that my family didn't have to.
Two years.
And then, when it was over, she didn't even remember who I was.
Now, what kind of cruel joke is that?.
Leo, you don't have cancer.
We can fix this, man.
Yeah.
You did what you needed to do.
Now you just let me do mine.
I was talking to your granddaughter, Alyssa.
She's going to, uh, Wisconsin in the fall.
Civil engineering.
Building cities.
Must be a tough field to get into, huh?.
She said she talked about it when she was a kid with you.
That you wanted to do the same thing.
They never had anything like that when I was in the Navy.
[COUGHS AND CLEARS THROAT.]
She's got more opportunities than I ever had.
-You must be proud.
-Oh! I'm proud of all my grandchildren.
They always remember what they come from.
You know, I have a daughter.
-Oh, yeah?.
-Mm-hm.
Haven't always done the right thing, that's for sure.
Seeing you with your family, meeting them and the way they look up to you, all that you've accomplished, it's.
-You figure it out as you go.
-Yeah.
The college, the classes, the career.
You've talked to her about that your whole life.
That's cool.
-And she's doing it.
-Mm-hm.
She's doing it.
And she's doing it not just for herself, but for you.
She's gonna graduate, and she's gonna look out there and you're not gonna be there.
Is that how you want it to be?.
[DOOR BUZZES.]
MARQUEZ: You're buying me dinner.
-Holy Moses.
-Morris?.
Dislocation of the left elbow needs post-reduction films and an ortho consult.
Come on, kids.
I'll show you where they reattached Evil Staxx's arm after I threw him off the Sears T ower.
These are from the county, state and DCFS saying that you agree to the terms of the four-week custody arrangement.
It's a lot of forms.
Here's a map and directions to Lucy's school.
You're responsible for getting her to and from.
I got her pediatrician's office.
She's got an annual physical scheduled in two weeks.
Why--?.
Can't some of this wait until Joanie's better?.
It's important to keep her routine stable during the transition.
You need to bring her here every day.
Contact with Joanie is vital.
-How am I supposed to work?.
-You'll figure it out.
Call me if you have any questions.
-You okay?.
-Yeah.
Now, this is nothing you can't handle.
Listen, uh, Lucy's with your sister until we take her upstairs.
Why don't you go and pick up some food?.
Ike Ryan's is a block down.
Grab yourself some dinner.
-All right.
-All right?.
-You need money?.
-No, man.
I got money.
I'll see you in half an hour.
And, um, this is a bench.
Yeah, where people wait to hear matters of life and death.
Oh, and this is one of Superhero Gary's favorite nurses, Sam T aggart.
Sam, this is Claudia and her whole family.
Hi.
-""Superhero Gary""?.
-Kid's birthday party.
Gates has got Neurosurgery coming down on your patient.
-What patient?.
-Your back-pain guy.
-BP dropped and he can't move his legs.
-He's still here?.
Excuse me.
Two liters of saline wide open.
Temp spiked to 1 03.
DAWN: BP, 85/5O.
GATES: Oh, good.
Here he comes.
What the hell?.
-Can you feel this?.
-No.
I can't move my legs.
Spinal shock.
I'll throw in a central line.
Why can't I move my legs?.
You have an infection.
-Costume party?.
-Seventh birthday.
DAWN: Sats are down, 87 percent.
MORRlS: Okay, 1 OO percent nonrebreather.
Mix Levophed, four migs in 500 ccs.
DAWN: Vanco and ceftriaxone are hanging.
MORRlS: lntroducer and guidewire.
SAM: Neurosurge will meet us in MRl.
GATES: I'm holding an O.
R.
We need to take you to Surgery to prevent permanent paralysis.
-Oh, God, I'm gonna be paralyzed?.
GATES: Well, we hope not.
Don't worry.
I got you.
Okay, let's roll.
The clock is ticking.
-You're our hero.
MORRlS: Coming though.
JOANlE: Lucy?.
Lucy?.
-Yeah, Mom?.
Do you have your backpack and your sweatshirt?.
-Yeah.
Don't worry, Mom.
-Okay.
Hey, listen.
You be a good girl, okay?.
All right?.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[JOANlE CHUCKLES.]
Okay.
-I love you.
-I love you more.
Come on.
CLAUDlA: Good night, guys.
-Bye, Dr.
Morris.
-Happy birthday, Philip.
You know, impersonating a superhero is a misdemeanor.
-lt is?.
-Mm-hm.
And resisting arrest will only make it worse.
I guess I'm in big trouble.
-I guess you are.
-Ooh.
[lNAUDlBLE DlALOGUE.]
He probably went to get his place ready for you.
We can wait out here for a few minutes if you like.
He's not coming.
How do you know that?.
I could tell.
It's kind of cold out here.
I'm okay.
How long is she gonna be here?.
It's hard to say.
I hope it's not too long.
Me too.