ER (1994–2009): Season 13, Episode 23 - The Honeymoon Is Over - full transcript

The ER is now in the hands of a new chief, Dr. Kevin Moretti, who is bent on major changes. Meanwhile, a phone call leads Neela to a hospital where a major shock awaits her, and a final farewell from a friend and colleague. Gates urgently goes home to stop Sarah from being taken away from him. A drug-addicted Iraq War veteran baffles Morris and Sam. Also, Kovac postpones the honeymoon and says goodbye to Abby and his son, for the meantime, while he travels to Croatia to visit his ailing father.

Previously on ER...

If you want to stay
with me, you can.

What-What are you
trying to do?

I'm trying to
wake you up.

FRANK:
Doesn't anybody here
watch the news?

Homeland Security
raised our threat level

to orange this morning.

And what does that
mean exactly?

PRATT:
It means
it's an election year.

It means there's a severe risk
of terrorist activity,

and the hospital is
on full alert. Here.



What is that?

Emergency Protocols.

Biohazard Preparedness Plan,

Evacuation Procedures.

There's your basic guide
to the apocalypse.

Well, are we supposed
to do anything differently?

Keep your ID handy and report
anything strange or suspicious.

Everything down here is strange
or suspicious.

Which reminds me,
the new warden is here.

(lips smacking, scoffing)
RASGOTRA:
Moretti?

Oh, lucky you.

Yeah, right.

I heard the ICU nurses
used to take vacation

when he was on service.



Hey, well, can
you blame them?

The guy fired half
the ICU attendings

when he took
over up there.

Hey, Dr. Moretti.

I wish
we could all go.

Ah, it's probably
better this way.

I'll get my father settled
and be back soon enough

so we can still go
on that honeymoon.

I don't need a honeymoon.

I do.

Besides, I'd like
to meet your father.

And Joe wants
to meet his grandpa.

Don't you, Joe?

Unless you don't want me
to meet your family

because I'm hideously ugly
by Croatian standards.

I'll miss you both.

I already do.

Be good for
your mom, okay?

Bye.
Bye.

I'll call you
when I get there.

Or you could call me
from the airport.

Or when you land in Frankfurt,
or from the plane.

Say bye to Daddy.

Say bye.

(sucking through teeth)

He's been sitting there
for 20 minutes.

It's a little creepy
if you ask me.

The guy is a burn-out.

That's why
they sent him down here.

The ER is the elephant
graveyard for doctors.

You are an eternal
ray of sunshine, Frank.

Yeah? Think about it.

Where did they send Romano
after he lost his arm?

Last year, it was Clemente,
now it's this guy.

Dollars to donuts, we
find him hanging in
an exam room by July.

Hey, what are you
doing here?

What, you and Kovac
split up already?

No. Uh, Luka's father got sick.

He had to fly back to Croatia.

Hope he's not flying today.
Why?

Frank!
What?

What's going on?

TAGGART:
Need a doc here.

Uh, what happened?

Was horsing around, put it
through a glass coffee table.

He lost
a lot of blood.

All over my carpet.

Let's get him a room
and clean him up. Thanks, Sam.

LOCKHART:
All right,
keep this up.

Calder?

That's me.

(quietly):
This way.

98/56.
Yeah, I always
run a bit low.

Do paramedic patients
stop at Triage?

If they're ambulatory,
they can.

What meds are you on?

Enalapril, Lipitor
and glyburide.

TAGGART:
You diabetic?

CALDER:
Mm-hmm.

Okay, let's get
your blood sugar.

How often is your
Glucometer Q.A'd?

Every morning at 7:00
by the day shift.

You ask a lot of questions
for somebody

who's supposed to be in charge.

Well, he's... he's new.

Blood sugar's 128.

It's been worse.

It's not so bad.

Once we get you registered,
they'll make you a chart,

and a doctor
will see you.

Is that you?

Oh, no. No.

Not today.

I'm just a fly
on the wall.

(groaning)
Oh, sorry.

You're through the fascia
into the extensor muscles.

MORRIS:
That one will need
layered closure.

Any medical problems?

Yeah, I got a detached retina.

Had a run-in at the local bar.

I got a bad back,
service-related.

You're in the
military?
Army.

We did a tour
in Iraq together.

Yeah. I decided to head
over to the peace rally,

pick up some chicks.

MORRIS:
Were you three
in combat?

We were.

Kyle here drove
a desk.

Hardly, man.

As you can tell,
I'm the brains of this trio.

I was with Intelligence,
worked as a translator.

He taught us how to swear
in Arabic.

Where'd you pick
that up?

I did some missionary work
over in Jordan for two years

after high school.

Yeah, he's our
Stormin' Mormon.

Can you wiggle
your fingers?
(gasps)

Oh, that hurts.

Let's check the
volar wounds.

(groans)
Oh!

That would be
an arterial injury.

Okay, four milligrams
morphine.

I'll be right back.

Hey, I got a good
one for you.
Oh, no, thanks.

No, it'll be quick--
hand through a glass
coffee table.

Neurovascular?
Maybe some
tendon damage.

Come on, I got Moretti
circling around down here

like a turkey vulture.

Have you heard
from Ray?

Yeah, he's taking
some time off.

He won't
return my calls,

and I've tried and
tried his parents.

He's not at
his apartment.

I heard his band's
back in town.

Maybe he's playing
rock star again.

All right, does it hurt
when I press?

No.

All right, how about, uh,
how about here?

Uh, bingo. It's
bearable, though.

What's in your chem panel,
Doctor?

Lytes,

BUN, creatinine,
calcium, LFT's.

These are liver function tests.

I thought you
weren't working today.

Well, you make it
very hard

to resist,
Mrs. Calder.
(Calder laughing)

You're cute,
but he's a flirt.

Hey, are you ready
to present?

Yeah. This is,
uh, Dr. Lockhart.

She's my supervisor.

Hello.

Hi.
Hi.

GATES:
Type II diabetic
with, uh,

gastroenteritis
and dehydration.

Afebrile, uh,
abdomen's benign,

and she's getting
fluids and Compazine.

Okay, try Reglan
in case it's gastroparesis,

and show me the labs
when they get back.

Okay.
Nice to meet you.

Excuse me. We haven't
officially met yet.

I'm Kevin Moretti. I'll be
replacing your husband.

(laughs)
Excuse me?

No, as Chief,
only as Chief.

Yeah. I'm, uh...
I'm Abby Lockhart.

Yes. You used
to be a nurse.

Yes, I was.

That must give you
an interesting perspective.

Uh, I guess so, yeah.

Also, being married
to one of the attendings

must prove very challenging
at times.

PRATT:
Hey, Abby,

could use some
help over here.

Got Saltzman, 27, fell off
a roof with his brother.

Brother-in-law-- I landed
right on his back.

I think I knocked
the wind out of him.

What were you doing?

I was putting up
a satellite dish.

How tall was
the building?

Two stories?

Yeah, well, he refused to
be boarded and collared,

so he's all yours.

Come on, let's go.

Exam three.

Is... uh,

is he going
to wake up?

Uh, let's just take care
of you first, huh?

Okay. I just... I need to
talk to him as soon as he does.

Hey, Abby, can you give
our soldier guy

another four
of morphine?

First dose
didn't touch him.

There was no first dose.

He's addicted
to codeine.
What?

He's followed at the VA.

They have to be notified
of all ER visits.

His caseworker said he
has a no-narcotic contract.

Well, we can't assess his
injury without anesthesia.

What, you want him backsliding
back into addiction?

Do an axillary block.

A nerve block will control
the pain without narcotics.

I know.

I was hoping to give
our resident a chance
to figure it out.

Oh, you've done it
before?
Oh, yeah.

I mean, usually it's a
pain team kind of thing.

A couple of cc's of lido
in the-the axilla, right?

Well, more like 40.

I'll walk you
through it.

My husband was a lieutenant
stationed near Mosul.

What unit?

He was a doctor
with the 57th CASH.

He's out now?

No.

Uh, he was killed in country

a little over a year ago
by an IED.

Sorry to hear that, ma'am.

So, what's
the verdict?

Has a partial lac of
the flexor carpi ulnaris.

Needs a
volar splint.

Good luck.
Thanks.

Maybe I'll see
you at the rally.

Maybe.

My arm still hurts
like hell, Doc.

You got to give me
something.

I got a high
tolerance

for pain meds
'cause of my back.

Tolerance or addiction?

MORRIS:
We talked to the VA.

They told us about
your contract.

So, what, they said
I was an addict?

That's crap, man.

Look, I was
at Walter Reed

for six weeks.

I was supposed to go
get physical therapy,

see a pain guy.

They're so busy with amputees
and guys worse off than me,

that the wait was
like four months.

Got discharged before I
even got an appointment.

GATES:
Hey, Neela.

Hey. I'm just
on my way home.

Long night.

Yeah, well, nobody ever told
you to become a surgeon, right?

Well, actually,
yes, they did,

a number of people.

Listen, this-this whole
thing is weird to me.

I don't know
how to do this.

What? Break up?

Yeah. Uh, you know,
I know it's probably over,

and... and I deserve it,
but I just wanted to know

if we could
still be friends?

Can I call you tonight
just to talk?

Well, I might
go to this rally.

I kind of feel
like I should.

FRANK:
Gates!

Your Mr. Pollard
stopped breathing!

Uh, he's just
holding his breath.

He does that
for attention.

He's been holding his breath
for ten minutes.

All right, I'll-I'll try
to get a hold of you tomorrow?

Yeah, sure.

(phone ringing)

(phone continues ringing)

Okay, can you wiggle
your fingers?

Hey, Dawn, can I
get some bacitracin

and some sterile
gauze, please?

(grunts)
Oh.
Whoa.

Take it easy, sir.

Well, it looks like
your brother-in-law's waking up.

Can I talk
to him now?

SALTZMAN:
What the hell?

PRATT:
Just relax, sir.

You're in County Hospital.

You had a little fall,
but you're doing okay now.

Yeah, I just need
a minute with him.

Go ahead.

In private.

(sighs)
All right,
make it quick.

I'll be right back.

(speaking quietly)
Hey. Hey!
Hey!

What's he doing here?

Oh, oh, oh. No, no, no.
Whoa. I can explain.

No. Somebody
call the cops.
He's... No.

This is not what
you think. He...

All right,
Mr. Saltzman,

your brother-in-law
accidentally landed on you

when you two
fell off the roof.

What roof?

He's not
my brother-in-law.

He's got a woman tied up
in his apartment.

I heard her screaming.
No, no, no, no,
no, I can explain.

No, no. He beat me up
when I tried to rescue her.

I think you might have to
explain it to the cops.
He's...

Abby, that lady you
and Gates worked up--
gave her two liters

of saline, her pressure's
down to 90/65.

Oh, crap.

Well? I'm listening.

Okay, are you familiar
with RACK?

Risk Aware
Consensual Kink?

No.

I really need
something for the pain.

Well, we gave you a nerve block.

It should have
kicked in by now.

Well, it didn't.
It's killing me.

You know why they named
the largest military hospital

in the world
after Walter Reed?

No.

Yellow fever was
wiping out the troops

during the Spanish-American War,

and Walter Reed was the one
who discovered that

the disease was being
transmitted by mosquitoes.

And he greatly
reduced infection

with aggressive insect control.

Of course, everybody
ended up dying of cancer

from the pesticides, but...

it was
a valiant effort.

Excuse us.

Can I talk to you
for a second, Morris?

Maybe the injection didn't
get into the sheath.

I drew blood from his
hand with a needle,

he didn't even flinch.

He's a soldier.

No. He's lying.

He can't feel his arm.

There's no problem
with the nerve block.

You think he's faking?

I think he's either drug-seeking
or he has issues.

I'll call psych.

No, no, not here, at the V.A.

They have better continuity
of care, and they have a good

support system
for returning vets.

Well, it could be months before
he gets an appointment there.

They're overwhelmed.

Then do a hospital-to-hospital
transfer.

They'll have to take him today.

Belly's still benign.

Could be
an occult infection.

An infection?
But I feel so much better.

Even my nausea's gone.

Well, with diabetes,
there can often be nerve damage,

so you can develop
an abdominal condition

without feeling
any symptoms.

You think she's septic?

No fever, no
white count.

Well, can't always
count on those.

Let's get two sets of
blood cultures, 3.375 of Zosyn,

start dopamine
at five mikes,

CT with IV and
oral contrast.

Got it.
More tests?

Kevin...

Um, you're a bit
of a mystery,

ma'am, but we're gonna
figure out what's going on.

(scoffs)
I came in here to get some
medicine to stop the vomiting.

I've been here
for six hours now.

Well, we can't risk sending you
home with a serious condition.

CALDER:
It's not serious.

Do you think
it could be serious?

Well,

I've seen a lot
of doctors in here,

but if you think
it could be serious,

you're the touchstone, Kevin.

Okay.

We're going
to get started

on these right away
for you, Mrs. Calder.

You're on top
of this, Doctor.

Touchstone?
What's that all about?

It's a black siliceous
mineral used to test
the purity of gold.

The miners used to
take the metal...

Yes, I know what it means.

Well, then you should, you
know, take it as a compliment.

You might turn
out to be gold.

(chuckles)
Fool's gold.

Yeah, pyrite.

But only an expert can
tell the difference.

FRANK:
Who's your boyfriend?

WOMAN:
Um, his name is Paxton,

He came in with his
brother-in-law, I think.

Uh-huh.

And his name is...?

You know what?
I got this, Frank.

Okay.

Hi, I'm Dr. Lockhart.

Hillary Milbauer.

So you saw my boyfriend?

I did.

And you're... you're the
woman that was tied up?

And gagged
and screaming.

(chuckling):
That's me.

Right, okay.

I told you, I was just
trying to defend myself.

Then why didn't
you call the cops?

Because I'm not supposed to be
running a business

out of my apartment.
That's her!

That's his victim!

That is my girlfriend.

All right, Abby,
what's going on?

This is Hillary
Milbauer.

Apparently,
these two operate

an adult Web site
out of their apartment.

Yeah, I already got that
part from Scorsese here.

He broke in
and attacked us.

You were screaming!
I was trying to save you.

I told you, it's just an act.

It's like erotic
performance art.

Um, do you think it's possible

you misinterpreted
the situation,

Mr. Saltzman?

I know what I saw.

What he was doing to her
was unnatural.

Unsanitary.

(sighs)

It's still throbbing, dude.

You got to give me
something for the pain.

We're transferring you
to the V.A.

Someone there
will see you today.

I'm going to recommend
you speak with a psychiatrist.

You think this is
all in my head?

Is that what you think?

Hey, I can't get her finger out
without tearing it apart.

Can you help me?
Yeah. I'll be right back.

Why am I being
punished?!

It's real, okay?!

The pain's real!

Vivian here loads her
own shotgun shells.

My father taught me years ago.

He used to pay me
a penny a shell.

Now I sell custom loads
on the Internet.

I love this country.

See, it's wedged
in there, right?

Got to get this skin
out of the spring.

Tried to open it.
I'm trying to get the...

Look.

Kyle?

Kyle?

Hang on.

Kyle, you need to stay in bed.

What are you doing?
Hey!

Kyle!

Kyle, open...!
Open the door.

Can you open it?
He took my swipe card.

Find another one. Security!

Kyle, Kyle,
don't do this.

Come on, man.
Come on, stop!

KYLE:
Leave me alone, man!

Kyle, open this door!
Open it!

We'll get you something
for the pain!

Come on, don't!

GATES:
Security!

Kyle, stop!

Please, come on!

Kyle, stop!

(tires squeaking)

(inhales sharply)

(door rattling)

Sam, where the hell's that key?!

Move away from the door, sir!

Please, move away!

Move away from the door!
Kyle!

GATES:
Move, move, move.

Watch your head.
Come on.

All right, spit it
out! Spit it out!

What'd he take?

You name it, he took it.
Set up to lavage.

Let's go!

No. No!

(screaming):
No...!

(shouting in Arabic)

Kyle! Kyle, calm down!

(sobbing,
speaking Arabic)

Monitor, Foley, start a line.

What labs do you want?

Acetaminophen
and aspirin levels.
Don't, please!

No. There's no point
in sending that now.

We'll get a four-hour level.

Foley, alkanalize
his urine,

and let's put in an Ewald tube.

MORRIS:
That's the plan--

just mixing up nebulized lido
for the OG.

No, there's no time for that.

TAGGART:
You're going to
place an Ewald

without anesthesia?

Thing's like
a garden hose.

(Kyle screaming in Arabic)

Hard restraints, please.

Come on, lidocaine neb
takes five minutes.

Yeah, which is 12%
of gastric transit time.

Do you want him to
get 12% poisoned?

You want 12% of the arrhythmias,
12% of the liver failure?

I don't think so.
Not while we still have time

to get the junk
out of his stomach.

(panting hysterically)

Okay, okay,
okay, okay,

okay, okay, okay.

No! Get it away!

Okay!
Get it away from me!

Sir, hey, hey!
Okay, it's fine.

Please, come on,
we're trying to help you.

Okay, okay, okay.
Would you put a little

muscle into it, please?

It's all right.

(panting, gagging)

All right.

(gagging)

All right, come
on, screw the V.A.

This guy needs
fentanyl and versed.
Nope.

The risk of aspiration
is too high

when you try to sedate
during lavage.

So we'll intubate,
we'll protect his airway!

No. The risk is too high,
it's not worth it.

GI bleeder just puked
a liter of blood.

Okay. Put the tube in,

and lavage until

all the pill fragments
come out and until

that fluid runs clear.

KYLE:
Please... please...

(speaking Arabic)

(sobbing):
Please!

They tried
to save my legs,

but the...

the crush injuries
were too severe.

But it could be a lot worse,
you know?

I could be dead.

(smacks lips)

They're going to fit me
for prosthetics

as soon as
the flaps heal.

So I guess, in the meantime,
I can...

pimp out my wheelchair,

maybe put some flames
down the side.

(whispering):
Ray...

BARNETT:
I'll have a whole new
set of legs, a cool van.

Hey, I can park
in the good spaces now.

RASGOTRA:
Ray, stop.

Uh, do you want
something to drink?

I'm going
to get a coffee.

No, thanks, I'm good.

Um, I'll call
your parents,

see if I can get an ETA.

That's... great.

Is there anything
I can do?

No.

Would you like me to
tell anyone at County?

No.

I really don't want you
to do anything.

I was so worried
about you.

I even went
to our...

...your apartment.

Well, it's up for lease
if you want to move back in.

No ramps.

You know, the night this...

After you left the wedding...

I tried calling you,
'cause I wanted to talk.

I was hoping...

I know, I know.

I was checking the message
when I got hit.

So I know.

How much bicarb is he getting?

Two amps per liter, quarter
normal at 200 per hour.

Okay, check
his urine pH.

(groans)
I don't get it.

What's going on
with this guy?

Looks like textbook PTSD to me.

No, he never saw combat.

That's what his buddies said,
he was an interpreter.

Oh, he saw plenty.

Who do you think translates
during those interrogations?

Well...

I seem to have misplaced...

Hello, what's this?

Uh, we had to intubate.

I thought I specifically
told you not to.

Maybe I was using
my inner voice again.

I know that's
a bad habit.

He was losing his gag reflex,
became hypoxic.

I don't see anything
about hypoxia here.

Uh, well, it was,
you know, hectic.

I haven't had a chance
to update the chart.

Do you have
any pill fragments?

GATES:
Yeah, we, uh, we did.

We got this.

Not enough.

Gates, it's Sarah.

She doesn't
sound good.

(clears throat)

Move away from that, please.

Can I see that?

Toxic bradycardia.

We're on it.

Yeah? Are you?

Really? On it?

Because one might argue that
you are in fact underneath it,

that if you hadn't
dicked around

so long with the intubation,
you wouldn't be digging your way

out of an overdose
right now.

Let me know when you learn
to roll over.

Parents coming
to take you home?

My mom's been here
for a few days.

I've never been to...

Baton Rouge.

Maybe I could
come visit you.

Don't.

What?

Just don't tell me
you're going to do something

when I know you won't.

Why don't you think
I'd come visit you?

Because that's what
our relationship is, Neela.

You give me hope,

and I, like a fool,
believe you.

Ray, that's not true.

It is true.

I've waited for you...

I trusted you.

I fought for you...

And I even fell in love
with you.

But for what?

So you could just
keep running

back to Gates?
I'm not.

That's what I've been trying
to tell you.

It's over.

Tony and I are done.

Well, it doesn't really matter
now, does it?

HILLARY (over speaker):
Yeah, baby,
that's good!

Don't stop, baby.

PAXTON:
Oh, yeah, you like
that, don't you?

Am I a bad girl?

Do you want to
spank me?
Yeah.

I'm gonna
spank you.

You're a bad girl.

What's going on in here?

Yes! Yes!

I told you
it was too loud.

What are you
guys watching?

Oh, it's a website
hosted

by a couple
of our patients.

Does that look
consensual to you?

Oh yeah, that's sensual.

Consensual.

What, did you fail anatomy?

You cannot do that with your
body unless you really want to.

Is that woman in this hospital?

TAGGART:
Abby...

Mrs. Calder's pressure dropped
down to 65 systolic again.

I gave orders for dopamine
over an hour ago.

She maxxed out at 20 mikes.

She's hypotensive?

It's impossible.

HILLARY:
That's good.

Don't stop, baby.

PAXTON:
Yeah, you like
that, don't you?

How do you like that,
is that what you want?

Oh, yeah, baby,
that's good!

Don't stop, baby!
Oh, yeah,

you like that
don't you?

Am I a bad girl?

Do you want to spank me?

Oh, yeah you are
a very bad girl.

And I would love to spank you.

Oh, yeah, girl!
Yeah!

(metal clanging)

Hi, Dr. Morris,
sorry, I didn't mean
to startle you.

No, you didn't.

I was, I was... looking
up something medical.

What's going on?

Sorry, I called you
at work.

I don't, I didn't know
what else to do.
That's okay.

Where are your
grandparents?

They're inside.

Hey, Jim?

Hey, Tony.

What's going on?

We're taking Sarah
this weekend, remember?

Yeah.

So, uh, what's with
all the boxes?

Helen and I think
it would be best

for Sarah to spend
the summer with us.

Really, that's, that's
what you think, huh?
Mm-hmm.

Shouldn't that be
something we should
talk about that?

I never said
I wanted to go.

Sarah, you love staying
with us, huh?

This isn't helping.

We're trying to make it easy
for her.

Oh, you think
this is easy?

MRS. RILEY:
Jim?

It's okay.

She doesn't want
to go.

She clearly doesn't
want to go...
We appreciate everything...

MR. RILEY:
Let me handle
this, Hellen.
You know what?

You know what, no-- she's not
going with you this weekend.

Yes, Tony, she is.

You can't make me!

What's this?

It's an emergency court order
for custody.

We heard
you hired a lawyer.

I'm calling the police.

PRATT:
All right,
let's mix up Levophed.

LOCKHART:
Radiology's reading
the CT right now.

Why don't you run in
another liter.

Is she bleeding?

Uh, repeat crit's 38,
stable.

PRATT:
Could it be anaphylaxis?
No.

No new drugs
or foods.

And she doesn't have
any skin lesions.

All right, let's do early goal
directed therapy.

She needs a central line

with an 02
sat monitor.

Is there anything else
that we could be doing?

Dr. Moretti?
I'll be right back.

Hey, you know
we could use some help in here.

Man, that guy's
a real weirdo.

Levophed's up.

Okay, thanks a lot.

No intra-abdominal
pathology

whatsoever
on CT.
What?

No abscess?
Nope.

Diverticulitis?
Nothing.

What the hell
is going on?

LOCKHART:
I don't know maybe
it's an infection

from another source?
Urine? CSF?

TAGGART:
Her pressure's not moving,
and her sats are dropping.

Do you want
to intubate?

Yeah, I'll tube her,
Abby, you do the central line.

Hey, Mrs. Calder.

Hang in there,
okay?

One percent
lidocaine.

20 of etomidate,
100 of sux.

I'd wait on that
if I were you.

Let's get the suction on high,
somebody check the cuff.

Pressure is up
to 110 over 70.

(sighs)

Am I dying?

Not anymore.

So what'd you give her? Epi?

No, please, that
would be too easy.

What'd you inject?

You tell me.

Mr. and Mrs. Riley
have legal custody

of the girl.
Oh, come on.

That's crap. I've raised her
since she was this big.

She's practically
my own kid.

Technically, she's not,
and they're the next-of-kin.

She doesn't want to go.

Go ask her, ask her
if she wants to go.

I'm afraid she doesn't
have a choice.

All right, you know
what, let's just...

settle down, all right?

We'll handle this
like adults.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

This is getting way out
of hand, guys.

Settle down, sir.

So you're just gonna
let them take her?

I suggest you get
yourself a lawyer

and try to work
something out.

(snatches paper)
I have a lawyer.

Can I at least go say
good-bye to her?

Please?
Yeah.

(plants kiss)

(Sarah sobs)

Look... it's going
to be okay.

It's going to be okay.

Don't let them
do this.

It's okay, all right?

I'll make sure it's okay.

Look, it's not going
to be for that long.

You'll go, you'll have fun.

You know, you'll ride
the horses, it'll be good.

I don't care about
the stupid horses!

I don't want to go!

I'll come visit you.

I'll come visit you
this weekend, I promise.

This is not permanent,
okay?

Look at me.

Look at me.

You know I love you.

I love you more than anything
in this entire world, right?

Right?

Okay, so I need you
to be strong for me.

I need you to go
with your grandparents

but you have to trust me,
okay?

All right, and it's not be
for a long time, I promise.

I promise you.

I love you, baby girl.

Did you figure it
out yet, Pratt?

Huh?

What I gave to
Mrs. Calder?

Come on, think, think,
think, think, think, think.

Where is that intern?

The one
with the temper problem?

The who started all
this...

Oh, you mean Gates?
He had to go.

Go?

Yeah, family
emergency.

Well, he caused
an emergency here.

He was the primary caregiver,
and he dropped the ball

on that patient
from the get-go.

Come on, it was
a tough call.

There's enough blame
to go around.

Backing up your interns?
That's good.

Shows leadership and maturity
which, based on your record,

I didn't think
you were capable of.

Bravo, Pratt.

Thanks.
Yep.

And as for blame,
you're right.

There is plenty
to go around

all the way up
to the attending level.

That's why I called
a staff meeting.

Look, it wasn't perfect,
but she's okay.

She got good care.

The hell she did.

Let me ask you
something.

I mean, what's
going on with you?

Huh?

I mean, you stand
around all day

like some strange
Peeping Tom.

Now, all of a sudden
you're the king of the ER.

This is our department,
Moretti.

And I don't care how long
you've been a doctor,

you haven't been here,

and you haven't worked
with all of us.

Gee, I am so sorry

that I skipped my daily dose
of testosterone.

We do the best we can
with limited resources.

No, you know, see,
that's where you're wrong.

It is not the resources
that are limited--

it is the minds of the people
working on the floor.

Hydrocortisone.

That's what you
gave her.

I would have
gotten there

if you'd given me
another minute or so.

(approaching footfalls)

KATEY:
Neela.

This is Jacy,
Ray's mom.

Hello.
Hello.

I'm so sorry.

Uh, no, I...

I've heard a lot about you.

Ray and I are good friends.

He said you were the best
roommate he ever had.

Well, that's 'cause I did all
his laundry for him.

Oh.

I used to think sometimes

that was the only reason
he came home.

I'm, um, going to take
him home now.

Gonna...

I'm going
to get him better.

You'll get through this,
I promise.

Thank you, Katey.

You've been wonderful.

You come on down
to Baton Rouge

whenever you can get away.

You know I will, ma'am.

Okay.

You're a good
person, Katey.

Shut up!
Shut up!

Well, I know
you're upset...

You did this,
you selfish bitch.

Nobody else, okay?

You did.

So live with that.

MORRIS:
Okay, you're going to be
a little hoarse for a while.

Yeah.

(coughing)

(gasping)

This is going to help you
breathe a little easier.

You want to tell me
why you did this?

Kyle, obviously you're hurting,
man, let me help you.

You were...
you were shouting in Arabic

when we were trying to help you.

Something, something
about med...

(speaking Arabic)

What does that mean?

"Please, don't hurt me.

"I've done nothing wrong.

God have mercy."

I must have translated it
a million times in Iraq.

Not that it mattered.

They didn't listen
to me any more

than they listened to prisoners.

Who didn't listen to you?

The interrogators.

(groaning)

You saw them beat the prisoners?

Beat, burn,

other things...

You... you mean torture?

Most of the men they questioned
didn't even know anything.

They were innocent.

I tried to convince
the interrogators,

but they didn't believed me.

So they just kept
hurting them.

And I just kept
translating their cries.

It's not your fault.

We're going to get
you some help.

I don't want to go
back to the V.A., man.

You're not.

Not right now.

You're going to stay
with us for a while, okay?

Okay.

*

*

(recorded):
Hi, this is Neela, I'm not here
to take your call at the moment,

but you can leave your message
after the tone.

Forgot about this thing.

Might take a while.

(distant horns honking)

Uh, I'll get out here.

MAN (over speaker):
Look around and what do you see?

I see faces
of every different color,

men and women,
young and old, rich and poor

and yet we all share something
in common.

We're all here today
for the same reason.

We love our country!

We might have gotten here
in different ways.

Through a family member

or a loved one,
through serving in Iraq,

through an evolving sense

not only of right and wrong,

but also the division
between what is justified

and what can never be explained.

(applause and cheering)

Let's begin at the beginning.

Triage.

Three-hour wait for vitals,

eight to 12-hour wait for a bed.

Well, we push them through
as fast as we can.

Well, we almost pushed
Esther Calder six feet under,

but a combination
of blind faith,

dumb luck, her resilience
and my attention to detail

thwarted all the attempts
that we made to kill her.

I triaged her.

She did not wait very long.

She waited two hours
with intense nausea.

Then after that,
another two hours

before she got back to a bed.

And then after that, another
hour before a doctor saw her.

So, what's that, like
five hours? That's not so bad.

It can be better.
It will be better.

What if the triage nurse
had standing orders

for labs and IV fluids
and anti-emetics

with a patient like this?

What would happen?

The very charming Mrs. Calder

would be brought right back,

she would get relief,

she would registered
at her bedside.

We would knock four hours
off her stay time,

and we would be on top of her
problems before she crashed.

That is
a wonderful theory.

You're taking
this personally, Sam.

Yeah, I'm a nurse, I do triage.

Yeah, I take it personally when
you criticize the job I'm doing.

Good. Okay, good.

I'd be worried about
you if you didn't.

Now, the interns.

The peripatetic Dr. Gates

did an inadequate history.

He ordered tests
without consulting an attending.

It was busy.

That's not unusual.

See again, you're arguing
that incompetence

and sloppiness are the norm,
and that's no way to impress me.

The resident-- Abby, right?

You assumed that Gates
had done

a thorough H and P,
and he had not.

It looked like gastroenteritis.

Based on the incomplete
H and P which he took

and you accepted at face value.

Your intern led you
down the primrose path.

You sold that
to the attending Dr. Pratt,

and then the three
of you blithely walked

Mrs. Calder right along with you
to death's door.

Oh, come on.

PRATT:
Sepsis was a viable diagnosis.

MORETTI:
Viable?

Yeah.
Viable?

Nobody took a decent history!

Fact:

80 percent of all diagnoses
can be made

on the basis of history alone.

But nobody bothered
to talk to the patient.

You knew what meds she was
on now, that's the easy part,

but what meds was
she on a month ago?

One month ago she did
a two-week course

of high-dose prednisone
for URI-associated bronchospasm.

The steroids suppressed
her adrenal glands.

She had adrenal
insufficiency.

Yes, fine, but that's
a pretty rare condition.

We don't see it that often.

No, you see it.

You just don't
recognize it.

MORRIS:
All right, we
get the point.

You want us to be more careful.

No, that's a very reductive
version of what I want.

What I want is for us to live

in mortal fear of doing
something wrong,

of missing something
and having

somebody else
pay the price for that.

And I want us to use that fear

to make us better.

I am not here
because I need the work.

I'm here because I want
to save the world.

And the way were going to do it
is we're going to reinvent

the way we practice
medicine every day.

Right now, right here,
on the front.

I have another shift
to start, so go.

(clears throat)

I've worked here
for a long time,

and, uh, you might think
that this is the way

to motivate people,
but it's not.

Thank you for your input.

Yeah, listen,
all I'm saying is...

I know,
I said thank you.

I think that all of you
are just going to have

to take a little time to get
used to my management style.

And you in particular,
are going to have
to take a little time

to get used to working
with a chief that you're
not sleeping with.

WOMAN (over speaker):
It's not political.

It's not about Republican
or Democrat.

It's about young lives
lost every day.

Every day.

And knowing when to say,
"We've done what we could,

"and maybe it's time
for us to go home.

Let those people sort
this out for themselves."

That's what my brother
came to think eventually.

Stay the course!
Finish the job!

After being over there two years
Shut up and let her talk!

and seeing what was going on,
seeing what the results were...

Fortunately, the letter
Get off the stage!

in which he expressed that
was written the night before

he got killed
by a sniper's bullet...
Neela.

while on patrol at...
(explosion)

(explosion)

GATES:
Hey!

(explosion)

Neela!

Neela!

Neela!