ER (1994–2009): Season 3, Episode 2 - Let the Games Begin - full transcript
While the whole staff is worried the ER might close, Jeanie has her own problems in dealing with being HIV-positive.
[theme music]
(male narrator)
Previously on "ER.."
Carter, your first day?
Somebody called
for a surgeon.
Don't you wanna talk
to someone before sex?
Not really.
I, uh..
I tested positive.
What was in the "Trib?"
They've gotta squeeze a couple
of hundred million
out of the budget,
so they're shutting us down.
That's just a rumor.
Benton dumped me
back in the ER.
Don't tell anyone
you're HIV‐positive.
‐ Did you get your test back?
‐ It was negative.
No! I don't know.
Somebody call a doctor.
You are the doctor.
(man on radio)
'Traffic and
weather on the ones.'
'It's another steamer today.
Hot, muggy weather.'
'High in the 90s
with high humidity.'
'They say never trust air
you can't see'
'and you will see it today'
'with no end in sight
to the hot, humid weather.'
'WAQ traffic. Maybe the only
thing hotter than the weather'
'are the tempers of folks
stuck in rush‐hour traffic.'
'It's wall‐to‐wall,
you all out there.'
'Double the travel times
on the Eden's, Kennedy'
'Eisenhower, Stevenson
Ryan, Borman expressways.'
'And the tollways, they're not
much better, maybe worse.'
'The tri‐state and 355..'
Jeanie, hey, sorry.
I'm running over this morning.
I hope I'm not making you
late for work.
No. I'm not on
until this afternoon.
I did my Residency at County.
Three years
of too many patients.
Too little time
and no resources.
‐ Sounds about right.
‐ Yeah.
Hard to believe we had no CTs,
no MRIs and glass IV bottles.
‐ Glass?
‐ Yeah.
Well, your lab work's back
and the results show a viral
load of 15,000, which is good.
‐ Coffee?
‐ No. I've already had too much.
Yeah, so have I.
Listen, there's
a fairly new HIV cocktail
that I recommend
you start on now.
‐ The three drugs?
‐ Yeah.
AZT, 3TC
and a protease inhibitor.
You know, there is no
long term research
but the preliminary findings
are positive.
‐ Not quite a cure.
‐ No.
But more hope
than we've had in a decade.
There may be some
side effects.
‐ 'Nausea, vomiting, rash.'
‐ How much does it cost?
'Oh, your insurance
will cover it.'
Actually, I'm gonna
stick with cash.
Well, that could cost up
to $16,000 a year.
I'm sure I can
work that out.
Afraid of letting
the hospital know?
Well, I've heard of health care
workers getting fired
or reassigned
for being HIV‐positive.
Yeah, yeah.
Me too.
I've got a couple
of them as patients.
But not from County, though.
So I don't know
what their policy is.
It's hard to ask
without someone
wanting to know
why you're asking.
Listen, I'm gonna write
the prescription
but these will get you
started, okay?
You're to take two
of the 3TC
and six each of the AZT
and the protease inhibitor.
‐ Fourteen pills a day?
‐ Yeah.
The 3TC, twice a day
with plenty of water
'the protease inhibitor
before meals'
'always on an empty stomach'
'and two each of the AZT,
three times a day.'
Jeanie.
Just follow these
written instructions, okay?
Does your watch
have an alarm?
‐ Yeah.
‐ Good. Get used to hearing it.
Miss a couple of doses and this
virus could develop resistance.
How much do
I need to worry
about transmitting
this to a patient?
If you use
universal precautions
and are careful
when disposing of sharps.
‐ There shouldn't be a problem.
‐ Shouldn't.
Now with the exception
of one dentist
there has been
no case documentation
of‐of any health care worker
transmitting HIV to a patient.
None.
I'll see you
in three weeks?
Three weeks.
Jeanie.
There are a lot of diseases
that can take your life.
But this one can take over
your life.
'Don't let it.'
[theme music]
[pounding on door]
[pounding continues]
Oh, are you the doctor?
I‐I saw the name
on the‐on the mailbox.
John Truman Carter, MD.
Well, I am
Betty from 318.
Are you a doctor doctor?
Because...I'm feeling
a little short of breath and‐‐
You might want to lose
the cigarettes for starters.
You really think that might make
a difference at my age?
I don't know, Betty.
Just a wild guess.
Well, I tried one
of those humidifiers.
I stuck my whole head
right in the darn thing.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
What time is it?
Well, uh, I just turned off
"Regis And Kathie Lee."
Oh! Oh, God!
Oh, God!
Benton's gonna kill me.
'Betty, I can't help you now.
I'm sorry.'
I'm late, and I am
going to die soon.
I'm sorry
you're not feeling well.
Maybe you should try
an albuterol inhaler
maybe an atrovent inhaler.
You know, that kind of thing.
(female#1)
'Don't touch me.
You can't keep me here.'
‐ 'Settle down now.'
‐ I said...get off of me!
‐ I wanna get out of here.
‐ What happened?
Can't take these
fat people on PCP.
Broke out
of her restraints.
Where's security?
‐ Where are the men?
‐ Get off of me, you bitches!
I want to get out of here!
[screaming]
‐ Sorry, sir.
‐ Oh, geez.
[screaming continues]
‐ Geez, Louise.
‐ God! We got to get her down.
You can't!
Get off of me!
Keep her down.
Sit on her.
[all panting]
‐ You okay?
‐ 'What is this? Psycho day?'
Some lunatic in four
kept tryin' to lick me.
‐ Maybe it's the heat.
‐ Oh, God, full moon?
I think the patients know
that County's gonna close.
Getting their last digs in
while they can.
In here, right?
What the hell kept you?
Got the call five minutes ago.
We ran all the way.
Oh, man.
Hey, you don't think County's
really gonna close, do you?
I mean, it can't, can it?
Have you been reading
the papers?
Hundred and fifty
million dollar shortfall
in the Cook County budget.
Be real tough giving this
all up, won't it?
‐ Where's Carter?
‐ Do I look like his mother?
(female #1)
'You can't do this
to me! Let me go!'
Hey, Randi, you seen Carter?
He's‐he's a
surgical intern now.
We don't really keep
track of him anymore.
Peter, sorry you were late.
We already saved him.
What are you talking about?
I was..
‐ I'm not late.
‐ You know Wayne Lentloff.
‐ Don't you?
‐ Good to see you, Peter.
Hey, you missed
a good one.
‐ Nobody called me.
‐ Thanks, Wayne.
It was fun, Kerry.
We'll do it again.
Uh, listen, I wanted
to talk to you
about a fellowship
in Cardiothoracic.
Uh, yeah, look, um, I haven't
made up my mind, but, uh‐‐
Oh, I know.
I hear Vascular wants you,
Trauma, Critical Care.
Yeah, I talked
to them, but‐‐
I know, I know, but
you need to talk to us.
Cardiothoracic is
a great specialty.
Good man like you.
You could finish up
a fellowship
in three years, huh.
Listen, are you
free Sunday?
I would like you
to come out for brunch.
Lake Forest,
and you are gonna love it.
‐ Hey.
‐ Hey, you want a ride?
Oh, thanks. I think
I can make it from here.
So how'd it go
last night?
‐ How'd what go?
‐ Your blind date.
Oh, God.
You know better
than to tell anything to Doug.
I only told him
after he told me
about your blind date last week,
the girl with the retainer.
I don't believe him.
Don't worry.
Mine was worse.
Oh, nothing could be worse.
This girl had an entire
vegetable garden
stuck in her teeth.
That's the baby pool
compared to Tad.
Tad?
Hey, Manny,
can I get a cup of coffee?
‐ Black?
‐ You got it.
I can't believe you'd go out
with a guy named Tad.
‐ I did.
‐ Here you go.
I made it fresh
just for you.
Hey, Joey!
Yeah, fresh
from yesterday's grounds.
[laughs]
First of all, I order
a Manhattan straight up,
two cherries.
He orders a fruity, yet
selfless glass of Cabernet.
‐ What does that even mean?
‐ I have no idea.
Then he talks for 45 minutes
about his ex‐girlfriend
whose name also happens
to be Susan.
How much he loved her,
how much he wanted to marry her
how he wanted to father
her five or six children.
And by the way,
do I want children?
Do I want five
or six children?
‐ Okay, Tad could be worse.
‐ I'm not even there yet, Mark.
I look over and he has
this drop of red wine
hanging from his nose.
‐ What?
‐ You heard me.
This puny, little blob
just hanging there.
So, of course, I cannot
take my eyes off of it.
Is it going to fall?
Is it going to hang
there all night?
Is his skin going
to absorb it?
‐ How did it get there?
‐ Mark!
No, really.
How do you get your nose
that far down
into a wine glass?
What, was he
smelling it or..
[laughs]
Mark, please.
Okay, what happened?
I went to the bathroom
and snuck out the window.
You're kidding?
Nope.
Wow.
[train horn blaring]
[watch alarm beeps]
(Morgenstern)
Did he ask you to
the house for brunch?
How did you know?
Wayne Lentloff is nothing
if not predictable.
'That's why I
like him, actually.'
'He gets the residents out
to Lake Forest every year.'
Show 'em
the seven‐bedroom colonial
the tiered garden,
the olympic lap pool.
Very impressive.
All the benefits
of cardiothoracic surgery.
Of course, we're only in it
for the satisfaction
of helping our fellow man
aren't we, uh..
‐ What's your name?
‐ Gant. Dennis Gant.
Step in, Mr. Gant.
Take a look‐see while I divide
this anterior rectus fascia.
(Benton)
'Tonsil clamp.'
(Morgenstern)
A little‐a little bovie,
please.
Ah‐ah‐ah‐ah‐ah,
not you, Gant.
(Morgenstern)
'Boys and girls in Vascular
pull you aside?'
(Benton)
'Yeah. That's mostly diabetics
and smokers though.'
'Not for me.'
(Morgenstern)
'What about a pediatric
fellowship?'
Surgery above and below the
diaphragm, very high‐tech.
Actually, no one's asked me.
[Morgenstern chuckles]
Hard as it is
to believe, Peter.
'There are some
elite fellowships'
'you might have
to go after yourself.'
Hmm.
Carter...your colleague,
Dr. Gant here
was kind enough
to cover the ER.
Seeing as you were
nowhere to be found.
(Benton)
'Perhaps you should do
the same for him.'
(Morgenstern)
'Okay, let's yank
this little hyperemic sucker.'
(Benton)
'Pean clamp.'
‐ 'You got it?'
‐ 'Mm‐hmm.'
The key to landing a good job
is presentation.
Well, I'm not gonna dress
like you, E‐Ray
if that's what
you're talking about.
"Two summers, assistant
night manager, McDonald's."
Uh, actually, that's a
bit of a lie.
I just manned
the drive‐through window.
Well, no, that's better.
That's managing
the communication
and distribution system
of an international
fortune 500 company.
Okay, okay.
I like that.
What you're saying
is make it a big lie.
Semantics can be
your friend, Jerry.
Ah, man, some guy's
puking over at chairs.
I'll get it.
Jerry, did you get the liquor
out of four yet. Jerry?
You can't bother him now.
He's rephrasing his, uh, resume.
Going for the presidency
of Chrysler.
You know, it's not necessarily
County that's gonna close.
There are three
other hospitals.
Yeah, but what if it does?
I don't know about you
but I've only got
eight hours' worth of savings.
You know what?
You guys ought to get E‐Ray
to help you
revise your resumes.
I'm a nurse, Jerry.
How many ways you gonna
rephrase that?
Mark said something about, uh,
a couple of teenagers.
Does anyone
have a chart on them?
Oh, I haven't
made one up yet.
Two 15 year olds.
They won't call their parents.
‐ Mark said he'd see 'em.
‐ Who am I seeing?
The 15 year olds
over at chairs.
‐ Right.
‐ Eighty one year old, a LOC.
With abdominal pain
coming in by private.
‐ Anything surgical?
‐ Nope. Nada. Nothing.
Carter, abdominal pain
at the back door.
‐ Susan?
‐ Yeah.
Can you help me
with a chest tube?
Yes, I'm gonna
see those kids.
Mark, did you get a chance
to read that synopsis
of Donald Anspaugh's speech
at Northwestern?
Modern Architecture for
Emergency Medicine Management?
Anspaugh?
Isn't he the chief at Southside?
Yeah. Doug did
his rotation there.
He said the guy's a bit
of a crackpot.
Well, you might want
to consider the source
in that evaluation.
I found his ideas
intriguing.
Kerry, rearranging
the physical layout here
is not one of my priorities.
Well, could we at least
rearrange where security sits?
Three of our nurses
had to restrain
a PCP patient this morning
because it took the guys
more than four minutes
to get there.
‐ Was anybody hurt?
‐ Fortunately, no.
You know, Mark, just because
it's my suggestion
doesn't, by definition,
make it a bad idea.
She just has a way of making you
feel really small, doesn't she?
Sorry, I had no idea
they'd send the bill to you.
Your insurance company
doesn't pay.
Your insurance company
doesn't pay.
What, you think the hospital's
just going to eat it?
I don't know. I mean,
what do they do, you know
with‐with immigrants
and poor people?
They go after anyone
who's legally responsible.
That's me, Al.
We're still married,
remember?
I screwed up
when I changed jobs.
I mean, this guy I'm working
for, he's independent
doesn't give benefits.
CTA said I could stay
on their plan
but there was this
COBRA payment and..
I had no idea I missed it.
It was..
It was real confusing.
They're going to let me
know if..
If I can get reinstated.
Can it maybe
go on your insurance?
You're not on
my insurance, Al.
I joined my plan
after we separated.
Thirty two hundred dollars' what
I'm supposed to pay for you?
And then in about a week,
I get another bill for me?
[watch alarm beeps]
Thomas, time to come in.
Where are you?
Franklin Heath, 81,
sweet old guy
looking for someone
named Thomas.
His private duty nurse,
Mr. Vincent Travels
is over there
bulking up.
‐ Oh, he looks dedicated.
‐ He's dumping him, right?
It's not for me to say,
of course.
Although I guess
I can mention he's done this
a number of times,
always on a Friday.
Thomas, it's getting dark.
Carol, what happened
to your car?
‐ What do you mean?
‐ Tow truck hauled it off.
What are you
talking about?
Go. go, go.
I'll take care of this.
Thomas, is that you?
‐ Strong old guy, isn't he?
‐ Thomas. Where are you, Thomas?
Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!
Wait, God, please!
Hey, no!
Um, that's my car.
Hey, yourself. Stop
beating on my truck.
Well, stop stealing my car.
You Carol Hathaway?
‐ Yeah.
‐ Repossessed.
Wha..
N‐n‐no‐no, that can't be right.
You missed
three payments.
Oh, God,
so I'm a little late.
I made the other
seven on time.
[laughs]
No.
Come on! Wait!
Oh, man!
I know that you did, which
is why that I thought tonight
we could..
No, I understand your parents
don't come into town that often.
Yes. Yes,
I would love to meet them
but I'm
working tonight, so..
What time do they go to bed?
[chuckles]
I'm kidding.
Okay, yeah.
Uh...okay, I‐I'll
talk to you soon.
Okay, bye.
That's, uh, uh, old
friend from college.
Radiology called.
The films on that
Berman kid are back.
Mm‐hmm.
You want to
rephrase your resume
you should talk
to him, not E‐Ray.
Hey, I heard
your car got towed.
It's definitely
a mistake.
I know a couple of guys
who can track
a repo man down like that.
If you want.
Um, Carter said I should tell
you he's in curtain three.
‐ 'Nurse Hathaway?'
‐ You're still here?
We've been sitting in those
chairs like you told us to.
(male #1)
'That doctor
never showed.'
Well, if you tell me
what the problem is
I probably could help you.
We need
to see a doctor.
Jerry, where's Ross?
‐ Radiology.
‐ Greene?
‐ 'Trauma two.'
‐ Follow me.
BP's a 100 over 50,
pulse 120.
(Greene)
'Good bilateral breath sound.'
‐ Toes upgoing.
‐ Trachea's midline.
ET tube, seven and a half.
Mark, you said, you'd see these
kids an hour ago.
Carol, we were diverted.
Well, they need to see a doctor,
and as much as
I'd like to do
your entire job for you‐‐
Thank you, Carol.
Perhaps they could wait
'just a little bit longer?'
(Lewis)
'Let's get
a noncontrast head CT.'
You know where you
were waiting before?
Go back there
and wait again.
Thomas.
‐ Thomas.
‐ BP's 90 over 60, pulse 104.
He's been agitated,
complaining of abdominal pain.
That is when he's not
looking for Thomas.
‐ Thomas!
‐ Who's Thomas?
Who knows?
Malik, let's order a CBC,
CHEM‐7, UA
abdominal series
and let's get an EKG.
So, if you don't
need me anymore‐‐
Have a nice weekend,
Mr. Travels.
Thomas, come on in.
Dinner's ready.
Carter...what are you doing?
Eighty one‐year‐old, a LOC.
Complaining of abdominal pain.
No vomiting or diarrhea,
and yesterday
he had
a normal bowel movement.
Mild tenderness,
no rebound or guarding.
I'd say you have
nothing here, Carter.
‐ Did someone dump him?
‐ I think that's a possibility.
Mm‐hmm. Well, I suggest
you do the same.
You're in surgery,
not geriatrics, okay?
I'm really sorry
about my little blowup before.
It was completely out of line.
No excuses whatsoever.
‐ Don't worry about it.
‐ Thanks.
‐ Can I borrow your motorcycle?
‐ What?
Uh, well, see, I have to be
at my house at 3 o'clock.
My car got towed and I won't
have time to catch the El.
Mark, we're gonna
grab a drink.
‐ Walk with us.
‐ Talk to you later.
Okay, Mark, I'll
check on those kids.
Do you know how to
ride a motorcycle?
Well, it's just like
a big moped, right?
[chuckles]
I guess.
Hi. I'm Dr. Lewis.
What seems to be the problem?
‐ A woman doctor?
‐ Best I could do.
We can call your parents
if you'd prefer.
‐ No.
‐ No.
Uh..
We...lost our condom.
Okay, so you're trying
to tell us the condom is..
Deeply..
...deeply lost.
I thought the decision wasn't
being made for another week.
That's what we all thought
until they called this meeting
for this afternoon.
So they gave
no indication
as to what the outcome
is going to be?
Nada, niente, zip.
Could be us,
could be Southside
could be central,
but someone's closing down.
Here, I got this.
Here you go, Manny.
‐ Three cans of pop.
‐ Thanks.
I didn't think
they'd actually do it.
‐ Neither did I.
‐ Neither did Donald Anspaugh.
He called me
about it.
Sounded like he was having
a psychosensory disturbance.
He's afraid
he's losing his job.
You know him?
Did my last two years of
residency at Hennepin with him.
‐ Guy's completely lumpy.
‐ I rather like him.
Ha ha ha.
Give it time.
He eats med students for
breakfast, residents for lunch
and the attendings are who
he chews up for dinner.
There was this guy
Michaelson.
He was a new ER attending
when I was there.
Anspaugh vetoed every research
topic he submitted.
What for?
He just didn't
like him.
Wanted to make sure
he didn't get tenure.
‐ So the meeting's at 5:00?
‐ Yeah.
And I want you two there.
But let's not
mention it to the staff.
They're nervous
enough as it is.
‐ 'Carol?'
‐ Yeah.
Could we be possibly
be out of decadron?
No, it's on one
of the top shelves.
Yeah, oh.
Hey, so they
repoed your car, huh?
You knew that's what they were
doing, didn't you?
I didn't have the
heart to tell you.
You are such a coward.
[laughs]
You have a problem with that?
It happened to me once.
I'm a little strapped right now.
I could help you
out next month.
Oh, thanks, yeah,
but I'm way beyond
a little help
from my friends.
I'm meeting a realtor
this afternoon.
I'm trying to sell my house.
That's news.
Well, it needs
so much work.
I still haven't paid
for the new roof
and I don't even know
if I have a job next week.
But, hey, how's life with you?
How's Gretchen?
Uh...Gretchen..
The one who went to Smith.
Gretchen is fine.
And now, I am armed with
my trusty decadron.
I'm gonna go out
and cure the croup.
[chuckles]
‐ So, what did Morgenstern want?
‐ Uh, I can't tell you.
There's a meeting
today at 5:00
to announce if they're gonna
shut us down or not.
Ah, that's the
bad news, huh?
Don't worry
about it yet.
Well, yeah, if it
affects my vacation..
‐ Your vacation?
‐ Oh, yeah.
I'm going to Hawaii.
I decided.
‐ What?
‐ Nothing.
Just for a moment there,
I thought maybe you might be
worried about your residency.
Any news yet, Jerry?
Are we jobless?
No news, but you
can have your share
of rumors if you'd
like to hear them.
No, thanks.
This day's been bad enough.
Hey, Carter, call me crazy
but I think that woman's
trying to get
your attention.
What is she doing here?
‐ Ugh!
‐ Ugh!
Manny, Manny,
what happened?
I think I ate
something.
Yeah, uh, are you okay?
Yeah, it's just this
day's getting worse.
Great.
[retching]
Ugh!
Um..
...anybody seen E‐Ray?
‐ Mrs. Bradley? Alex?
‐ Yes. Hi.
‐ Hi.
‐ Hi.
Sorry to have
kept you waiting.
‐ That's okay.
‐ Okay, Alex, let's take a look.
‐ Well, it's not too bad.
‐ Didn't even hurt.
No, I wouldn't think so.
How did you cut that?
I was pulling the top off
a can of tennis balls.
‐ He's taking lessons.
‐ I hate them.
‐ Oh, yeah? How much?
‐ What do you mean how much?
As much as doing
your homework?
As much as going
to the dentist?
Well, definitely as much
as both of them.
I hate it as much
as taking the trash out
cleaning up
after the dog.
[chuckles]
You wanted a dog.
Yeah, well, I didn't
want Robert.
(Mrs. Bradley)
'Now, you don't talk like that
about your brother.'
'You know better than that,
Alex. He loves you.'
‐ 'I know.'
‐ 'And who feeds the dog? Me.'
No, you don't. I always‐‐
So, those shots you get
at the dentist, novocain
you're not allergic
to those, are you?
‐ Mom?
‐ No.
No.
They stuck these things
in my nose
and gave me this oxygen tank
to take home with me.
Mm‐hmm.
That inhaler thing,
it didn't work at all.
Now, Betty, you
can't smoke in here.
You can't smoke around
this oxygen tank either, okay?
Even at home.
It'll blow up.
I want you to know..
...that I asked
for you specially.
Thank you.
Very flattered.
Carter, Malik needs you
in three.
It's something about an old guy,
uh, Mr. Heath.
I'll be right back.
Call Carol and page
Dr. Lewis or Greene.
[dramatic music]
‐ Oh, God.
‐ He's bradying down.
Alright, get a mask on him.
‐ What happened?
‐ He arrested.
Monitor's flatline.
Where's Dr. Lewis and Greene?
Up in MRI.
I paged them.
You want me to call
that private duty nurse?
Mr. Travels has
gone traveling.
(Carter)
'Let's give him, uh..
Let's give him, uh‐‐'
Carter,
you're pumping too hard.
‐ Thank you.
‐ How about an amp of a..
Epi! Epi and a mig
of atropine.
[bone cracks]
I think I just
broke his rib.
Hey, I'm getting
a faint pulse.
[ECG machine beeps]
Whew!
Okay, ten mics per kig,
that's about...500 mics.
Give him 500 mics
of dopamine.
Pretty damn good job, Carter.
‐ Yes.
‐ I'll call for transfer.
Man, I can't believe..
I can't believe I broke his rib.
Man, I knew he
was frail, but‐‐
Well, that's better
than lettin' him die.
‐ Yeah, huh?
‐ 'Carter.'
Didn't I tell you to transfer
this guy to medicine?
(Benton)
'Come on, I've got a hernia that
needs an H and P upstairs.'
Now, move. Let's go.
♪ Born to be wild ♪
♪ Born to be wild ♪
[rock music]
Come on.
Ugh.
Hello?
Hello?
Hello?
Mrs. Puro?
Oh, Carol. Hi there.
Oh, I‐I'm sorry I'm late.
H‐how did you get in?
Oh, your mother. She makes
a killer cup of coffee.
There you are, sweetheart.
I was just going to
call the hospital.
Mom, what are you doing here?
The material I told you about
for the kitchen curtains.
I thought I would
drop it off.
Oh, and frankly I am just as
glad to hear
you changed your mind.
‐ About what?
‐ About selling.
‐ I told Elizabeth.
‐ Elizabeth?
First names only
in my business.
I told her you must
have changed your mind.
Why else would we
put up curtains?
‐ Not to sell it.
‐ No, it wouldn't help.
Mom, why don't you go
and see how those curtains
would look in the bedroom.
You want the same
in the bedroom as the kitchen?
Mom, we'll talk
about it later.
Elizabeth,
I haven't changed my mind.
I really want to
sell this place.
You're kidding.
No.
Is there a problem?
How can I put this delicately?
[clears throat]
I couldn't sell this house
if the rest of Chicago
burned down around it.
Well, I know it needs work.
‐ 'The roof is‐‐'
‐ The roof is new.
I was going to say,
the roof is fine.
'But I checked
the basement.'
'The furnace
doesn't even turn on'
'not to mention
the asbestos.'
There's no central air.
There isn't even a window unit.
Exposed two‐by‐fours,
dry wall.
'The rug is lovely
but there are holes'
in the carpet underneath it
which unfortunately revealed
the subterranean termites.
The plumbing is not copper.
'The electrical
is a fire waiting to happen'
and as much as I hate
to mention it
you do live next
to the El tracks.
Frankly, I'm impressed someone
managed to sell it to you.
Then a month after the abscess
was drained
she had to
have a hysterectomy.
'My God, was she
in pain then.'
For weeks. Weeks. Weeks.
And what's so unfair is
that with all four of our kids
caesareans, which is a lot of
slicing right in the middle.
Couldn't stand up
straight until 1987.
[chuckles]
So you can see why,
with this hernia thing..
Ow!
Which is also, uh, somewhat
in the middle
if you know what I mean.
I'm‐I'm obviously
a little nervous.
Although being able to talk
to you is helping a lot.
I'm very grateful.
Of course I'm not gonna
be able to do this
while I'm out cold
and doctor..
Uh, what's‐what's
his name again?
‐ Benton.
‐ Yeah, that's it. Benton.
When I'm under the knife
and he starts cutting.
'Oh, my God. My God.'
What‐what if
I don't come out of this?
‐ Mr. Hartley‐‐
‐ I mean..
I mean I won't
even know what happened.
Have you considered
having a local anesthetic
instead of a general?
I‐I didn't know
I had a choice.
Oh, yeah, and the advantage
to a local is that
while you feel no pain
whatsoever
you're still
completely awake
and you can talk
to the surgeon all you want.
‐ Can I ask questions?
‐ Dr. Benton encourages it.
Right in
the middle of surgery?
All the way through.
In fact, you can‐you can
read up on hernias in this book.
And anything that
you don't understand..
...you can ask
Dr. Benton.
‐ That's great.
‐ Yeah.
Jeanie! Ross was
looking for you.
‐ Some kid needs suturing.
‐ Gonna be a while.
I have to go to Radiology
and the Cath Lab.
‐ Randi.
‐ Yeah.
‐ Have you seen Mark?
‐ I believe he's lounging.
Come on.
‐ Alright, alright, alright.
‐ Wait, wait, wait.
My turn, my turn, my turn.
Time's up.
This is a..
‐ Hey, there you are.
‐ I'm not talking to you.
You know, you made
poor Tad very sad.
What'd he say?
You don't
even know him.
‐ Got you.
‐ That's low one, Doug.
[bottle cap clattering]
So I take it you don't
want me to tell anybody
about your date tonight.
You have another
date tonight?
I hate this place.
That's right there.
That's what she did.
She hit it with her..
Carol, it really would be better
if we sewed them.
Everything in this
entire house could be better.
Fine.
Fine. But why are you mad at me?
I didn't put holes in the floor.
Break your furnace.
[sighs]
You're right. You're right.
I'm sorry.
I just..
I really want
to sell this place.
I need to sell this place.
Is it because of Shep?
I mean, does‐does it
make you think of him?
God, mom, I never
even thought of that.
No.
No, I‐I feel good
being on my own.
I'm enjoying myself.
I just can't afford it.
The house, the car.
Somehow, I've accumulated
the debt of a 50 year old.
We should call
your Uncle Mykola.
Uncle Myko? Why?
Well, he made all that money
in real estate.
'He could advise you.'
Ma, it's not advice
that I need.
Maybe not.
But spend some time there.
'Keep him company.'
You know,
he has so much money.
And he has no children
of his own.
And, sadly, he has not
been feeling well lately.
Are you suggesting
that I ingratiate myself
to Uncle Myko, so that he'll
leave me his money?
Well, he's going to die.
I can't help that.
I mean, he has no children.
What's the
poor man going to do?
[chuckles]
God.
(Mr. Hartley)
'This feels like surgery.
It really does.'
And I am floating,
floating, floating.
Except I always thought
you guys played music
although I don't
really miss it.
Is this gonna hurt,
Dr. Benton?
I've already made
the incision, Mr. Hartley
and you didn't feel a thing.
No, no, I mean in
a couple of days.
Yeah, it's gonna be tender.
No, I mean like
when I go back to work.
Look, go back to work
when you feel comfortable, okay?
Well, that's what I'm asking.
When will that be?
Are we talking Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday?
‐ Uh, another week?
‐ What do you do, Mr. Hartley?
You know the drawbridge
on Michigan?
'I send it up.'
Send it down.
Send it up.
Send it down.
Up, down, up, down.
Rain, shine,
sleet, snow.
'Some days, I count the boats.
Some days, I don't.'
By the way, what are the borders
of Hesselbach's triangle?
You might want to shift
a little to the left.
Manny threw up
right around there.
Manny from the Roach Coach?
Food poisoning?
‐ I told you.
‐ It wasn't the coffee, was it?
Are you ever getting
off that thing?
I'm on hold
with the airlines.
At least, that's what
their reservations department
has told me 97 times.
Mark, you ready?
Or not,
as the case may be.
We'll be waiting.
Alright.
I told Susan Lewis
about the staff meeting.
I told Jeanie Boulet,
Malik and Carter.
Well, I figure if you
don't tell Doug Ross
then you're okay.
Huh.
Thomas. Thomas.
How you doing there,
Mr. Heath?
Thomas, where are you?
Your dinner's ready.
I bet these ribs hurt.
I'm sorry about that.
You hear me?
Get inside now.
We'll get you something
for the pain.
Thomas, listen to me.
Listen to me!
I'm listening to you,
Mr. Heath. I'm listening to you.
[whispers]
[chuckles]
There he is.
This is impossible.
Maybe you should
yell fire.
So crowded.
Every buzzard in the County
showed up for this one.
Present company
excepted.
[chuckles]
(Morgenstern)
'Alice Wakely. She's from
the County health services'
since the paleolithic.
‐ You know her?
‐ We went to school together.
She was ahead of me,
of course.
(Wakely)
'Okay! Okay, everybody!'
I'll spare you and
make this quick.
While we obviously
regret the need
to close any County
medical facility.
She's lying already,
this isn't quick.
..strapped budget
has made it unavoidable.
As of two weeks from today,
Southside will close its doors.
[applause]
Okay, there's
the good news for you.
Obviously, we're concerned
about the loss of jobs
so we're going
to consolidate
as much of the staff
as possible.
'There's some people here
I want to introduce'
'for those of you
who might not know them.'
Harrison Holman is coming over
as new chief of obstetrics.
'Harrison!'
Bonnie Brown will be sharing
the CFO office
with James Malkovitch.
I've heard she's excellent.
Did a‐a great job
at deaconess.
And with Mike Babcock
taking early retirement
Donald Anspaugh will become
County's new chief of staff.
'Donald.'
♪ Duke Duke Duke of Earl ♪
♪ Duke Duke Duke of Earl ♪
♪ Duke Duke Duke of Earl ♪
♪ As I walk through this world ♪
♪ Nothing can stop
the Duke of Earl ♪
♪ And you you are my girl ♪
♪ And no one can
hurt you oh no ♪
I was just thinking
how unusual it is
to see our whole ensemble,
you know, this happy.
Especially about keeping a job
where people puke on you.
[chuckles]
Oh, is that the guy?
(Mark)
'That's the guy.'
(Boulet)
'Which guy?'
(Lewis)
'He looks fairly normal.'
So did Morgenstern.
So they finally
came down for Heath.
‐ Took him to the CCU.
‐ Oh, poor old guy.
Who do you think Thomas was?
His son maybe?
I know this sounds crazy
but I think Thomas was his dog.
‐ His dog?
‐ Yeah.
At one point, he seemed to think
that I was Thomas.
And he pulled me
in really close
ear to his mouth
and he whispers
"Kibble, kibble,
kibble, kibble."
It was oddly touching.
It was, Carol.
‐ How are you? Don Anspaugh.
‐ Oh. Randi.
‐ How are you?
‐ Lydia Wright.
‐ Pleased to meet you.
‐ E‐Ray. Please join us.
[telephone ringing]
Excuse me. I got it. I got it.
Sorry, Lydia.
ER.
Yes.
Uh, okay.
I'll let everybody know.
That was, uh, Dr. Weaver
calling from the lounge.
Dr. Morgenstern will be unable
to attend the party.
David, I'm sure it's not gonna
be as bad as you think.
I mean, look how bad everybody
thought it was gonna be
when I came aboard.
True.
Funny how life
is so like surgery.
Sometimes you can make
that Rocky‐Davis
in the right lower quadrant.
And then,
there are those days
when your bowel ruptures
and spills into your peritoneum
and all you're left with
is intense pain and sepsis.
Oh, brother.
My kingdom for a ten blade
when that happens.
[chuckles]
Look, so today's
not a total loss.
You want to grab some dinner,
maybe catch a movie?
Music box has some really
fine independents.
Sure.
Maybe a midnight show
at the village.
Have you seen "Caligula?"
[instrumental music]
‐ Uh‐oh.
‐ No, no, don't do this to me.
Some of us have to date.
See ya.
Hi there.
‐ Don Anspaugh.
‐ Mark Greene.
So, uh...what do
you like, Mark?
Uh, "Stars and Stripes Forever"
or "Dauntless Battalions?"
Actually, I got
to get going.
[indistinct chatter]
[jazz music]
Just kidding.
This is‐this is torture.
I was off five minutes ago.
My plan was to be
in bed by 8:30.
No, no, no, I was saving this
guy for the two of you.
Oh, vomiting, abdominal pain,
nausea. Thanks a lot, Malik.
Yeah, what have you been doing?
Training with Dr. Benton?
Trust me. You'll thank me.
[Travels retching]
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Thank you, Malik.
‐ Mr. Travels, right?
‐ 'Yes.'
Mr. Heath's nurse?
I'm Dr. Carter.
This is Nurse Hathaway.
So, you're feeling bloated,
nauseous, and flatulent.
Must have been something I ate,
don't you think?
It could be just
so many things.
‐ Toxic megacolon.
‐ Intestinal parasitosis.
‐ Scleroderma.
‐ Ulcerative colitis.
Pyloric stenosis.
[whispers]
Oh, yeah.
Crohn's disease.
Where would you like
to start, doctor?
I don't want
to waste any time.
Barium enema.
Oh..
Hi.
‐ I hate it when you do that.
‐ Come on, it's fun.
No, it's not fun.
It scared the living daylights..
Alright, I'm sorry.
It'll never happen again.
Hey, Heather, let's go
get a drink, you and I.
You couldn't get anything
going for tonight, huh?
‐ Oh, now, come on. I'm here.
‐ Thanks a lot.
‐ Come on, let's get a drink.
‐ It's never just a drink, Doug.
Well, you know, is that all that
you want it to be?
Just once, it would be nice if
you could call the day before.
Heather, you know my schedule.
It's hard enough for me
to plan two hours ahead of time
much less a day.
Some‐some really sick little
kid would come in.
And then I would be canceling
on you all the time
and then you'd be mad
at me for doing that.
I am not mad at you.
Heather.
Hey.
Heather..
...you look as though you've had
a very long and very hard day.
And I would like
to take you out
and see you relax
just a little bit.
[sighs]
I'll throw in
a lottery ticket.
I've got to drop these off
at neurology first.
[chuckles]
So, did you actually
give him an enema?
No. Compazine.
Carter went home to bed.
Benton's been beating up on him
pretty badly these days.
I'm shocked and horrified
to hear that, Carol.
‐ Oh, ding dong. Avon calling.
‐ Oh, please, allow me.
This is county general
on one alpha.
(male #2)
'Unit 85. We're en‐route
with a 32‐year‐old male'
'jumped or pushed in front
of an El Train'
'at Garfield station.'
'Massive head, face, chest
and extremity trauma.'
Uh, Garfield's closer
to Southside.
'They're closed to trauma.'
I came out
of the ambulance entrance
and my motorcycle had a flat.
I'd given
myself plenty of time
to go home to the apartment
and change but‐‐
I don't care.
Really.
So, you live up
on the Gold Coast.
‐ I'm renovating a three‐flat.
‐ Oh.
It must be a lot easier
when you're an architect.
Yes, it probably is.
You know,
you know the pitfalls
how long things kind of take,
that sort of thing.
Uh‐huh.
Oh...I see some friends.
Well, actually, a friend. Susan!
Mark.
You didn't tell me
you were coming here.
Susan and I work
at County together.
‐ Oh, Brent Smythe.
‐ How do you do?
‐ Hi.
‐ Hi.
This is Julie, um..
‐ Mathers.
‐ Mathers.
‐ 'Hi.'
‐ Hi.
‐ How you doing?
‐ Julie's an architect.
‐ Oh, really? Where?
‐ Uh, Higgin, Bloom.
You're kidding.
I represent them.
You're with Jackson, Gearson,
and Robe?
'Going on 12 years.'
They recruited me
right out of Stanford.
I don't believe this.
My brother went to Stanford law.
‐ He graduated in '85.
‐ Jack Mathers.
Of course, he went to, uh,
don't tell me.
Dudzik, Hiltzik, and Strauss
in New York.
[chuckles]
You have a good
memory, don't you?
Multiple lacerations
including a chunk
of his left rib cage missing.
BP, 60 palp.
One and a half liters
of saline in the field.
He's got obvious
open fractures
to the right femur
and left humerus.
Okay..
...one, two, three.
Hey, congratulations
on staying open.
Thanks.
I'll intubate. 8.0.
Good radial pulse.
Poor cap refil.
Jeanie,
give in‐line traction.
‐ Alright. BP's down, 40 palp.
‐ Pulse ox, 80.
Have respiratory
set up a vent.
No response to pain.
(Connie)
'Call radiology.
Get a cross table C‐spine.'
Okay...I'm in.
Hang the O‐neg.
Oh, man.
Sucking chest wound.
How many units?
Type specific four,
type and cross ten.
Alright, what do we got?
Open chest wound with severe
respiratory compromise.
He's intubated but
still not saturated.
(Weaver)
'Four units
of O‐neg are in.'
‐ BP's still 40.
‐ Whoa! We got a pumper.
‐ 'Elevate that flail segment.'
‐ I've got it.
Okay, I've got it.
Power clamp, Kelly.
Okay, Jeanie,
you can go now.
‐ Grab me some kerlix.
‐ I've asked her to leave.
Jeanie, could you check
with the blood bank.
'Find out what's keeping
that type specific?'
(Lewis)
'How long do you think it take
to get a couple of drinks?'
Hopefully, all night.
Hmm. I guess this is how
perfect couples meet.
Yeah.
Somebody else's blind date.
Great story
for the grandchildren.
You know, you should call Tad
and give him the tip.
[chuckles]
Did you really think you were
going to impress her in scrubs?
You don't think
she went for 'em?
I mean, I find it a turn‐on,
but some women..
What, are they coming?
Follow me.
Oh, I, now..
I've got some quarters.
I don't remember
these things being so small.
Well, you probably haven't been
in one since you were 12.
[chuckles]
Okay?
‐ Alright.
‐ Okay.
‐ What do we do?
‐ Look into the camera.
Hey, no fair.
You're hogging the frame.
All we're going
to see is my neck.
‐ Oh, good one.
‐ That was a great one.
‐ Just sit there and look.
‐ Here's a good one. Okay.
They don't give you
any warning at all.
‐ Okay, it's coming up.
‐ Alright..
‐ No, come on.
‐ Okay, okay.
Alright. One good one.
‐ 'There. See, that wasn't bad.'
‐ 'Nice.'
Don't you ever treat me
like that again.
What the hell were
you trying to do?
Trying to save
that man's life.
‐ By giving him AIDS?
‐ I was careful, Peter.
I used universal
precautions.
You were working
on a chest wound.
What if you made a mistake,
cut yourself and bled into it?
‐ I didn't.
‐ Okay.
What if I made a mistake
and cut you?
No person has ever got it
from a contact in an ER.
So, does that mean
no one can?
You pile up all the
data you want to
but you better damn well
remember what really happens
in this room, okay?
So, if you'd tested positive,
you would have quit?
‐ In a minute.
‐ Yes.
But you didn't
test positive, did you?
[instrumental music]
[theme music]
(male narrator)
Previously on "ER.."
Carter, your first day?
Somebody called
for a surgeon.
Don't you wanna talk
to someone before sex?
Not really.
I, uh..
I tested positive.
What was in the "Trib?"
They've gotta squeeze a couple
of hundred million
out of the budget,
so they're shutting us down.
That's just a rumor.
Benton dumped me
back in the ER.
Don't tell anyone
you're HIV‐positive.
‐ Did you get your test back?
‐ It was negative.
No! I don't know.
Somebody call a doctor.
You are the doctor.
(man on radio)
'Traffic and
weather on the ones.'
'It's another steamer today.
Hot, muggy weather.'
'High in the 90s
with high humidity.'
'They say never trust air
you can't see'
'and you will see it today'
'with no end in sight
to the hot, humid weather.'
'WAQ traffic. Maybe the only
thing hotter than the weather'
'are the tempers of folks
stuck in rush‐hour traffic.'
'It's wall‐to‐wall,
you all out there.'
'Double the travel times
on the Eden's, Kennedy'
'Eisenhower, Stevenson
Ryan, Borman expressways.'
'And the tollways, they're not
much better, maybe worse.'
'The tri‐state and 355..'
Jeanie, hey, sorry.
I'm running over this morning.
I hope I'm not making you
late for work.
No. I'm not on
until this afternoon.
I did my Residency at County.
Three years
of too many patients.
Too little time
and no resources.
‐ Sounds about right.
‐ Yeah.
Hard to believe we had no CTs,
no MRIs and glass IV bottles.
‐ Glass?
‐ Yeah.
Well, your lab work's back
and the results show a viral
load of 15,000, which is good.
‐ Coffee?
‐ No. I've already had too much.
Yeah, so have I.
Listen, there's
a fairly new HIV cocktail
that I recommend
you start on now.
‐ The three drugs?
‐ Yeah.
AZT, 3TC
and a protease inhibitor.
You know, there is no
long term research
but the preliminary findings
are positive.
‐ Not quite a cure.
‐ No.
But more hope
than we've had in a decade.
There may be some
side effects.
‐ 'Nausea, vomiting, rash.'
‐ How much does it cost?
'Oh, your insurance
will cover it.'
Actually, I'm gonna
stick with cash.
Well, that could cost up
to $16,000 a year.
I'm sure I can
work that out.
Afraid of letting
the hospital know?
Well, I've heard of health care
workers getting fired
or reassigned
for being HIV‐positive.
Yeah, yeah.
Me too.
I've got a couple
of them as patients.
But not from County, though.
So I don't know
what their policy is.
It's hard to ask
without someone
wanting to know
why you're asking.
Listen, I'm gonna write
the prescription
but these will get you
started, okay?
You're to take two
of the 3TC
and six each of the AZT
and the protease inhibitor.
‐ Fourteen pills a day?
‐ Yeah.
The 3TC, twice a day
with plenty of water
'the protease inhibitor
before meals'
'always on an empty stomach'
'and two each of the AZT,
three times a day.'
Jeanie.
Just follow these
written instructions, okay?
Does your watch
have an alarm?
‐ Yeah.
‐ Good. Get used to hearing it.
Miss a couple of doses and this
virus could develop resistance.
How much do
I need to worry
about transmitting
this to a patient?
If you use
universal precautions
and are careful
when disposing of sharps.
‐ There shouldn't be a problem.
‐ Shouldn't.
Now with the exception
of one dentist
there has been
no case documentation
of‐of any health care worker
transmitting HIV to a patient.
None.
I'll see you
in three weeks?
Three weeks.
Jeanie.
There are a lot of diseases
that can take your life.
But this one can take over
your life.
'Don't let it.'
[theme music]
[pounding on door]
[pounding continues]
Oh, are you the doctor?
I‐I saw the name
on the‐on the mailbox.
John Truman Carter, MD.
Well, I am
Betty from 318.
Are you a doctor doctor?
Because...I'm feeling
a little short of breath and‐‐
You might want to lose
the cigarettes for starters.
You really think that might make
a difference at my age?
I don't know, Betty.
Just a wild guess.
Well, I tried one
of those humidifiers.
I stuck my whole head
right in the darn thing.
Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
What time is it?
Well, uh, I just turned off
"Regis And Kathie Lee."
Oh! Oh, God!
Oh, God!
Benton's gonna kill me.
'Betty, I can't help you now.
I'm sorry.'
I'm late, and I am
going to die soon.
I'm sorry
you're not feeling well.
Maybe you should try
an albuterol inhaler
maybe an atrovent inhaler.
You know, that kind of thing.
(female#1)
'Don't touch me.
You can't keep me here.'
‐ 'Settle down now.'
‐ I said...get off of me!
‐ I wanna get out of here.
‐ What happened?
Can't take these
fat people on PCP.
Broke out
of her restraints.
Where's security?
‐ Where are the men?
‐ Get off of me, you bitches!
I want to get out of here!
[screaming]
‐ Sorry, sir.
‐ Oh, geez.
[screaming continues]
‐ Geez, Louise.
‐ God! We got to get her down.
You can't!
Get off of me!
Keep her down.
Sit on her.
[all panting]
‐ You okay?
‐ 'What is this? Psycho day?'
Some lunatic in four
kept tryin' to lick me.
‐ Maybe it's the heat.
‐ Oh, God, full moon?
I think the patients know
that County's gonna close.
Getting their last digs in
while they can.
In here, right?
What the hell kept you?
Got the call five minutes ago.
We ran all the way.
Oh, man.
Hey, you don't think County's
really gonna close, do you?
I mean, it can't, can it?
Have you been reading
the papers?
Hundred and fifty
million dollar shortfall
in the Cook County budget.
Be real tough giving this
all up, won't it?
‐ Where's Carter?
‐ Do I look like his mother?
(female #1)
'You can't do this
to me! Let me go!'
Hey, Randi, you seen Carter?
He's‐he's a
surgical intern now.
We don't really keep
track of him anymore.
Peter, sorry you were late.
We already saved him.
What are you talking about?
I was..
‐ I'm not late.
‐ You know Wayne Lentloff.
‐ Don't you?
‐ Good to see you, Peter.
Hey, you missed
a good one.
‐ Nobody called me.
‐ Thanks, Wayne.
It was fun, Kerry.
We'll do it again.
Uh, listen, I wanted
to talk to you
about a fellowship
in Cardiothoracic.
Uh, yeah, look, um, I haven't
made up my mind, but, uh‐‐
Oh, I know.
I hear Vascular wants you,
Trauma, Critical Care.
Yeah, I talked
to them, but‐‐
I know, I know, but
you need to talk to us.
Cardiothoracic is
a great specialty.
Good man like you.
You could finish up
a fellowship
in three years, huh.
Listen, are you
free Sunday?
I would like you
to come out for brunch.
Lake Forest,
and you are gonna love it.
‐ Hey.
‐ Hey, you want a ride?
Oh, thanks. I think
I can make it from here.
So how'd it go
last night?
‐ How'd what go?
‐ Your blind date.
Oh, God.
You know better
than to tell anything to Doug.
I only told him
after he told me
about your blind date last week,
the girl with the retainer.
I don't believe him.
Don't worry.
Mine was worse.
Oh, nothing could be worse.
This girl had an entire
vegetable garden
stuck in her teeth.
That's the baby pool
compared to Tad.
Tad?
Hey, Manny,
can I get a cup of coffee?
‐ Black?
‐ You got it.
I can't believe you'd go out
with a guy named Tad.
‐ I did.
‐ Here you go.
I made it fresh
just for you.
Hey, Joey!
Yeah, fresh
from yesterday's grounds.
[laughs]
First of all, I order
a Manhattan straight up,
two cherries.
He orders a fruity, yet
selfless glass of Cabernet.
‐ What does that even mean?
‐ I have no idea.
Then he talks for 45 minutes
about his ex‐girlfriend
whose name also happens
to be Susan.
How much he loved her,
how much he wanted to marry her
how he wanted to father
her five or six children.
And by the way,
do I want children?
Do I want five
or six children?
‐ Okay, Tad could be worse.
‐ I'm not even there yet, Mark.
I look over and he has
this drop of red wine
hanging from his nose.
‐ What?
‐ You heard me.
This puny, little blob
just hanging there.
So, of course, I cannot
take my eyes off of it.
Is it going to fall?
Is it going to hang
there all night?
Is his skin going
to absorb it?
‐ How did it get there?
‐ Mark!
No, really.
How do you get your nose
that far down
into a wine glass?
What, was he
smelling it or..
[laughs]
Mark, please.
Okay, what happened?
I went to the bathroom
and snuck out the window.
You're kidding?
Nope.
Wow.
[train horn blaring]
[watch alarm beeps]
(Morgenstern)
Did he ask you to
the house for brunch?
How did you know?
Wayne Lentloff is nothing
if not predictable.
'That's why I
like him, actually.'
'He gets the residents out
to Lake Forest every year.'
Show 'em
the seven‐bedroom colonial
the tiered garden,
the olympic lap pool.
Very impressive.
All the benefits
of cardiothoracic surgery.
Of course, we're only in it
for the satisfaction
of helping our fellow man
aren't we, uh..
‐ What's your name?
‐ Gant. Dennis Gant.
Step in, Mr. Gant.
Take a look‐see while I divide
this anterior rectus fascia.
(Benton)
'Tonsil clamp.'
(Morgenstern)
A little‐a little bovie,
please.
Ah‐ah‐ah‐ah‐ah,
not you, Gant.
(Morgenstern)
'Boys and girls in Vascular
pull you aside?'
(Benton)
'Yeah. That's mostly diabetics
and smokers though.'
'Not for me.'
(Morgenstern)
'What about a pediatric
fellowship?'
Surgery above and below the
diaphragm, very high‐tech.
Actually, no one's asked me.
[Morgenstern chuckles]
Hard as it is
to believe, Peter.
'There are some
elite fellowships'
'you might have
to go after yourself.'
Hmm.
Carter...your colleague,
Dr. Gant here
was kind enough
to cover the ER.
Seeing as you were
nowhere to be found.
(Benton)
'Perhaps you should do
the same for him.'
(Morgenstern)
'Okay, let's yank
this little hyperemic sucker.'
(Benton)
'Pean clamp.'
‐ 'You got it?'
‐ 'Mm‐hmm.'
The key to landing a good job
is presentation.
Well, I'm not gonna dress
like you, E‐Ray
if that's what
you're talking about.
"Two summers, assistant
night manager, McDonald's."
Uh, actually, that's a
bit of a lie.
I just manned
the drive‐through window.
Well, no, that's better.
That's managing
the communication
and distribution system
of an international
fortune 500 company.
Okay, okay.
I like that.
What you're saying
is make it a big lie.
Semantics can be
your friend, Jerry.
Ah, man, some guy's
puking over at chairs.
I'll get it.
Jerry, did you get the liquor
out of four yet. Jerry?
You can't bother him now.
He's rephrasing his, uh, resume.
Going for the presidency
of Chrysler.
You know, it's not necessarily
County that's gonna close.
There are three
other hospitals.
Yeah, but what if it does?
I don't know about you
but I've only got
eight hours' worth of savings.
You know what?
You guys ought to get E‐Ray
to help you
revise your resumes.
I'm a nurse, Jerry.
How many ways you gonna
rephrase that?
Mark said something about, uh,
a couple of teenagers.
Does anyone
have a chart on them?
Oh, I haven't
made one up yet.
Two 15 year olds.
They won't call their parents.
‐ Mark said he'd see 'em.
‐ Who am I seeing?
The 15 year olds
over at chairs.
‐ Right.
‐ Eighty one year old, a LOC.
With abdominal pain
coming in by private.
‐ Anything surgical?
‐ Nope. Nada. Nothing.
Carter, abdominal pain
at the back door.
‐ Susan?
‐ Yeah.
Can you help me
with a chest tube?
Yes, I'm gonna
see those kids.
Mark, did you get a chance
to read that synopsis
of Donald Anspaugh's speech
at Northwestern?
Modern Architecture for
Emergency Medicine Management?
Anspaugh?
Isn't he the chief at Southside?
Yeah. Doug did
his rotation there.
He said the guy's a bit
of a crackpot.
Well, you might want
to consider the source
in that evaluation.
I found his ideas
intriguing.
Kerry, rearranging
the physical layout here
is not one of my priorities.
Well, could we at least
rearrange where security sits?
Three of our nurses
had to restrain
a PCP patient this morning
because it took the guys
more than four minutes
to get there.
‐ Was anybody hurt?
‐ Fortunately, no.
You know, Mark, just because
it's my suggestion
doesn't, by definition,
make it a bad idea.
She just has a way of making you
feel really small, doesn't she?
Sorry, I had no idea
they'd send the bill to you.
Your insurance company
doesn't pay.
Your insurance company
doesn't pay.
What, you think the hospital's
just going to eat it?
I don't know. I mean,
what do they do, you know
with‐with immigrants
and poor people?
They go after anyone
who's legally responsible.
That's me, Al.
We're still married,
remember?
I screwed up
when I changed jobs.
I mean, this guy I'm working
for, he's independent
doesn't give benefits.
CTA said I could stay
on their plan
but there was this
COBRA payment and..
I had no idea I missed it.
It was..
It was real confusing.
They're going to let me
know if..
If I can get reinstated.
Can it maybe
go on your insurance?
You're not on
my insurance, Al.
I joined my plan
after we separated.
Thirty two hundred dollars' what
I'm supposed to pay for you?
And then in about a week,
I get another bill for me?
[watch alarm beeps]
Thomas, time to come in.
Where are you?
Franklin Heath, 81,
sweet old guy
looking for someone
named Thomas.
His private duty nurse,
Mr. Vincent Travels
is over there
bulking up.
‐ Oh, he looks dedicated.
‐ He's dumping him, right?
It's not for me to say,
of course.
Although I guess
I can mention he's done this
a number of times,
always on a Friday.
Thomas, it's getting dark.
Carol, what happened
to your car?
‐ What do you mean?
‐ Tow truck hauled it off.
What are you
talking about?
Go. go, go.
I'll take care of this.
Thomas, is that you?
‐ Strong old guy, isn't he?
‐ Thomas. Where are you, Thomas?
Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!
Wait, God, please!
Hey, no!
Um, that's my car.
Hey, yourself. Stop
beating on my truck.
Well, stop stealing my car.
You Carol Hathaway?
‐ Yeah.
‐ Repossessed.
Wha..
N‐n‐no‐no, that can't be right.
You missed
three payments.
Oh, God,
so I'm a little late.
I made the other
seven on time.
[laughs]
No.
Come on! Wait!
Oh, man!
I know that you did, which
is why that I thought tonight
we could..
No, I understand your parents
don't come into town that often.
Yes. Yes,
I would love to meet them
but I'm
working tonight, so..
What time do they go to bed?
[chuckles]
I'm kidding.
Okay, yeah.
Uh...okay, I‐I'll
talk to you soon.
Okay, bye.
That's, uh, uh, old
friend from college.
Radiology called.
The films on that
Berman kid are back.
Mm‐hmm.
You want to
rephrase your resume
you should talk
to him, not E‐Ray.
Hey, I heard
your car got towed.
It's definitely
a mistake.
I know a couple of guys
who can track
a repo man down like that.
If you want.
Um, Carter said I should tell
you he's in curtain three.
‐ 'Nurse Hathaway?'
‐ You're still here?
We've been sitting in those
chairs like you told us to.
(male #1)
'That doctor
never showed.'
Well, if you tell me
what the problem is
I probably could help you.
We need
to see a doctor.
Jerry, where's Ross?
‐ Radiology.
‐ Greene?
‐ 'Trauma two.'
‐ Follow me.
BP's a 100 over 50,
pulse 120.
(Greene)
'Good bilateral breath sound.'
‐ Toes upgoing.
‐ Trachea's midline.
ET tube, seven and a half.
Mark, you said, you'd see these
kids an hour ago.
Carol, we were diverted.
Well, they need to see a doctor,
and as much as
I'd like to do
your entire job for you‐‐
Thank you, Carol.
Perhaps they could wait
'just a little bit longer?'
(Lewis)
'Let's get
a noncontrast head CT.'
You know where you
were waiting before?
Go back there
and wait again.
Thomas.
‐ Thomas.
‐ BP's 90 over 60, pulse 104.
He's been agitated,
complaining of abdominal pain.
That is when he's not
looking for Thomas.
‐ Thomas!
‐ Who's Thomas?
Who knows?
Malik, let's order a CBC,
CHEM‐7, UA
abdominal series
and let's get an EKG.
So, if you don't
need me anymore‐‐
Have a nice weekend,
Mr. Travels.
Thomas, come on in.
Dinner's ready.
Carter...what are you doing?
Eighty one‐year‐old, a LOC.
Complaining of abdominal pain.
No vomiting or diarrhea,
and yesterday
he had
a normal bowel movement.
Mild tenderness,
no rebound or guarding.
I'd say you have
nothing here, Carter.
‐ Did someone dump him?
‐ I think that's a possibility.
Mm‐hmm. Well, I suggest
you do the same.
You're in surgery,
not geriatrics, okay?
I'm really sorry
about my little blowup before.
It was completely out of line.
No excuses whatsoever.
‐ Don't worry about it.
‐ Thanks.
‐ Can I borrow your motorcycle?
‐ What?
Uh, well, see, I have to be
at my house at 3 o'clock.
My car got towed and I won't
have time to catch the El.
Mark, we're gonna
grab a drink.
‐ Walk with us.
‐ Talk to you later.
Okay, Mark, I'll
check on those kids.
Do you know how to
ride a motorcycle?
Well, it's just like
a big moped, right?
[chuckles]
I guess.
Hi. I'm Dr. Lewis.
What seems to be the problem?
‐ A woman doctor?
‐ Best I could do.
We can call your parents
if you'd prefer.
‐ No.
‐ No.
Uh..
We...lost our condom.
Okay, so you're trying
to tell us the condom is..
Deeply..
...deeply lost.
I thought the decision wasn't
being made for another week.
That's what we all thought
until they called this meeting
for this afternoon.
So they gave
no indication
as to what the outcome
is going to be?
Nada, niente, zip.
Could be us,
could be Southside
could be central,
but someone's closing down.
Here, I got this.
Here you go, Manny.
‐ Three cans of pop.
‐ Thanks.
I didn't think
they'd actually do it.
‐ Neither did I.
‐ Neither did Donald Anspaugh.
He called me
about it.
Sounded like he was having
a psychosensory disturbance.
He's afraid
he's losing his job.
You know him?
Did my last two years of
residency at Hennepin with him.
‐ Guy's completely lumpy.
‐ I rather like him.
Ha ha ha.
Give it time.
He eats med students for
breakfast, residents for lunch
and the attendings are who
he chews up for dinner.
There was this guy
Michaelson.
He was a new ER attending
when I was there.
Anspaugh vetoed every research
topic he submitted.
What for?
He just didn't
like him.
Wanted to make sure
he didn't get tenure.
‐ So the meeting's at 5:00?
‐ Yeah.
And I want you two there.
But let's not
mention it to the staff.
They're nervous
enough as it is.
‐ 'Carol?'
‐ Yeah.
Could we be possibly
be out of decadron?
No, it's on one
of the top shelves.
Yeah, oh.
Hey, so they
repoed your car, huh?
You knew that's what they were
doing, didn't you?
I didn't have the
heart to tell you.
You are such a coward.
[laughs]
You have a problem with that?
It happened to me once.
I'm a little strapped right now.
I could help you
out next month.
Oh, thanks, yeah,
but I'm way beyond
a little help
from my friends.
I'm meeting a realtor
this afternoon.
I'm trying to sell my house.
That's news.
Well, it needs
so much work.
I still haven't paid
for the new roof
and I don't even know
if I have a job next week.
But, hey, how's life with you?
How's Gretchen?
Uh...Gretchen..
The one who went to Smith.
Gretchen is fine.
And now, I am armed with
my trusty decadron.
I'm gonna go out
and cure the croup.
[chuckles]
‐ So, what did Morgenstern want?
‐ Uh, I can't tell you.
There's a meeting
today at 5:00
to announce if they're gonna
shut us down or not.
Ah, that's the
bad news, huh?
Don't worry
about it yet.
Well, yeah, if it
affects my vacation..
‐ Your vacation?
‐ Oh, yeah.
I'm going to Hawaii.
I decided.
‐ What?
‐ Nothing.
Just for a moment there,
I thought maybe you might be
worried about your residency.
Any news yet, Jerry?
Are we jobless?
No news, but you
can have your share
of rumors if you'd
like to hear them.
No, thanks.
This day's been bad enough.
Hey, Carter, call me crazy
but I think that woman's
trying to get
your attention.
What is she doing here?
‐ Ugh!
‐ Ugh!
Manny, Manny,
what happened?
I think I ate
something.
Yeah, uh, are you okay?
Yeah, it's just this
day's getting worse.
Great.
[retching]
Ugh!
Um..
...anybody seen E‐Ray?
‐ Mrs. Bradley? Alex?
‐ Yes. Hi.
‐ Hi.
‐ Hi.
Sorry to have
kept you waiting.
‐ That's okay.
‐ Okay, Alex, let's take a look.
‐ Well, it's not too bad.
‐ Didn't even hurt.
No, I wouldn't think so.
How did you cut that?
I was pulling the top off
a can of tennis balls.
‐ He's taking lessons.
‐ I hate them.
‐ Oh, yeah? How much?
‐ What do you mean how much?
As much as doing
your homework?
As much as going
to the dentist?
Well, definitely as much
as both of them.
I hate it as much
as taking the trash out
cleaning up
after the dog.
[chuckles]
You wanted a dog.
Yeah, well, I didn't
want Robert.
(Mrs. Bradley)
'Now, you don't talk like that
about your brother.'
'You know better than that,
Alex. He loves you.'
‐ 'I know.'
‐ 'And who feeds the dog? Me.'
No, you don't. I always‐‐
So, those shots you get
at the dentist, novocain
you're not allergic
to those, are you?
‐ Mom?
‐ No.
No.
They stuck these things
in my nose
and gave me this oxygen tank
to take home with me.
Mm‐hmm.
That inhaler thing,
it didn't work at all.
Now, Betty, you
can't smoke in here.
You can't smoke around
this oxygen tank either, okay?
Even at home.
It'll blow up.
I want you to know..
...that I asked
for you specially.
Thank you.
Very flattered.
Carter, Malik needs you
in three.
It's something about an old guy,
uh, Mr. Heath.
I'll be right back.
Call Carol and page
Dr. Lewis or Greene.
[dramatic music]
‐ Oh, God.
‐ He's bradying down.
Alright, get a mask on him.
‐ What happened?
‐ He arrested.
Monitor's flatline.
Where's Dr. Lewis and Greene?
Up in MRI.
I paged them.
You want me to call
that private duty nurse?
Mr. Travels has
gone traveling.
(Carter)
'Let's give him, uh..
Let's give him, uh‐‐'
Carter,
you're pumping too hard.
‐ Thank you.
‐ How about an amp of a..
Epi! Epi and a mig
of atropine.
[bone cracks]
I think I just
broke his rib.
Hey, I'm getting
a faint pulse.
[ECG machine beeps]
Whew!
Okay, ten mics per kig,
that's about...500 mics.
Give him 500 mics
of dopamine.
Pretty damn good job, Carter.
‐ Yes.
‐ I'll call for transfer.
Man, I can't believe..
I can't believe I broke his rib.
Man, I knew he
was frail, but‐‐
Well, that's better
than lettin' him die.
‐ Yeah, huh?
‐ 'Carter.'
Didn't I tell you to transfer
this guy to medicine?
(Benton)
'Come on, I've got a hernia that
needs an H and P upstairs.'
Now, move. Let's go.
♪ Born to be wild ♪
♪ Born to be wild ♪
[rock music]
Come on.
Ugh.
Hello?
Hello?
Hello?
Mrs. Puro?
Oh, Carol. Hi there.
Oh, I‐I'm sorry I'm late.
H‐how did you get in?
Oh, your mother. She makes
a killer cup of coffee.
There you are, sweetheart.
I was just going to
call the hospital.
Mom, what are you doing here?
The material I told you about
for the kitchen curtains.
I thought I would
drop it off.
Oh, and frankly I am just as
glad to hear
you changed your mind.
‐ About what?
‐ About selling.
‐ I told Elizabeth.
‐ Elizabeth?
First names only
in my business.
I told her you must
have changed your mind.
Why else would we
put up curtains?
‐ Not to sell it.
‐ No, it wouldn't help.
Mom, why don't you go
and see how those curtains
would look in the bedroom.
You want the same
in the bedroom as the kitchen?
Mom, we'll talk
about it later.
Elizabeth,
I haven't changed my mind.
I really want to
sell this place.
You're kidding.
No.
Is there a problem?
How can I put this delicately?
[clears throat]
I couldn't sell this house
if the rest of Chicago
burned down around it.
Well, I know it needs work.
‐ 'The roof is‐‐'
‐ The roof is new.
I was going to say,
the roof is fine.
'But I checked
the basement.'
'The furnace
doesn't even turn on'
'not to mention
the asbestos.'
There's no central air.
There isn't even a window unit.
Exposed two‐by‐fours,
dry wall.
'The rug is lovely
but there are holes'
in the carpet underneath it
which unfortunately revealed
the subterranean termites.
The plumbing is not copper.
'The electrical
is a fire waiting to happen'
and as much as I hate
to mention it
you do live next
to the El tracks.
Frankly, I'm impressed someone
managed to sell it to you.
Then a month after the abscess
was drained
she had to
have a hysterectomy.
'My God, was she
in pain then.'
For weeks. Weeks. Weeks.
And what's so unfair is
that with all four of our kids
caesareans, which is a lot of
slicing right in the middle.
Couldn't stand up
straight until 1987.
[chuckles]
So you can see why,
with this hernia thing..
Ow!
Which is also, uh, somewhat
in the middle
if you know what I mean.
I'm‐I'm obviously
a little nervous.
Although being able to talk
to you is helping a lot.
I'm very grateful.
Of course I'm not gonna
be able to do this
while I'm out cold
and doctor..
Uh, what's‐what's
his name again?
‐ Benton.
‐ Yeah, that's it. Benton.
When I'm under the knife
and he starts cutting.
'Oh, my God. My God.'
What‐what if
I don't come out of this?
‐ Mr. Hartley‐‐
‐ I mean..
I mean I won't
even know what happened.
Have you considered
having a local anesthetic
instead of a general?
I‐I didn't know
I had a choice.
Oh, yeah, and the advantage
to a local is that
while you feel no pain
whatsoever
you're still
completely awake
and you can talk
to the surgeon all you want.
‐ Can I ask questions?
‐ Dr. Benton encourages it.
Right in
the middle of surgery?
All the way through.
In fact, you can‐you can
read up on hernias in this book.
And anything that
you don't understand..
...you can ask
Dr. Benton.
‐ That's great.
‐ Yeah.
Jeanie! Ross was
looking for you.
‐ Some kid needs suturing.
‐ Gonna be a while.
I have to go to Radiology
and the Cath Lab.
‐ Randi.
‐ Yeah.
‐ Have you seen Mark?
‐ I believe he's lounging.
Come on.
‐ Alright, alright, alright.
‐ Wait, wait, wait.
My turn, my turn, my turn.
Time's up.
This is a..
‐ Hey, there you are.
‐ I'm not talking to you.
You know, you made
poor Tad very sad.
What'd he say?
You don't
even know him.
‐ Got you.
‐ That's low one, Doug.
[bottle cap clattering]
So I take it you don't
want me to tell anybody
about your date tonight.
You have another
date tonight?
I hate this place.
That's right there.
That's what she did.
She hit it with her..
Carol, it really would be better
if we sewed them.
Everything in this
entire house could be better.
Fine.
Fine. But why are you mad at me?
I didn't put holes in the floor.
Break your furnace.
[sighs]
You're right. You're right.
I'm sorry.
I just..
I really want
to sell this place.
I need to sell this place.
Is it because of Shep?
I mean, does‐does it
make you think of him?
God, mom, I never
even thought of that.
No.
No, I‐I feel good
being on my own.
I'm enjoying myself.
I just can't afford it.
The house, the car.
Somehow, I've accumulated
the debt of a 50 year old.
We should call
your Uncle Mykola.
Uncle Myko? Why?
Well, he made all that money
in real estate.
'He could advise you.'
Ma, it's not advice
that I need.
Maybe not.
But spend some time there.
'Keep him company.'
You know,
he has so much money.
And he has no children
of his own.
And, sadly, he has not
been feeling well lately.
Are you suggesting
that I ingratiate myself
to Uncle Myko, so that he'll
leave me his money?
Well, he's going to die.
I can't help that.
I mean, he has no children.
What's the
poor man going to do?
[chuckles]
God.
(Mr. Hartley)
'This feels like surgery.
It really does.'
And I am floating,
floating, floating.
Except I always thought
you guys played music
although I don't
really miss it.
Is this gonna hurt,
Dr. Benton?
I've already made
the incision, Mr. Hartley
and you didn't feel a thing.
No, no, I mean in
a couple of days.
Yeah, it's gonna be tender.
No, I mean like
when I go back to work.
Look, go back to work
when you feel comfortable, okay?
Well, that's what I'm asking.
When will that be?
Are we talking Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday?
‐ Uh, another week?
‐ What do you do, Mr. Hartley?
You know the drawbridge
on Michigan?
'I send it up.'
Send it down.
Send it up.
Send it down.
Up, down, up, down.
Rain, shine,
sleet, snow.
'Some days, I count the boats.
Some days, I don't.'
By the way, what are the borders
of Hesselbach's triangle?
You might want to shift
a little to the left.
Manny threw up
right around there.
Manny from the Roach Coach?
Food poisoning?
‐ I told you.
‐ It wasn't the coffee, was it?
Are you ever getting
off that thing?
I'm on hold
with the airlines.
At least, that's what
their reservations department
has told me 97 times.
Mark, you ready?
Or not,
as the case may be.
We'll be waiting.
Alright.
I told Susan Lewis
about the staff meeting.
I told Jeanie Boulet,
Malik and Carter.
Well, I figure if you
don't tell Doug Ross
then you're okay.
Huh.
Thomas. Thomas.
How you doing there,
Mr. Heath?
Thomas, where are you?
Your dinner's ready.
I bet these ribs hurt.
I'm sorry about that.
You hear me?
Get inside now.
We'll get you something
for the pain.
Thomas, listen to me.
Listen to me!
I'm listening to you,
Mr. Heath. I'm listening to you.
[whispers]
[chuckles]
There he is.
This is impossible.
Maybe you should
yell fire.
So crowded.
Every buzzard in the County
showed up for this one.
Present company
excepted.
[chuckles]
(Morgenstern)
'Alice Wakely. She's from
the County health services'
since the paleolithic.
‐ You know her?
‐ We went to school together.
She was ahead of me,
of course.
(Wakely)
'Okay! Okay, everybody!'
I'll spare you and
make this quick.
While we obviously
regret the need
to close any County
medical facility.
She's lying already,
this isn't quick.
..strapped budget
has made it unavoidable.
As of two weeks from today,
Southside will close its doors.
[applause]
Okay, there's
the good news for you.
Obviously, we're concerned
about the loss of jobs
so we're going
to consolidate
as much of the staff
as possible.
'There's some people here
I want to introduce'
'for those of you
who might not know them.'
Harrison Holman is coming over
as new chief of obstetrics.
'Harrison!'
Bonnie Brown will be sharing
the CFO office
with James Malkovitch.
I've heard she's excellent.
Did a‐a great job
at deaconess.
And with Mike Babcock
taking early retirement
Donald Anspaugh will become
County's new chief of staff.
'Donald.'
♪ Duke Duke Duke of Earl ♪
♪ Duke Duke Duke of Earl ♪
♪ Duke Duke Duke of Earl ♪
♪ As I walk through this world ♪
♪ Nothing can stop
the Duke of Earl ♪
♪ And you you are my girl ♪
♪ And no one can
hurt you oh no ♪
I was just thinking
how unusual it is
to see our whole ensemble,
you know, this happy.
Especially about keeping a job
where people puke on you.
[chuckles]
Oh, is that the guy?
(Mark)
'That's the guy.'
(Boulet)
'Which guy?'
(Lewis)
'He looks fairly normal.'
So did Morgenstern.
So they finally
came down for Heath.
‐ Took him to the CCU.
‐ Oh, poor old guy.
Who do you think Thomas was?
His son maybe?
I know this sounds crazy
but I think Thomas was his dog.
‐ His dog?
‐ Yeah.
At one point, he seemed to think
that I was Thomas.
And he pulled me
in really close
ear to his mouth
and he whispers
"Kibble, kibble,
kibble, kibble."
It was oddly touching.
It was, Carol.
‐ How are you? Don Anspaugh.
‐ Oh. Randi.
‐ How are you?
‐ Lydia Wright.
‐ Pleased to meet you.
‐ E‐Ray. Please join us.
[telephone ringing]
Excuse me. I got it. I got it.
Sorry, Lydia.
ER.
Yes.
Uh, okay.
I'll let everybody know.
That was, uh, Dr. Weaver
calling from the lounge.
Dr. Morgenstern will be unable
to attend the party.
David, I'm sure it's not gonna
be as bad as you think.
I mean, look how bad everybody
thought it was gonna be
when I came aboard.
True.
Funny how life
is so like surgery.
Sometimes you can make
that Rocky‐Davis
in the right lower quadrant.
And then,
there are those days
when your bowel ruptures
and spills into your peritoneum
and all you're left with
is intense pain and sepsis.
Oh, brother.
My kingdom for a ten blade
when that happens.
[chuckles]
Look, so today's
not a total loss.
You want to grab some dinner,
maybe catch a movie?
Music box has some really
fine independents.
Sure.
Maybe a midnight show
at the village.
Have you seen "Caligula?"
[instrumental music]
‐ Uh‐oh.
‐ No, no, don't do this to me.
Some of us have to date.
See ya.
Hi there.
‐ Don Anspaugh.
‐ Mark Greene.
So, uh...what do
you like, Mark?
Uh, "Stars and Stripes Forever"
or "Dauntless Battalions?"
Actually, I got
to get going.
[indistinct chatter]
[jazz music]
Just kidding.
This is‐this is torture.
I was off five minutes ago.
My plan was to be
in bed by 8:30.
No, no, no, I was saving this
guy for the two of you.
Oh, vomiting, abdominal pain,
nausea. Thanks a lot, Malik.
Yeah, what have you been doing?
Training with Dr. Benton?
Trust me. You'll thank me.
[Travels retching]
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Thank you, Malik.
‐ Mr. Travels, right?
‐ 'Yes.'
Mr. Heath's nurse?
I'm Dr. Carter.
This is Nurse Hathaway.
So, you're feeling bloated,
nauseous, and flatulent.
Must have been something I ate,
don't you think?
It could be just
so many things.
‐ Toxic megacolon.
‐ Intestinal parasitosis.
‐ Scleroderma.
‐ Ulcerative colitis.
Pyloric stenosis.
[whispers]
Oh, yeah.
Crohn's disease.
Where would you like
to start, doctor?
I don't want
to waste any time.
Barium enema.
Oh..
Hi.
‐ I hate it when you do that.
‐ Come on, it's fun.
No, it's not fun.
It scared the living daylights..
Alright, I'm sorry.
It'll never happen again.
Hey, Heather, let's go
get a drink, you and I.
You couldn't get anything
going for tonight, huh?
‐ Oh, now, come on. I'm here.
‐ Thanks a lot.
‐ Come on, let's get a drink.
‐ It's never just a drink, Doug.
Well, you know, is that all that
you want it to be?
Just once, it would be nice if
you could call the day before.
Heather, you know my schedule.
It's hard enough for me
to plan two hours ahead of time
much less a day.
Some‐some really sick little
kid would come in.
And then I would be canceling
on you all the time
and then you'd be mad
at me for doing that.
I am not mad at you.
Heather.
Hey.
Heather..
...you look as though you've had
a very long and very hard day.
And I would like
to take you out
and see you relax
just a little bit.
[sighs]
I'll throw in
a lottery ticket.
I've got to drop these off
at neurology first.
[chuckles]
So, did you actually
give him an enema?
No. Compazine.
Carter went home to bed.
Benton's been beating up on him
pretty badly these days.
I'm shocked and horrified
to hear that, Carol.
‐ Oh, ding dong. Avon calling.
‐ Oh, please, allow me.
This is county general
on one alpha.
(male #2)
'Unit 85. We're en‐route
with a 32‐year‐old male'
'jumped or pushed in front
of an El Train'
'at Garfield station.'
'Massive head, face, chest
and extremity trauma.'
Uh, Garfield's closer
to Southside.
'They're closed to trauma.'
I came out
of the ambulance entrance
and my motorcycle had a flat.
I'd given
myself plenty of time
to go home to the apartment
and change but‐‐
I don't care.
Really.
So, you live up
on the Gold Coast.
‐ I'm renovating a three‐flat.
‐ Oh.
It must be a lot easier
when you're an architect.
Yes, it probably is.
You know,
you know the pitfalls
how long things kind of take,
that sort of thing.
Uh‐huh.
Oh...I see some friends.
Well, actually, a friend. Susan!
Mark.
You didn't tell me
you were coming here.
Susan and I work
at County together.
‐ Oh, Brent Smythe.
‐ How do you do?
‐ Hi.
‐ Hi.
This is Julie, um..
‐ Mathers.
‐ Mathers.
‐ 'Hi.'
‐ Hi.
‐ How you doing?
‐ Julie's an architect.
‐ Oh, really? Where?
‐ Uh, Higgin, Bloom.
You're kidding.
I represent them.
You're with Jackson, Gearson,
and Robe?
'Going on 12 years.'
They recruited me
right out of Stanford.
I don't believe this.
My brother went to Stanford law.
‐ He graduated in '85.
‐ Jack Mathers.
Of course, he went to, uh,
don't tell me.
Dudzik, Hiltzik, and Strauss
in New York.
[chuckles]
You have a good
memory, don't you?
Multiple lacerations
including a chunk
of his left rib cage missing.
BP, 60 palp.
One and a half liters
of saline in the field.
He's got obvious
open fractures
to the right femur
and left humerus.
Okay..
...one, two, three.
Hey, congratulations
on staying open.
Thanks.
I'll intubate. 8.0.
Good radial pulse.
Poor cap refil.
Jeanie,
give in‐line traction.
‐ Alright. BP's down, 40 palp.
‐ Pulse ox, 80.
Have respiratory
set up a vent.
No response to pain.
(Connie)
'Call radiology.
Get a cross table C‐spine.'
Okay...I'm in.
Hang the O‐neg.
Oh, man.
Sucking chest wound.
How many units?
Type specific four,
type and cross ten.
Alright, what do we got?
Open chest wound with severe
respiratory compromise.
He's intubated but
still not saturated.
(Weaver)
'Four units
of O‐neg are in.'
‐ BP's still 40.
‐ Whoa! We got a pumper.
‐ 'Elevate that flail segment.'
‐ I've got it.
Okay, I've got it.
Power clamp, Kelly.
Okay, Jeanie,
you can go now.
‐ Grab me some kerlix.
‐ I've asked her to leave.
Jeanie, could you check
with the blood bank.
'Find out what's keeping
that type specific?'
(Lewis)
'How long do you think it take
to get a couple of drinks?'
Hopefully, all night.
Hmm. I guess this is how
perfect couples meet.
Yeah.
Somebody else's blind date.
Great story
for the grandchildren.
You know, you should call Tad
and give him the tip.
[chuckles]
Did you really think you were
going to impress her in scrubs?
You don't think
she went for 'em?
I mean, I find it a turn‐on,
but some women..
What, are they coming?
Follow me.
Oh, I, now..
I've got some quarters.
I don't remember
these things being so small.
Well, you probably haven't been
in one since you were 12.
[chuckles]
Okay?
‐ Alright.
‐ Okay.
‐ What do we do?
‐ Look into the camera.
Hey, no fair.
You're hogging the frame.
All we're going
to see is my neck.
‐ Oh, good one.
‐ That was a great one.
‐ Just sit there and look.
‐ Here's a good one. Okay.
They don't give you
any warning at all.
‐ Okay, it's coming up.
‐ Alright..
‐ No, come on.
‐ Okay, okay.
Alright. One good one.
‐ 'There. See, that wasn't bad.'
‐ 'Nice.'
Don't you ever treat me
like that again.
What the hell were
you trying to do?
Trying to save
that man's life.
‐ By giving him AIDS?
‐ I was careful, Peter.
I used universal
precautions.
You were working
on a chest wound.
What if you made a mistake,
cut yourself and bled into it?
‐ I didn't.
‐ Okay.
What if I made a mistake
and cut you?
No person has ever got it
from a contact in an ER.
So, does that mean
no one can?
You pile up all the
data you want to
but you better damn well
remember what really happens
in this room, okay?
So, if you'd tested positive,
you would have quit?
‐ In a minute.
‐ Yes.
But you didn't
test positive, did you?
[instrumental music]
[theme music]