ER (1994–2009): Season 10, Episode 3 - Dear Abby - full transcript

Previously, on ER:

My car's just up the street.

You want a ride?
Dr. Romano, you're back.

Yeah, try to hide

your wild enthusiasm
at my return.

I find overt displays
of emotion embarrassing.

Do you even think about me?

Yes.
Okay, what did you think?

Ah.

Where am I going?
Home!

Give this to Abby
when you see her.



ABBY:
On any given day

this emergency department
will treat 300 patients.

Another 40 will leave
without ever being seen.

In order to not get buried,

you have to maintain
adequate patient flow.

This all starts
with the nurses.

Treat them with respect,

they'll get you
through your shift.

Treat them as your own
personal scut slaves,

you'll be lucky
to get out of here alive.

Triage is our first line
of defense.

Patients are signed in
and vitalled

by whoever's working the cage.
The cage?

Yeah, like a shark cage.



You can see them out there
circling around,

but they can't get at you.

When's Kovac
getting here?

His flight was supposed
to land at 7:30.

What about Carter?

Can you rack this?

Triage nurse starts the chart,
which is racked at Admit.

TAKATA:
You need to put your name in
for the lottery.

Okay, once the patients
are brought back,

their name is put on the board,

along with time, location,
and chief complaint.

Dr. Pratt is also
a second-year resident.

Pratt, this is three
of our new R2s.

Sofun, Morris, Cooper.

Welcome to the zoo.

What can I give
a ten-year-old

with painful road rash?
Acetaminophen's easy
on the stomach,

but ibuprofen's better
for inflammation.

Med students work up
the patients

and present them
to the residents.

You can mentor them,
but ultimately every case

has to be looked at
by an attending.

MAN:
I know my rights!

This is assault and battery!

I'm coming back
for you, bitch.

Yeah, yeah,
bring me a latte when you do.

Dr. Lewis is one
of our attendings.

We usually we have
two working.

They have to sign off
on every case.

Uh, don't remind me.
Second-year residents?

Cooper, Sofun, Morris.

Grab a chart.

Abby, can you set up

the airway box in Exam Three
so the med students

can practice assembling
laryngoscopes?

Mm-hmm.

Nursing orders go there.

Clerk orders go here.

These are two of our clerks,
Jerry and Frank.

Please don't feed them.

And when you're done,
the discharge rack is over here.

Any questions?

Yeah, why is
the board see-through?

So we can see through it.

Remind me not to get
sick anytime soon.

The ambulance pick Luka up yet?

Yeah, about an hour ago.

They should be here any minute.

Is he going to need
a bed down here?

No, no, they've got one
for him upstairs.

Have you seen
the new schedule?

I'm only working four
shifts in two weeks.

I only got three.
How many do I have?

Two?
We're starting
a petition.

We've got more beds,
but fewer nurses.

And now Romano's cutting
senior nurse hours

so he can bring in
cheaper travelers.

You're the charge nurse.
You need to talk to him.

You lost
the triage lottery, Abby.

You've got the cage
from 9:00 till 1:00.

Oh, come on, no way!

I lose every time!

That's like
statistically impossible.

Abby!
What?

Hey, I need you to help me
with a GI bleeder.

Okay, two minutes.
Just let me say hi to Luka.

( metal crashing )

Sir! You have
to stay in bed.

Here, lie down.
Lie down.

I need sedation
orders over here.

I think
Mrs. Dunn's in labor.

She's only 36 weeks.

Explain Braxton Hicks
contractions to her.

Her water broke.

Did you nitrazine it?

No, I was just helping her
to the bathroom.

Uh, okay, well, page OB
and, and call an attending.

( screams )

Hi. Okay, breathe.
Don't push.

It's too early.

No, 36 weeks is what
we start calling "normal term."

All right, try and relax.
I'm going to do a quick exam.

I need a fetal monitor
and an IV.

Okay. I got it.

Oh, Lewis needs that
in Curtain One.

Thank you.

Can you show me

how to set up the slit lamp?

Yup, just
one second.

Luka!

Hey, hey, I think this
old lady stopped breathing.

Dr. Romano, hi.
How are you today?

I'm busy.

How's the stump
feeling?

It's, uh, suffering
from delusions of grandeur.

It still thinks
it's an arm.

What's that?

Your new prosthesis.

Okay...

I'm sorry. I just assumed
as a prosthetist,

that you would have some

rudimentary knowledge
of medicine.

I have a degree
in bioengineering.

Oh, okay, well, then
you have a vague,

civilian concept
of what doctors do.

See, I'm what's
called a surgeon.

That's why I was very specific
about needing a Utah Arm.

Your hospital insurance
won't cover

a myoelectric device.

I lost my arm on the roof
of this damn hospital

trying to save
a patient's life.

The insurance company
requires proof

that you can't get by
with a traditional

body-powered device.

What am I supposed to do?

Am I supposed to just
duct-tape a, a, a...

coat hanger

to my stump?

I can prepare another letter
to the insurance company.

I've got two letters for you
and the insurance company:

F and U.

It's hurting my arm.

Just a little
bit longer.

Why can't I just
have my prescription

filled without
being tortured?

( pounding on glass )

How much longer?
My back is killing me.

I'll let you know.

I don't want to miss my turn.

Then you should sit down.

Okay...

put this in your mouth.

Be a good girl, Ilanna.
Open your mouth.

I think it was a black widow.

WOMAN:
Darren, don't touch that.

Hey, ooh, hey, hey...

Darren, stop it.

( knocking ):
Is it almost my time?

No.

Tell her.

Tell the nurse
what you ate, Lisa.

Well, go on!
Tell her!

Maybe you should tell me,
Mrs. Brandenburg.

I brought my own urine sample
to save time.

Could I at least get

a sandwich?

How did you get back here?
Security!

Hey, wake up!

She's getting worse.

Do you have
asthma, Elle?

No.

Anybody sick at home?
Any fevers?
No.

Okay, deep breaths.

( coughing )

How long have you
had that cough?

Since we went camping.

Uh... a few weeks, maybe.

She lets herself
get run down

and she doesn't eat enough.

( alarm beeping )

What's that?

Um, the oxygen level
in your blood

is a little bit low,

which can happen
with infection.

Frank, what's open?

Curtain One.

Okay, I'm taking this one back.

Come on, Elle.

Going to put you in a bed,

get you some oxygen,

and that should
make you feel better.

Oh, Dr. Lewis.

This is Mrs. Ryser
and her daughter, Elle--

shortness of breath,
sats are 86, bibasilar rales.

Uh, yeah, can you
grab a resident?

I think an attending
should take a look at her.

Hi, I'm Dr. Lewis.
Come on this way.

The rest of her vitals okay?

Tachy at 116.
BP's 98/52.

A&O times three.

What are rales?

It's the sound fluid makes
when it's in your lungs.

That doesn't sound good.

It's probably
just pneumonia.

Great. She never
dresses warm enough

and she's always going
out with wet hair.

Mom, please...

All right, let's
get a chest.

I'll be back
to do a full exam, okay?

Thanks.

Are you coming back?

Yeah. Don't worry.

The only thing you
can catch from wet hair

is split ends.

Yeah, send her for
a chest and draw a CBC.

How's Luka?

I haven't had a chance
to get upstairs.

Well, uh, if you
do go upstairs,

let me know and
maybe I can come.

Okay.

Have you talked to him?
Luka?

No, Romano. We gave him
the petition.

You better do something quick

or you're going to have
a mutiny on your hands.

As soon as I can,
I will, I promise.

Frank, where'd they send Kovac?

5 West.
He looks good.

You saw him?

Just popped my head in
to welcome him back.

Wouldn't hurt you
to do the same thing.

Hi, could I get an update
on a patient, please? Kovac.

K-O-V-A-C.

Right, malaria.

He's still spiking

on quinine,
but lucid between fevers.

And he's asking
for a meatball sub.

Either he's delirious
or hungry.

Never mind.

Hi.
Hi.

I'm Gillian.

Abby.
Oh, you're Abby?

John talked a lot about you.

John...

Carter?

Yeah.

I'm sorry.
Who did you say you were?

I'm sorry. You don't know.

I'm Gillian. I was working
with Luka and John in the Congo.

Ah.

Oh, I have something for you.

Um, John asked Luka
to give you this.

He wrote me a letter?

Now there's a lost art.

Uh, well, it's hard
to find a phone

and when you do,
they seldom work.

Uh, where do I find
Dr. Magoo's?

You don't.
It burned down.

Thank you.
You're welcome.

Nance, I'm taking my break.

Am I interrupting?

Your assistant
wasn't at his desk.

We're in the middle
of a meeting.

Oh, well,
that would explain

why you haven't returned
any of my pages.

Hi, I'm Dr. Romano...
( crashing )

Ah, geez.

I'm sorry.
Let me get that.

Ow!
Okay. Stop.

You know what?

I'm just not very good
at using this thing.

You know, maybe
if the hospital's
worker's comp

had covered a
myoelectric arm,

it would be better.
Robert...

You know, what do I have to do?
Pay for the damn thing myself?

Hey, that'd make a good
news story, don't you think?

Amputee surgeon has
to pay for his own arm

to work in the hospital
where he lost it.

This is not the place
or the time to discuss this.

You know, you're right.
I've got a lot

of patients to see in the ER,

and, you know,
that's where using this hook

really gets kind of dicey.

Well, wish me luck.

Hopefully I won't take someone's
eye out with this thing.

We're staging a walkout.

We're all meeting
at Dunkin' Donuts

to come up with a plan.
What?

If we don't
take a stand now,

they're going to replace us all

with part-time nurses
so they don't have

to pay benefits.

Yeah, they're welcome
to replace me.

Is anybody working here today?

Talk to Dr. Romano.

I will.

You know, a joker just fainted

in the waiting area.

Took a header into an end table.

There's blood
everywhere.

Abby?

Why are you telling me this?

Well, according to my watch,
your break is over.

That's right.

Leave me to pick up after you.

Hey, wait.
Hold up, hold up.

( panting )

Sorry.

I just ran
down from CT.

You're Pratt, right?

Nick Cooper, second-
year resident.

My friends call me Coop.

Hey, listen, who do I
get for an unstable

mandible fracture--
plastics or head and neck?

Call them both and take
whoever comes first.

What do I tell the other one?

Tell 'em the
patient eloped.

They'll be happy

'cause it's one less
consult for their team.

Cool.

Hey, listen, man, you new guys
got to start picking it up.

It's only 10:30 and we're
already 20 patients behind.

Well, I got six.

Yeah, but the other two
are draggin' their asses.

Morris has an LOL
with abdominal pain

and altered mental status.

It's a big workup.
It's possible LP.

Sofun's still getting
the lay of the land.

They're killing me.

Hey, man, don't
worry about it.

Look, we'll blast
through these.

Let me see what you got.

Epistaxis and vertigo.

Nasal pack for the nosebleed,
Meclizine for the vertigo.

They're out the door in 20.

( speaking softly in Punjabi )

How's it going?

Oh. Ah... rather deep.

I used a 4-0 Vicryl subq.

Nice.

What was that that you
were just saying?

Nothing.

I heard you talking to him.

It was a prayer.

He's not dying.

It wasn't for him.

It's a private prayer.

Oh, something like, uh...

"Please, Lord, don't let me
kill somebody today?"

Somewhere along those lines?

( chuckles )

Neela, I need you to run down
to medical records

and get Mr. Perkins'
old chart.

If you can't find that,

Cardiology should have his last
EKG on file on the fifth floor.

He's got anemia
and renal insufficiency

so print out his BUN,
creatinine

and CBC trends
for the last two years.

Okay.

Hey, there.

Don't forget--

dinner tonight, 8:00.

Oh, they have a dress code,
so wear something nice.

How nice?

I'm wearing
my little black dress.

( chuckling )

I think I'm in.

You think?

No, no. I'm in.

Hey.

How come I wasn't invited
to this party?

Hook up the thoraseal.

Okay, I got it.

Okay, what's next?

Um...

You want 0-silk?

Yes. 0-silk.

MALIK:
Girl in two's X rays.

You better check it out.

Not good.

Who is it?

LEWIS:
Tachypneic girl in two.

Huge heart.

Call Cards.

She's in failure.

I can't stop drooling.

I'm out.

A nurse will be with
you in one minute.

Hey, what about
that sandwich?

What about it?

Where's Amanda?

She's supposed
to relieve me at 1:00.

Your nursing brethren are
all over at Dunkin Donuts

plotting some kind of a coup.

Hey, did you sign this?

No.
Smart girl.

Should have.

I want everyone on this petition
in the lounge in five minutes.

They staged a walkout.

No, they did not.

They're on a break.

For over an hour?

Well, page them.

Anyone who's not back
in five minutes is fired.

You can't fire nurses.

I can if they walk
off the job.

I'll go get them.

Hey, you got a hook.
Suits you.

Shut up.

Nobody's called my name yet.

They will.

Would it help if I gave
a stool sample, too?

No, just...

Yeah.

Are you a nurse?

Check-in's at tria...

What happened to you?

Somebody shot me.

Okay, all right.

Okay, sit down, sit down.

I need a gurney!

What's your name?
What's your name?

Bobby.

Okay, Bobby.
Okay.

Don't let me die.

I won't.
I won't. I won't.

Okay.

Who shot you?

I don't know.

He got dumped
by a homeboy ambulance.

You're going to have
to hold still, Bobby.

We need to tube him.

Well, get that line in
and I will.

Uh-oh.

Bobby? Bobby?

Bobby, open your eyes.

No radial pulse.

Got a carotid,
but it's weak.

Get him on the monitor.

Get that blood up,
and page surgery.

20 of Etomidate, 120 of sux.
Suction.

BP: 64 systolic,
pulse is 60.

Saline and a Mig of atropine.

Penetrating trauma
with impending arrest.

You gotta crack him.

No, not yet. Tube.
Come on.

I'm prepping the chest.

All right, I'm in the hole.

Bag him up, Abby.

( alarm beeping )

Where's Lewis?

Abby, crash cart, now!

Sorry, I had a hot MI.

What are you doing, Pratt?

Talk to Abby. I'm just trying
to put in a chest tube.

He was talking to me
and now he's about to arrest.

Good breath sounds,
airway secure, hypotensive.

Okay, run the code, Pratt.

What are you going to do,
crack him by yourself?

Get Corday
and order some more 0-neg.

Okay, Lisa, can you, uh,
follow my finger, please?

Lisa, can you follow my finger?

( whispers ):
Don't stare.

Excuse me.

Morris?

Uh, work the kid up
in Curtain Two.

Pressure's only 60 systolic.

Vasculature is collapsed.

Cut-down tray.

Femoral cut down.

Who are they?

Med students.

That makes three of epi.

Good breath sounds with bagging.

Hook up a cell saver.

How much 0-neg?

Four units.

He's only got a faint carotid.

Come on, man.
Stay with me.

Another two units of blood.

Let's follow
his chest tube output.

PRATT:
Here he goes again.

Hey, I have an idea.

How about a thoracotomy?

Wow, that is just so crazy,
Abby, it might work.

There's only 300cc's
out the chest.

( alarm beeps )

V-fib.

Charge to 200.
Look out!

Prep for a thoracotomy.

He's already prepped.

Ten blade, now.

First incision is
in the fourth intercostal space

from the lateral sternum

to the posterior axillary line.

Clear.

Hey, what's Carter mean
by "unfettered"?

Well, it means...

It means she's been dumped.

You get rid
of those nurses?

Yeah, they, uh...

they went up
to Nursing Administration

saying something
about hiring a hit man.

Hell hath no fury
like an RN scorned.

Whose patient is this?!

She's mine.

Well, get her back in bed

and use restraints
if you have to.

It's okay.
She's harmless.

Hey, can you sign off
on a wound infection?

No. Go away and
take her with you.

No, seriously.
She's cool.

I'm Nick Cooper, by the way.
Uh, Coop.

I'm a new resident.

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't
realize who you were.

Do me a favor
would you, Coop?

Air Rescue's bringing
in a bad MVA.

Will you go up on the roof
and wave in the chopper?

And make sure you stand

in the middle of
the landing pad,
so they see you.

You're Rocket Romano.

You were a surgeon--
used to be Chief of Staff.

I still am a surgeon.

Yeah? You got
scalpel attachments

for that bad boy?

I'm right-handed.

Lucky.

So, this guy's
ten days out of...

Let's get a few things straight,
all right, nutmeat?

One: we don't offer
remedial medicine here.

Two: You don't talk to me.
I talk to you.

Should I be writing this down?

Stay out of my face!

CORDAY:
30 again.

Clear.

LOCKHART:
Fine v-fib.

LEWIS:
More like coarse asystole.

Resuming compressions.

Units five
and six are up.

How long's it been?

35 minutes.

We should be able to shock him
into sinus.

Hold CPR.

There's nothing
to shock.

High dose epi.
Might coarsen his rhythm.

He's been down too long.

He's young and healthy.

With fatal wounds.

His hilum and aorta
are cross-clamped.

We've replaced his volume

and maxed out
on atropine and epi.

He walked in here.

He was talking to me.

That's it.

Time of death: 13:36.

Abby, can you try
and locate the family?

I was coming down the ladder

and I stepped on the cord
to my sander.

I only fell about three feet,

but I twisted my ankle
pretty good

and my collarbone's killing me.

Well, let's
take a look.

Okay.

I heard about your run-in
with Dr. Romano.

Someone should
have warned you.

He's quite a character.

That's one word for him.

( groans )

What were you sanding?

The hull of a boat.

Fiberglass?

Yeah.

( coughing )

Are you all right?

Hey, Coop, you ready
to present some cases?

His asthma's
acting up.

All right, give him
an albuterol treatment.

Then come find me.

We have to clear
this board.

( coughing violently )

So, what's the story?

Call respiratory
to set up nitric oxide,

give her more Lasix

and start an
isoproteronol drip.

What?

She has primary
pulmonary hypertension.

You're kidding.

Can you even diagnose
PPHN from an echo?

If you know what
to look for.

We'll cath her in the lab
to be a hundred percent.

Tough break.
Seemed like a nice kid.

Yeah.

( sighs )

Hennessy in Exam Three
needs a foley and an IV.

CBC and chem panel
on Gininni in Curtain Four

and scalp lac kid in the
Suture Room needs a setup.

What, am I the only
nurse working today?

Close-- Romano fired six.

Oh, so that leaves four of us
for 35 patients.

Looks like you
dodged a bullet.

Hey, I'm sorry about the
thoracotomy on that kid.

Didn't seem to make
a difference.

Maybe if we'd
done it sooner.

You reach the parents?

No.

Oh.

Hey, you know,
for what it's worth--

I think it's Carter's loss.

What?

Do you know where
my parents are?

They went to talk
to the doctor.

They said they'd
only be a few minutes,

but that was a while ago.

Uh, why don't you
hop back into bed

and I'll find them
for you, okay?

Okay.

MORRIS:
I think he's getting
even tighter.

( faintly ):
Epi.

RASGOTRA:
Try not to talk.

Slow, deep breaths.

( faintly ):
Epi. Epi.

Sub-Q epinephrine?

Uh... point three.

His nebulizer's dry.

Okay, we'll try five
of albuterol this time.

Push it.

Little stick here, Coop.

Too much. Too much.

We gave you point three.

You said push it all.

You gave one milligram?

That's over three
times the dose.

I'll get an attending.

No, no, no.
He can handle it.

( alarm beeps )

V-tach.

Crash cart.

What the hell happened?

Too much epi.

Has he got a pulse?
Can you hear me, Coop?

Charge to 300.
No, no, no, no!

It's stable v-tach.

He only needs 50.

Do you want
some Valium first?

This could be a little
uncomfortable.

Just do it.

Charged to 50
for synch cardioversion.

Clear.

( yells ):
Ah, jeez!

V-tach.

Let's try 100.

Valium.
Charged.

Valium.

Clear.

( yells )

( panting )

Okay.

Congratulations.

You just saved
your first resident.

You can't just
sit here.

The union steward said
to stay the entire shift.

But we're getting slammed.

I mean,
we'll work it all out tomorrow.

I'm sorry, Abby.

But think about
how you're going to feel

ten years from now

when they start replacing you

with minimum-wage grads
right out of nursing school.

MALIK:
Abby,

Lewis is yelling for you.

Are you nurses?

No.
No.

How come
you're still working?

I'm an LVN. They don't
get no cheaper than me.

Pratt needs a chaperone
for a pelvic in Three.

Okay, if you could cath
the little boy in Four.

Done deal.

You still with us?

Okay, I also have a guy in Two
that needs something.

I can't read it.

What's that say,
"nipple lips"?

Oh, all right.

I got a resident who
needs a holding help

for a spinal tap on
the dirty, old man
in Exam Three.

He died.

For real?

Real dead.

Do you think
there's any chance

you could cover for me
for, like, five minutes

so I could run upstairs?

I got to deal with the whole
nursing situation.

I haven't had a chance
to see Luka yet.

You're joking.
I haven't stopped
for six hours.

I had to use a
patient's urinal, Abby.

And that Carter letter.
Look, I'm sorry.

I know that was
pretty harsh.

Okay. How did you hear
about this letter?

Jerry.

Jerry.

Excuse me,

Dr. Romano,

if we don't get some help
down here,

the patients are going
to start dying.

We pulled the registry.

Someone from the service
should be here

within a couple of hours.

Uh, Edna's down
from Geriatrics.

Edna?

Hey, excuse me,
excuse me. Hi.

There is a drunk
in Exam Four

that needs two
more of Ativan.

I'm sorry, dear.
He's a putz.

Who, the drunk?

That Carter boy.

Huh! It's too bad
you didn't dump him first!

You've gotta be kidding me.

The big man, he let me
read the letter. Ha-ha!

Oh, Abby, the
guy in Three

needs another bolus
and an emesis basin.

And you call the lab
and ask why it's
taking over two hours

to get a set
of electrolytes.

Malik can do some of this.

Hey!

Okay, did you hear
about my letter?

What letter?
Good.

Oh, yeah, I need a phenytoin
level on my seizure guy,

and your girl in Exam Two
needs 20 of Lasix, IV.

Oh, Elle.

I told her I was going
to find her parents.

How's she doing?

Well, she has
primary pulmonary hypertension.

Won't live to see
her 21st birthday.

Other than that,
she's fine.

Are you sure?

98%. They won't be certain
until after the cath on Monday.

And her parents
don't want her to know

until after the tests.

They're not going to
tell her for three days?

I know, it's awkward.

It's not awkward,
it's stupid.

I mean, she already
senses something's wrong.

She deserves to
know the truth.

Well, after the cath,
she'll know,

and then it'll all be
downhill from there.

Just stay out of it.
It's the parents' decision.

Excuse me.

Hi, I'm sorry.

We got turned around.

We were supposed to be going
to the children's ward

to visit a classmate.

Okay, uh, go back
to the elevator.

Go up to the third floor,
take a left...

You know what?
I'll show you.

Thanks.

Are you a nurse?

Yes, I am a nurse.

Who here wants to be a nurse?

Hey, you know boys
can be nurses, too.

I want to be a doctor.

CHILDREN:
Me, too! Me, too!

Robert!

Well, to what do we
owe this royal visit?

Do you have any idea
who that was

in my office
this morning?

Well, let me see,
do I care? No.

That was totally
inappropriate.

Oh, yeah?
I'll tell you

what's inappropriate, Kerry.
( crutch clunks on floor )

This hospital boning
me with a prosthesis

that has a limited
functional field.

I'll develop
peripheral neuropathy,
overuse syndrome...

Did you fire
six nurses today?

Yes, as a matter of fact

it was the only
good part of my day.

How'd you like me to fire you?

Well, I've got a, uh,
handicap, remember?

Yes. Somehow I don't think
that'd be an issue.

Uh, you guys have
an audience.

You fire anyone else,
even a candy striper,

and you're going with them.

Consider this
an official reprimand.

You are one
grade "A" bitch!

You know that, Kerry?

You know, Robert,
I'm your boss,

and as long as I am,

you're my bitch.

Now get your ass
back to work.

Fecal impaction in Four

needs some good
old-fashioned
finger-digging.

Enjoy.

Jerry!

Can you show them how to get
to the Pedes playroom?

Yep.

Thank you.

What is that?

Uh, this is human blood.

( screaming )

Hi, Elle.

Feeling any better?

Yeah.

I can finally take
a deep breath.

That's good.

They had a heart doctor
come see me.

Mm-hmm.

Why?

I thought it was my lungs,
not my heart.

Well, your heart...

Your heart and your lungs
are connected,

so it only makes sense
that, um,

cardiology would come
and take a look at you.

I'm sure Dr. Lewis
was just being thorough.

So, was it okay?

My heart?

My parents were
acting a little weird.

Well... all parents
are a little weird, right?

I'm sure they just want you
to get better.

I'm going to go
find Dr. Lewis

and see if she's
heard anything, okay?

( sighs )

Uh, hey.

Hey.

Um, these are my parents.

Mom? Dad?
This is Greg.

PRATT:
Hey, how you doing?

Nice to meet you.

Um, they were
downtown shopping.

Really?

And, um, now they want
to join us for dinner.

I hope you don't mind.

Come on.

( chuckles )

It's-it's okay.
How you doing?

Nice to see you.

Sit down.

Thank you.

( sighs )

Much better.
The medicine's working.

Dr. Lewis, I heard
there was a PPHN in here.

Cardiology said I should
listen for a tricuspid
regurge murmur.

A what?
Is that what I have?

There's something wrong
with my heart?

This is not a good
teaching case, Neela.

Come with me.

ELLE:
No, I-I want
her to stay.

I want to know

what's wrong with me.

Okay, I'll be right back,
all right?

I've never seen
a PPHN before.

She's not a PPHN.

She's a girl who's
about to find out

she's going to die
a slow, horrible death.

She hasn't been told yet?

There are extenuating
circumstances

which you don't know about...
Excuse me.

What are you doing?

He-he wasn't eating it.

That doesn't mean
you get to.

What's his story?

Um...

Forest Herman.

Just snoozing off pain meds
for lower back pain.

Mr. Herman, I'm Do...

Mr. Herman?

Tell me he's sleeping.

Not unless he's
taking a dirt nap.

Wait, I feel a pulse.

It's weak.
Get a crash cart!

Bag him.
What'd you give him?

Just Demerol for back pain.

Somebody page Corday.

( sighs )

Okay, wh-what did I do?
What did I miss?

While you were stealing
his tuna fish,

he was bleeding out
from a triple-A.

He's drifting down.
You want more blood?

Yep. Hang it.

This man needs vascular
right now.

If we can get
his pressure up,

they can do
an endovascular procedure.

He probably won't survive
an open wound.

I've paged them.
They were unimpressed.

Right. Let's page
Dr. Dorset again.

Tell him Dr. Corday
needs him. Badly.

I tried to get you a room
with a fireplace by the pool,

but the guys from Coldplay
rented out the whole top floor

for a party.

I can walk.

I know, but, uh,
hospital policy says

I have to do the driving.

Where are your parents?

They disappear
every half hour.

My mom pretends they're
making phone calls for work,

but when they come back,
I can tell she's been crying.

So, either
the stock market crashed...

or there's something
really wrong with me,

and no one's willing
to talk about it.

( ragged breathing )

So, what,
am I dying?

Do I have cancer or something?

Okay, Elle, the doctors still
have some more tests to do,

but so far...

Abby, I need
to talk to you.

We're on our way upstairs.

Oh, okay.
Hey, Malik,

can you wheel Elle
to, uh, Three South?

Yeah.

I need, uh, help
with the code.

This is wrong.

You know it.

We're teaching her
not to trust us

exactly at the time she should
be trusting us the most.

Abby, what is wrong
with you today?

You practically start
a thoracotomy on your own,

and now you're talking
to my patients

when I asked you not to.

Well, somebody should.

It's not your call.

You're not her doctor;
you're her nurse,

so when I ask you
not to do something,
don't do it.

Mind if I watch?

You should be
at home in bed.

ABBY:
Unit 6 type specific is up.

Pressure's down to 80/40.

Shouldn't we start pressors?

You really do want
to kill this guy.

He's not stable.

He was, but your service
refused to come down.

Those bastards hate
to leave the hot tub.

You... grab some Betadine,

scrub this guy
like a sweet potato.

Uh... ectopy.

Kick that tray
over here.

You sure you don't want
to do this upstairs?

Love to. You didn't leave enough
gas in him to get me there.

MORRIS:
Scrubbed.

Nicely done. Maybe
you can detail

my Jag after work.

Ten blade.
Drape this area

here and here.

Suction to Lewis.

Can we try
a little more teaching,

a little less stand-up?

Are you serious?
My name's on the chart.

Well, it's like we say upstairs:

"What happens in the ER
stays in the ER."

Gee, thanks.

ABBY:
His BP's still 50.

Cover your eyes, kids.

This is going to be
some bad-ass juju.

Midline transperitoneal
incision.

There. Pull down a bit,
Dr. Corday.

You know, it really
is like music

when we work together.

Uh-oh.

You boys remember
the Law of Laplace?

Stress on the arterial wall

is pressure times radius,
divided by wall thickness?

You two have just been
nurse-slapped.

You know what it means?

It means this man's
about to die.

Anyone can rip
a man's heart out...

but fixing it without looking--

that's why I get

the big money
and all the hot chicks.

Right-angled retractor.

CORDAY:
Is this where I get
to make a joke

about this man
bleeding to death?

Only if you're qualified.

Oh, I've got the supraceliac
aorta in my hand,

which means we have
proximal control.

Don't try this at home.

Or anywhere near
this hospital.

You need a clamp?

No, I think
it's best if I pull

a Dutch boy and keep
my finger in it.
Let's roll.

( panting )

MORRIS:
How wicked was that?

Guy's got balls the
size of my head.

( grunts ):
Oops.

I want the blue one.

Well, hey,
you know what?

A medical student
was crushed to death

working on this
computer last year.

I can believe it.

You save any lives today?

Nope.

She saved one.

Hey, I'm Nick Cooper.

My friends call me Coop.

Michael Gallant.
Good to meet you.

So, did I miss
anything good?

Uh, yeah.
Dr. Kovac is back.

He's upstairs.
He's doing better.

Abby got a "Dear John"
letter from Carter.

And she gave it to you?

Not exactly.

What's it say?

NEELA:
I imagine it's private.

Yeah, you're probably right.
What's it say?

( clears throat ):
"Dear Abby..."

Has anybody not read
this letter?

I haven't.

What, you pulled this
out of the trash?

I...

You guys are pathetic.

You're not the
only one who got
a letter today.

We all got 90-day
suspensions.

I hate my job!

Don't worry, dear.
It'll get better.

LIN:
I hope you don't
mind, Greg,

but we went ahead and
ordered some things

that's not on the menu.

Oh, no, this is okay.
It looks good.

Sorry.

LIN:
So, Greg,

what do you parents do?

Um, well, my mom passed
away when I was 12,

and my father and I
never kept in touch.

Well, that's unfortunate.

Family is such a valuable part
of one's life.

It's important to have roots.

LIN:
Jing-Mei is going
to China with us.

She's going to rediscover

her ancestry.

Uh, no, I'm not, Mom.

We talked about this.

It's difficult to know
where you're going

if you don't know
where you came from.

What's that? Confucius?

Common sense.

Lizzie, burning
the midnight oil?

Not if I can help it.

How are you doing?

Very well, thanks.

DORSET:
So, is this where all
the cool kids hang out?

Not if we can help it.

How's our triple-A?

Not dead yet.

Well, that's
encouraging.

Thank you for coming
down so quickly.

And...?

And what?

This is where you say,
"I owe you one."

What do you want?

Foot rub.

I'll, uh...
I'll settle for coffee.

I have to be home
in an hour,

and there's
nothing fancy--

no coconut-frosted
double javaccinos

or anything like that.

Oh, all right.

Good night, Robert.

Elizabeth.

( screams )

( horn honks )

Whoo!
( laughing )

Okay, okay,
how bad was that?

What, the jellyfish
or the ambush?

I'm so sorry.

You know, they
caught me off guard.

Mm-hmm.
You know, if it's
any consolation,

they didn't hate you.

Oh, is that
what they were saying?

They're just old-fashioned.

Taxi! Meaning?

Meaning they want me
to be with someone
more traditional.

You know, all that talk
about going to China?

They just want to
find me a husband.

Well, just tell them
to relax, all right?

It's not like
we're getting married.

Hey, taxi!

Come on.

( sighs )

What?

What are we doing?

You're kidding, right?

We're... we're dating,
you know?

We're having fun.

Neither one of us is ready
to settle down, right?

Right.

What, did I say something?

Nope.

Then why are you mad?

I'm not mad.

I'm sure you'll find yourself
a new bang buddy.

Good night.

( moaning )

( panting )

Thank God I got
you a decaf.

( laughing and moaning )

( sighs )

He left.

What are you doing?

Ah, I needed to stretch
my legs.

It's good to see you.

Look great.

You look... like hell.

Too much partying
on the plane.

So?

So...

So, I met Gillian.

She seems...
Yeah, she is.

Must be nice having
your own private nurse.

She give you your letter?

( clears throat ):
Did you read it?

No.

Well, you're the only one.

I think he wanted to try
and explain why he stayed.

He saved my life.

It's different over there.

Changes you.

I think Carter
found himself.

I didn't know he was missing.

He's going to be okay.

I don't want to talk
about Carter anymore.

I think it was doomed
from the start.

I'm glad one of us had
the courage to put it
out of its misery.

It feels strange to be here.

I think maybe I've changed, too.

Well, change is good, right?

I think I'm way overdue.

I hope he hasn't talked you
into helping him escape.

Nope.

You need to take these
and get back in bed.

You're still warm.

I'll-I'll stop by
tomorrow.

Okay.

Great.

It was really nice
to finally meet you.

You, too.

I'm glad you're back.

How you doing, huh?