ER (1994–2009): Season 7, Episode 9 - The Greatest of Gifts - full transcript

[theme music]

(male narrator)
Previously on "ER.."

Will you love the baby
if the father is black?

That's what I thought.

Oh, I'm sorry, Kerry,
I misread that.

I'm so sorry if I gave
you the wrong impression.

‐ You can't be here.
‐ They're going to kill me‐‐

Shh, come on, come on,
come on get in the car.

We'll figure out something.

‐ You're pregnant.
‐ Well, that's impossible.

What's the survival rate?



I'm afraid the tumor
is inoperable.

I want to give
him up for adoption

but I need your
permission to do it.

(Man on TV)
'If you're just waking up'

'give yourself some
extra time to get to work.'

I know they didn't
plow my street.

First major snowfall,
they always take three days

to get their
act together.

Oh, God, it's
freezing outside.

Hey, Dr. Weaver,
any trouble getting in?

No, I didn't even
bother with my car.

I just took the El.

Hey, John, what are
you still doing here?

I thought you
were off at 3:00.



Five car pileup
on the expressway.

‐ How many did we get?
‐ Six out of eight.

Three went up to OR,
two to the SICU

and one's waiting
on a monitored bed.

Spent the last four
hours catching up.

‐ How did our temp attending do?
‐ Worthless.

Carter here had to keep
the board running.

Thank you, Haleh.

What happened to the attending
we had last week?

Got a job in the Bahamas.

Yeah, I knew that guy was
too smart for this place.

Where do you need me?

I think we're through
the thick of it.

Those are the dispose.

I signed out
the rest to Malucci.

Oh, will you give Mr. Phelps
a Bactrim and discharge him?

‐ Yeah.
‐ Thank you.

And I think
I am out of here.

Hey, John.

I'm sorry that I put
you on nights so soon

but with Mark gone,
the schedule's a mess.

We all do our
share of nights.

‐ Have you heard from him?
‐ Mark?

‐ Yeah
‐ No.

They got there Tuesday.
I didn't want to call.

I mean, if it's good news,
we'll know.

Yeah. Well, I will see you
at 4 o'clock this afternoon.

Make it 5:00,
we'll cover for you.

Thanks.

[instrumental
"The First Noel"]

[music continues]

[grunts]

[pager beeping]

Anesthesiologist
is on his way.

‐ How long?
‐ A couple of minutes.

Jing‐Mei, I'm gonna need
you to relax for a second, okay?

Okay.

‐ Ugh.
‐ Yeah, I know, I know.

Dilated to four centimeters.

Completely effaced.

Zero station.

Start the Pitocin
at two per minute

'and up it
every 20 minutes.'

[knocking]

Is it okay to come in?

Oh, John.

John, I'm so sorry
to call you.

‐ It's okay, it's okay.
‐ I waited as long as I could.

I didn't want to wake you.

Don't worry,
I'm not working.

Jing‐Mei, I'm going to
rupture your membranes

to help move you
along a little, okay?

‐ When did you go into labor?
‐ Midnight.

‐ Where?
‐ Uh, home. I‐I took a cab.

All done.

Oh.

You know, I thought I could do
this myself, but I can't.

‐ I can't.
‐ Hey, it's okay.

You don't have to.

[crying]

‐ Con‐contraction?
‐ Uh‐huh.

Okay.

Squeeze my hand.
Yeah, squeeze my hand.

(Coburn)
'There you go,
you're doing great, Jing‐Mei.'

'You're doing great. We'll get
the epidural working soon.'

Have you taken any
birthing classes?

‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ Lamaze? Bradley?

Which one?

Lamaze?

Okay.

Take a‐take a good,
deep breath.

In, in..

[screaming]

[theme music]

[glass shattering]

[indistinct chattering]

Peter.

Peter.

Yeah.

Listen.

What?

Voices.

It's Kynesha.

Talking to herself?

She's probably
just watching TV.

Peter.

‐ What?
‐ You brought her here.

[groans]

Go.

Mmm.

(Kynesha)
'No, you don't know.
This girl stay uptight.'

Can't be too uptight,
let you stay here by yourself.

Get mad every time
I turn on a light.

Place this nice, she's worried
about the electric bill.

Sure has straight teeth.

‐ Who are you?
‐ Uh, I was just looking at it.

Where's Kynesha?

‐ Hey, Dr. Benton.
‐ Kynesha, who's this?

‐ This is Tiny.
‐ Hey.

Tiny got locked out.

Her sister's ain't
coming home till 7:00.

‐ You went out?
‐ No.

So, somebody else
is wearing your boots, huh?

I went to check on my mom.

Tiny says she came back,
was looking for me.

Was pretty messed up.

Alright. Um, you live
in the building?

‐ Yeah.
‐ 'Alright.'

'Grab your stuff
I'll take you home .'

Kynesha, you better clean this
up before Cleo comes down.

[whistle blowing]

Okay?

There, you have
your coffee.

Now, let's go.

Mark, I don't want
to keep this man waiting.

'He's jammed
us into his schedule.'

‐ What is it?
‐ The kid with the red hat.

What about him?

I saw another kid
wearing that exact hat

three weeks ago.

'I was buying groceries
for Thanksgiving dinner.'

Now I'm in New York,
waiting for a miracle.

Maybe it's a sign.

Either that or the Grim Reaper
wears a red hat.

I didn't come with you
to hear talk like that.

I thought that
was healthy.

Well, it's not.

I should just
stick with denial?

I prefer
guarded optimism

until Dr. Burke maps the brain
and gives us his opinion.

Yeah, then I can
hear bad news twice.

If you really believed that,
you'd have called Rachel by now.

Just call her up
and tell her over the phone?

No, you could have flown out
there for a day

but you didn't.

Why?

I have a feeling
you're going to tell me.

Yes, because deep down,
you really do believe

that this technology
and this surgeon can help you.

And you don't
want to tell her

until you know
you'll be alright.

Yeah, or I'm desperate.

You've seen enough patients
in your time overcome illnesses

they shouldn't
have to understand

the importance
of a positive outlook.

Now, you have to believe
it's possible.

I think
I'm a little nervous.

Well, me, too.

Heart rate is 150
with type‐one dips.

‐ Is that a normal decel?
‐ Yeah.

It's good cardiac activity.

I thought you got
high honors in OB.

‐ Uh, I did.
‐ 'Excuse me.'

(female #1)
'The adoptive parents are here.
Can I show them in?'

‐ 'Yes.'
‐ 'No.'

(female #1)
'They said they arranged
to be present for the birth.'

‐ John, do you mind?
‐ Yeah, I'll talk to them.

'I'll talk to them.'

Hi.

Are you the adoptive parents?

Yes, James and Linda.

‐ Hi.
‐ You're the doctor?

Um, I'm a friend of Deb's.

‐ Who?
‐ Jing‐Mei.

Uh, I'm John Carter.

Is there a problem?

No, no, she's starting
to push, baby's healthy.

‐ Could be any minute now.
‐ We should get in there.

Well...she's feeling
a little overwhelmed.

She said we could
be present at the birth.

I know. Uh, but labor
can be demanding

and she really
needs to focus.

We jumped on a plane
and traveled all night

from Portland
to get here.

I understand.
You can have a seat right here.

Is she changing her mind?

About giving the baby
up for adoption?

No, I think
she's a little embarrassed.

Just wants a little privacy.

Look, we really wanted to be
there for the birth of our son.

I'll bring him right out
to you, I promise.

[door opens]

Hey, I heard Dr. Chen's
having her baby upstairs.

Malucci, Exam One's
been here since 9:00

with reflux esophagitis.

In a minute, chief.

Do you want to send her flowers?

‐ No.
‐ I could start a pool.

‐ No, leave her alone.
‐ Why?

Randi, can you just
drop it, please?

‐ Hi, Kim.
‐ Hi.

You have a cyclothymic
down here?

Yeah, the guy
in Exam Three

trying to set a new
world record doing sit‐ups.

‐ Got it.
‐ Hey, I tried to call you the..

[hiccups]

Oh, excuse me.

I'm sorry, my machine
has been acting up.

I need to get
a new one.

Oh, well, I wish
I'd known that sooner.

I might have gotten
you something different.

‐ Merry Christmas.
‐ Oh, wow.

Yeah, I happened
across a copy

over the weekend
and couldn't resist.

Hopefully, you don't
already have one.

Well, thank you.

My pleasure.

[sighs]
Shall I open it now?

‐ Or later.
‐ Okay.

[hiccups]

[chuckles]
You know, you should
try drinking water..

...upside down,
it always helps with me.

‐ Yeah, thank you.
‐ See you.

(Cleo)
You said one night.
It's been a week.

Look, I can't find her mother.
What do you want me to do?

Turn her over
to social services.

If her mother's been on
a drug spree for a month

she needs to be
in foster care.

Cleo, Cleo,
she's 15 years old.

She doesn't want
to go in the system now.

Well, I'm not
adopting her, are you?

No, of course not.

I hate the thought
of her being in my house alone.

Now she's bringing
friends over?

I'm sorry, that won't
happen again.

Peter,
she's manipulating you.

You know, I‐I got a lead
on another halfway house.

I‐I'll make sure
she gets into that one.

Two more days.
After that, she's out.

‐ Cleo, I'm working on it.
‐ Good.

(Malik)
'LFTs are back
on Room Four.'

Bilirubin's a little high.

(female #2)
'I need help, please!'

'Help me, someone,
help me, please!'

‐ 'What happened?'
‐ A dog attacked my son.

He's bitten all over.
I can't stop the bleeding.

‐ What's his name?
‐ Oh, God, it looks worse.

Laceration through and through.
He cut his facial artery.

‐ Ma'am, what's your son's name?
‐ Jeff.

He was crying,
but now he's quiet.

Jeff.
I'm Dr. Weaver.

We need to secure
his airway. What's open?

‐ Trauma One.
‐ Come on.

Get him on a monitor.

'I need suction
and a pedes intubation kit.'

'Draw up 40 of sux
and five of versed.'

(Benton)
Cut down tray.

‐ Pulse ox is 86.
‐ Ten liters blow by.

I need four‐by‐fours
and merocel sponges.

‐ Sats are dropping.
‐ Get back, Peter.

‐ I need to intubate.
‐ No, think I can control this.

‐ What is it?
‐ Alright.

Now, let me get some suction
here. Ma'am, I need some room.

We're gonna have to ask
you to step back, please.

Damn it, if only I can
tie off this bleeder.

Heart rate's up to 120,
pulse ox is 82.

He's not getting enough oxygen.
We have to intubate.

What are you doing?
Why aren't you helping him?

Got it.

[groaning]

Alright.
Three, two, one.

Okay, okay, now one more
should do it.

I don't want
to use suction, alright?

I thought you said
he was crowning.

He is, just one more push.

‐ Oh, I can't.
‐ Yes, you can.

Just one more push. Come on.
Now, you're doing great.

You're doing great.

[screaming]

Nine, eight, push!

[panting]

Seven, six..

(Coburn)
'Okay, the head is out.'

You can stop.
Stop pushing.

[baby crying]

Is it over?

(Coburn)
'Almost.'

(Carter)
'You did great, Deb.
You did great.'

(Coburn)
'It's a boy.'

'It's nice and healthy.'

'Want to hold him?'

(Carter)
'Want to hold him?'

No.

(Coburn)
'Are you sure?'

Yes.

[baby crying]

I guess this is more
than you bargained for.

Oh, you did all
the work.

No, I mean having
to see all this.

It was a blur.

[chuckles]
Let's just say
we're closer now.

Surprised you, huh?

I didn't tell you
about the father.

Yeah, kinda.

Are those
the adoptive parents?

Yeah, you didn't meet them?

(Jing‐Mei)
'Uh, yeah, about
two months ago.'

They still want
to come in and see you.

What did they do when you
gave them the baby?

They cried.

They seem nice to you?

Yeah, they
seemed great.

(Marsha)
'Here we are.'

Any nausea?

Um, yeah, a little.

Alright. We'll get you some
ice chips until it passes.

Hey, you know, you don't
have to stick around.

I'm fine.

‐ You have a night shift?
‐ Later.

Okay, well, then
you should go rest.

‐ Crash in the on‐call room.
‐ We'll see.

Alright, I'm going
to change your pad.

Then we'll massage your uterus
to firm it up a bit.

Oh, you don't want
to be around for that.

Not really. You okay?

Alright. I'm gonna come back
and check on you later.

Okay.

‐ Hey, John?
‐ 'Yeah?'

‐ Thank you.
‐ 'You're welcome.'

The, uh, whole thing
takes about an hour.

You'll be doing
language tasks

as we map out
the speech centers.

Is Dr. Burke meeting us?

He'll stop by
at some point.

Usually you meet
the surgeon

before he sends
you off for a scan.

(Marty)
'Burke's one of the best
in the world. He's busy.'

'Uh, take off
your glasses, watch'

wallet, pager, cell phone

anything metal, anything
magnetic, right in here.

Could you at least
call Dr. Burke

and let him know
we're here?

He likes to be notified
when the renderings are up.

So as not to waste any time
with the patients.

‐ Elizabeth.
‐ Uh, don't forget the belt.

You'll have earphones,
and we'll talk by intercom.

Well, can I stay
for the scan, then?

‐ I am a surgeon myself.
‐ You can sit back there.

Now, for the first run,
we'll ask you to name objects

you'll see projected
on fiber optic goggles.

Do I get to shoot
down any aliens?

Will he have scars?

The surgeons will do everything
they can to minimize them.

What are you doing here?

I am so sorry.
I was worried.

‐ He almost died, Mona.
‐ But he'll be alright?

You're putting
that dog down.

‐ 'He's a sweet dog usually.'
‐ Mom.

‐ What are you talking about?
‐ Okay.

Maybe this isn't
the right time.

Jeff must have provoked
him in some way.

Provoked him?
That animal mauled my son.

You're putting
him down.

‐ I want that animal destroyed.
‐ Shelly‐‐

You better leave
it alone for now.

Mom.

‐ Are they gonna kill Winston?
‐ I don't know, honey.

Why don't we find a place
for you to sit down?

Here we go.

There's good hemostasis.
The repeat crit is 39.

Great, Peter. Thanks.

Yeah.

[siren wailing]

[sighs]

Hey.

(Peter)
'You're not supposed
to be in there.'

'What's your name?'

Taylor.

Well, come on
out here, Taylor.

I hurt my foot.

If you come out here,
I can take a look at it.

'I'm a doctor.'

Okay.

Let's take a look.

Are you a patient here?

'Let me see this.'

Hey, you're supposed
to be up in the blood bank.

'You having
a blood transfusion?'

I don't like needles.

Yeah, well, none of us do.

But sometimes we got to use
them to make you feel better.

I'm not sick.

Nicole is.

Who's Nicole?

She's my sister.

She has leukemia.

Ah! And you're donating
bone marrow.

I did that when I was little.

Now they want
to take all my blood

and wash it
through a machine.

Um. Yeah, I see.

Every time
Nicole gets sick

I have to go
to the hospital, too.

I'll tell you what.
You come with me.

I'll make
your foot feel better.

You won't
take my blood out?

No. Come on. Come on.

[pager beeping]

[groaning]

Where are my shoes?

Jing‐Mei, I didn't mean
to make you feel uncomfortable.

You should just
think about it.

I have thought about it.

(Carter)
'What's up?'

John, I'm leaving.
Can you give me a ride home?

Well, you can't leave
until Dr. Coburn gets here.

I'll sign out AMA.
Just get the form.

We keep all post‐partum mothers
for 24 hours.

Well, I'm not a mother.

(female #3)
'I suggested
she see the baby.'

John, can we leave, please?

Think they observe you
for a reason, Deb.

I think you should
sit down and relax.

Well, I'll come back
for a blood test.

Don't run away
from this, Jing‐Mei.

It's better for
the adoptive parents

better for you
if you meet your son

hold him, say goodbye.

[sighs]

I don't think I can.

(female #3)
'Can what?'

Say goodbye.

(Marty)
'The last run
is word fluency.'

For each object, name
an action that goes with it.

If you see a dog,
you might say bark.

(Mark)
Okey‐dokey.

(Marty)
'Okay, here we go.'

(Mark)
It grows.

Sweeps.

Live in it.

(Mark)
'Writes.'

(Mark)
'Blossoms.'

Hey, Marty.

Is this the frontal GBM?

(Marty)
'Base line scans are up'

but not the functional
renderings.

Well, Burke's not gonna want
to cut this one out.

I'll take him.

‐ For the carboplatin trial?
‐ Yeah.

No, you had the parietal GBM
for that one.

He's a good gamma knife
candidate.

Come on, best you can offer
is a 12 month survival.

We're seeing up to 14 with
an inter‐arterial protocol.

Yeah, and what an enjoyable
two months it is. Hello.

(Mark)
'Slithers.'

Okay, I'll be right up.

SVC syndrome in the unit.

We'll duke it out
in Tumor Board.

(Mark)
'Sticks you.'

Page me
when the renderings come up.

(Marty)
'Dr. Burke
gets the first look.'

No, he won't be interested.

(Mark)
'Entomb.'

'Hang.'

All done.
I'll be right in.

How'd I do?

[door opens]

(Mark)
'How'd I do?'

You did brilliantly, Mark.

Can I go home
after this?

We'll see.

Cleo, you have
a call on two.

A girl named Kynesha.
Something about your car.

‐ My car?
‐ She was talking really fast.

Kynesha?

Just gone?

Did you see anybody?

I'll call the police.
Stay near the phone.

What happened?

Kynesha says
my car is missing.

Didn't see anything.

[sighs]

Chicago Police Department
main number, please.

(Romano)
'Always the diplomat, Peter.'

What?

Dr. Duhlstrom just
called me ranting.

Says you stole one of
his leukocyte donors

and you won't
give it back.

It was a little girl
that I found scared

hiding under the stairs.

‐ Finders keepers, is that it?
‐ She cut her foot.

I told them
to send her parents down.

Well, if you hadn't
hung up on Duhlstrom

you'd know that dad
is at the airport

picking up grandma
and mom is a little busy

right now comforting
her other daughter

who's puking her
guts out from chemo.

So, do me a favor,
hurry it up

suture the foot,
and ship her upstairs.

Has anyone even bothered
to explain

this procedure
to this little girl?

They've done a few
hundred of these, Peter.

Well, she's scared right now,
and feeling a little used.

Oh...oh, that's‐that's‐that's
terrible.

You know, the sister's
a little scared, too.

She's scared of dying.

It's not like they're
trying to take out a lung.

Well, she has point tenderness
over the distal malleolus.

Okay, Peter, you want to
play ER doc, that's fine.

I'll tell you what.
I'll tell the mother

to abandon
her child upstairs

come down
and calm this kid down.

But if she is not strapped in
for leukapheresis by 2:30

I'm strapping you in.

[babies crying]

(Linda)
'What did she say?'

Okay, she said
that she would see him

but she doesn't
really want to.

Are you sure that you want
to force this on her?

We have three days until
she has to sign the papers.

And if she doesn't see
him, she might regret it.

And...then change her mind
about the whole adoption.

Okay, well, she's waiting.

Alright. Why don't you
bring him in to her

'and the Reeds and I
will follow in a few minutes'

'so that Jing‐Mei can hand
the baby back to Linda.'

Okay.

I got him.

Okay.

[instrumental music]

You ready?

[baby cooing]

[sobbing]

Oh, Carter.

He's so beautiful.

[crying]

[sniffling]

Hey. Hey.

I hope it's like a jury.

The longer they deliberate

the better chance
I have of getting off.

They could still
be waiting for Burke.

I'm starting to think
that he doesn't exist.

Maybe he only meets people
that he can help.

‐ Mark.
‐ I know, I know.

Positive, positive.

That MRI tech sure thought
I was a goner.

He just runs the machine.
He can't offer a prognosis.

Come on, you know that those
techs can read a scan

better than most surgeons.

No offense.

Do you want
to get something to eat?

No, no, nope.

No.

[sighs]

[breathes heavily]

Can't believe they call
it a Tumor Board.

Why? They discuss tumors.

I know, but..

...you'd think they'd
come up with something

a little more esoteric.

‐ Like what?
‐ I don't know.

Uh.

"You're completely boned" board.

I heard they used to call it
"The poor bastard" board.

But too many people
were showing up.

Someone told me
that they tried

"The take me out back and shoot
me now" board for a while.

‐ No, it didn't stick?
‐ No, surprisingly.

Why not?

Too many letters I guess.

Hmm. Pity.

‐ Elizabeth.
‐ Mm‐hmm.

Will you have the baby
either way?

What?

If that man comes out
of that room

and tells me
he can't do anything.

That there's no way
I can beat it.

Will you still have the baby?

Yes.

I've got a 12 year old
in four that swallowed

a pair of toenail clippers
on a dare.

I think he's gonna need
to be scoped.

[hiccups]

‐ Are you okay?
‐ Hiccups.

‐ I thought they went away.
‐ They did.

Teaspoon of sugar
is supposed to help.

It didn't.

Is Luka coming back on
the 26th or the 27th?

26th, I think.

Where'd he go, Croatia?

Yeah, he went to visit
his dad for Christmas.

Yo, my mom's told me if you
stand on your head and swallow

hiccups, gone.

‐ Thanks, Malik.
‐ Hey, no problem.

Works every time.

‐ Did you page me, Kerry?
‐ Oh, yeah.

I got a bad dog bite
in Trauma Two.

Little kid who might
need to be plugged in

for some outpatient therapy.

Sure.

‐ Did you open it?
‐ What?

The, uh, present.

Oh, no. Not yet, no.

‐ I'll go with you.
‐ Okay.

[hiccups]

‐ Do you want a shot of Reglan?
‐ For what?

‐ Hiccups.
‐ No, they'll go away.

Uh, what about
my toenail clippers?

Malucci. Get him.

‐ Hey.
‐ Hey.

You're here early.

I was helping Chen
with her baby.

Is there a problem?

No, well, she didn't
have a coach.

‐ You were her coach?
‐ Mm‐hmm.

‐ How'd you do?
‐ I did fine.

‐ She had a rough time of it.
‐ Should I go up there and‐‐

No, she doesn't want
any visitors.

I'll fill you in later,
I'm gonna catch some Zs‐‐

Dr. Carter. Dr. Carter.

They told me
you were down here.

She's breast feeding.

She gave the baby back
after seeing him

then we talked for a while,
then we went back to the nursery

then the nurse comes in says
she wants to see him again.

‐ That she wants to breast feed.
‐ Oh, man, slow down.

What?

The nurse has to give
the baby back to her

if she asks for him.

So she did.

‐ My wife is frantic.
‐ Okay.

I will..
I'll‐I'll talk to her.

‐ Is my dad coming?
‐ I'm not sure.

[hiccups]
Your uh, mom went to call him.

Is that a problem?

He's gonna kill me.

I was going to put it back
without him knowing.

Put what back?

Is Winston gonna be okay?

The dog?

They're not going to put
him to sleep, are they?

That would be very sad.

'But any dog that would
attack you for no reason..'

[Weaver hiccups]

Excuse me.

‐ I didn't mean to.
‐ What?

I opened
my Christmas present early.

I knew what it was.

A BB gun.

(Weaver)
'Did you shoot at the dog?'

I was just trying it out.

Why would she need
to breast feed?

It's not unusual.

Does she still have him?

She's changing her mind,
I know it.

There's no need to panic.

Why did we have to force her
to meet him?

Linda, she's giving up
her child.

There's a maternal instinct
she can't avoid

and shouldn't try to.

We'll give her some time

and have you rock the baby
in front of her.

‐ Won't that make it worse?
‐ No.

She needs to know
at a very basic level

that the baby will be loved.

Can you talk with her?

Find out what's going on.
What she's thinking.

Yeah, I can try.

I can't lose another baby.

Deb?

What are you doing?

You know, they say
breast feeding is uh..

...good for them
in the first 24 hours.

It's mostly colostrum which
boosts their immune system.

Deb, are you having
second thoughts?

[sighs]
I've always had
second thoughts.

What's changed?

I saw his face.

I'm being selfish.
I have the money to raise him.

There's no reason
why I can't.

There's a couple out there

who desperately
want to raise a child.

And you're giving them
a great gift.

What happens..

...eighteen years from now

he shows up looking
for an explanation?

Well, you tell him the truth,
you know.

You tell him
that you wanted to provide

the best home
possible for him.

Do I tell him
I was a coward?

[sighs]
That my bigoted parents

were more important
to me than he was?

Deb, I think you got to take
your family out of this.

And if you want to keep
the baby, keep the baby.

But if you don't
or you can't..

...then you want to make sure
that he goes to somebody

who's gonna love him,
who's gonna want him.

(Carter)
'And know that you're not
abandoning your baby.'

'You're creating a family.'

(Peter)
Did you find it?

Four blocks away
with a burnt out clutch

and a busted headlight.

Well, you lucked out.

I mean they could've
completely stripped it.

Hello, Peter,
my car wasn't stolen

by a thief who doesn't
know how to drive a stick.

Kynesha and her friend took
the car out for a joyride.

What are you talking about?

I gave Kynesha's friend
a ride home myself.

Just Kynesha then.

Kynesha's the one
that called you.

So, she's
not completely stupid.

‐ Cleo‐‐
‐ Get her in here now.

‐ I want to talk to her.
‐ Why don't we just‐‐

Either get her in here, or I'll
have the police talk to her.

Cleo, I..

Excuse me.

‐ Are you Dr. Benton?
‐ Yeah.

I'm Melissa Walker.
You found my daughter.

Oh, yeah,
she's in Radiology.

We just wanted to get an X‐ray
of her foot.

‐ Oh, God.
‐ No, No, it's nothing serious.

We just wanted to rule out
a fracture.

‐ Now, she has three stitches.
‐ Ah, did she fight you?

She's afraid of hospitals.

Yeah.

You know, uh..

...I think it might be more
than just the needles.

The leukapheresis requires a big
one in each arm for five hours.

Taylor feels the only
reason you had her

was to help Nicole.

[sighs heavily]
We love both of our daughters.

And if you had a child
who was dying of leukemia

and there was no bone marrow
match, what would you do, huh?

We were planning to have
more children anyway

but I am so tired
of having to explain

to you people like we did
something wrong.

I was just telling you
that Taylor feels‐‐

I know how Taylor feels.
She's my daughter.

And I love her, okay?
I love her.

Now where is X‐ray?

‐ Mrs. Walker‐‐
‐ Where is X‐ray?

Down the main hall
to the right.

Thank you.

[baby cooing]

Hi.

Hi.

What's his name?

Michael. Michael Alexander.

Hey, Michael.

[baby cooing]

It's okay. Shh, shh.

♪ Baby mine ♪

♪ Don't you cry ♪

[baby cooing]

♪ Baby mine dry your eyes ♪

♪ Rest your head
close to my heart ♪

♪ Never will part ♪

♪ Baby of mine ♪

What'd he say?

I may go to trial.

I thought you were going
to be able to settle.

Yeah, so did I.

Rachel called. She wants to come
out a day early for Christmas.

Mark Greene.

Dr. Burke. Nice to meet you.

You, too.

‐ And you are?
‐ Dr. Elizabeth Corday.

‐ Dr. Greene's fiance.
‐ Oh. Congratulations.

‐ Thank you.
‐ Sorry to keep you waiting.

I met some resistance
in Tumor Board.

Is that good or bad?

The oncologists
and radiation therapists

are having trouble
embracing the future.

Meaning?

Come over here.

They see a lesion
like yours

they jump to the conclusion,
it's inoperable.

But it's not?

Not in my hands.

There's your tumor.

Now, as you were
doing verbal tasks

there was increased blood
flow to language centers.

Those light up in orange.

As you can see

while the tumor's
adjacent to Broca's

it hasn't invaded yet.

That's not what the neurosurgeon
in Chicago said.

That's why you're here.

So you'll operate?

Mm. Yeah.

We'll do an awake craniotomy.

You'll be
conscious and talking

while I map out Broca's
and resect the tumor.

But the real bonus
is my ability to insert

high dosage chemotherapy
wafers into the tumor cavity

and use the malignant
cells themselves

to create a cancer vaccine.

Thank God
for second opinions.

Hmm, those idiots on the
Tumor Board are satisfied

with 12 month survivals

where most of the patients
on my protocol

are disease free
for 24 months and counting.

So, umm, when can you fit him
into the schedule?

[instrumental music]

(Burke)
'How about December 31?'

You can ring in the new year
with a load off your mind.

(Burke)
'Brain surgeon humor.'

Right.

'You okay?'

Yeah. Sure.

It's good news.

It's very good news.

'You came
to the right place, Mark.'

[pager beeping]

[knock on door]

(Dori)
'Dr. Carter.'

Wake up, Dr. Carter.

Multi victim MVA coming in.

‐ Hells Angel versus a minivan.
‐ What?

Motorcycle hit a minivan.
Let's go.

(Pickman)
'Forty‐years‐old male.'

Closed head trauma.
Altered at the scene.

‐ No helmet?
‐ You kidding?

This moron was driving a hog
in the middle of winter.

‐ 'Whoa. Lost the IV.'
‐ 'Put another one in.'

Cut the gap collection off of
him. Get him on a monitor.

Uh, scissors can't cut
through this.

(Carter)
'Use wire cutters.'

'Pupils are poorly reactive.'

Check this out.

This ain't his first crash.

Ah, he's got brain fluid
in the right ear.

'Let's get him
in line for a CT.'

(Malik)
'Oh, that's a nasty scar.'

(Dori)
'Mm. That probably
explains this.'

Vicodin for pain,
Hyzaar for high blood pressure

and Lipitor for cholesterol.

Yeah. I heard that Hells Angels
are on the Pritikin diet.

(Lily)
'Carter, Weaver needs you.
It wasn't a minivan.'

'It was a van van.'

About a dozen kids got hurt on
the way to a Christmas pageant.

Okay, I'll be right there.

Hey, but see that's why
I wanted to handle

this thing in personal.

Peter, she's not
your responsibility.

I know that, Cleo, but..

Look, I don't want her
bothering Jackie.

(Peter)
'I just..
I don't wanna..'

(Cleo)
'Kynesha?'

I'm sorry, Dr. Finch.

I didn't take your car,
but I think Tiny did.

Your keys was missing,
so I lied to you.

I was afraid you
was gonna kick me out.

I don't have
nowhere to go.

Okay, Hank, can you press
against my hand?

Is my mom alright?

Abby, have you seen
this guy's mom?

Weaver has her,
seat belt injury.

‐ CBC and UA are here.
‐ 'Dr. Carter!'

Yeah, what do you got?
I'll be right back, Hank.

Nine year old, MVA
head lac from broken glass.

No LOC. 150 of saline
in the field.

Open tib fib fracture
on the right.

Hi, sweetheart,
what's your name?

‐ Elise.
‐ Elise?

‐ 'Yeah, does your neck hurt?'
‐ Yes.

Okay, let's go
to Trauma Two.

What kind of costume is that?

‐ Milk maid.
‐ 'What?'

‐ Milk maid.
‐ Oh, yeah.

You mean like the
"Twelve Days of Christmas."

(Elise)
'We're missing our play.'

(Carter)
'What is this guy
still doing in here?'

Oh, CT just called for him.

'They had a code
on the table.'

Alright, well take her
to Curtain Three

until this
room's cleared out.

(Carter)
'Come on, come on,
CBC, C‐spine'

right tib fib, five of MS for
the pain and a gram of Ancef.

Don't worry, Elise, everything's
gonna be fine, sweetheart.

Oh, God.

[pills rattling]

Hold still, you have
to let me look.

[groans]
It hurts! Ow.

‐ I know, I know.
‐ What do you got?

Three more minors from the van.
This is Eddie.

He probably cracked
his collarbone.

Be right with you,
Eddie. Yeah.

(male #2)
'Piper number one, seat belted.'

'No obvious trauma
but complains of belly pain.'

Hey, give these to Dori
in Curtain Area Three.

Take him to Curtain Area Two.
Give me a set of vitals.

(Malik)
'I already did.
BP 110/70, pulse 90.'

‐ What?
‐ 'BP 110/70, pulse 90.'

‐ Sorry.
‐ Slow down.

‐ Are you alright?
‐ Yeah.

Kids in Exam Four
need their necks clear.

[dramatic music]

[gagging]

[retching]

[coughing]

Does it need stitches?

I don't know,
I have to get an X‐ray

and make sure there's
no broken glass in there.

Is my mom coming?

‐ I need to talk to you.
‐ Okay, just a sec.

‐ Now.
‐ Is my mom coming?

Yeah. Somebody called her.
Here, can you hold this for me?

And press down,
but don't make it hurt.

‐ Lizzie, can you?
‐ Yeah.

‐ What?
‐ I took two Vicodin.

‐ What?
‐ I took two Vicodin.

Then I panicked,
and I ran into the bathroom.

I stuck my fingers
down my throat.

‐ You vomited them up?
‐ Mm.

‐ How'd you sign them out?
‐ I didn't.

I didn't. This biker comes
in with a full bottle.

Okay, well, good, you didn't‐‐

I don't know
what I was thinking.

I didn't wanna take anything. I
didn't plan on taking anything.

‐ I just saw' em and‐‐
‐ It's okay.

Are you gonna tell Weaver?

‐ I can't.
‐ I think you have to.

Well, then, I'm done.

Oh, I mean,
best case scenario

I‐I'm back in Atlanta.

I mean, does it count?
It was never in my system.

Alright,
I'm off in ten minutes.

Let's go to a meeting.

‐ I just started.
‐ Well, you're sick.

You threw up. Go tell Weaver
you have to go home.

You got to be on death's door
before Weaver will‐‐

Well, go convince her.

♪ Oh the weather outside
is frightful ♪

(Corday)
'So, you'll tell
Rachel and Jen now?'

Yeah. I'll fly out there Friday.

You like it?

‐ What?
‐ Pizza.

Mm.

You know, it tastes
just like it did

when I was
eight years old.

It's weird how that works.

I wouldn't have been
able to remember it

if I hadn't tasted it again.

It's good though.

You lived in New York?

Couple of months.

Dad taught me how to skate
backwards on this rink.

You never told me that.

Well, you never came
to see me play hockey.

No, that you
lived here, I mean.

Well, I can't tell
you everything.

I have to keep you interested.

[chuckles]

You didn't sign up
for this though.

It's called marriage, Mark.

We're not married yet.

You really believe that?

Didn't think so.

Hey, check it out.

(Mark)
'There's a kid in another
one of those hats.'

They must be
on sale someplace.

Guess it blows your theory.

Yeah.

It was a good day.

♪ But if you really
wrap me tight ♪

♪ All the way home
I'll be warm ♪

‐ Hey, Malucci.
‐ I'll catch you later, Chief.

Yeah, Carter went home sick.
I need you to stay.

Oh, come on, chief.

‐ It's part of being a resident.
‐ He's not sick.

He's just tired.
He stayed up all day with Chen.

All the more reason
for you to lend a hand.

I just need you
for four more hours.

[hiccups]

Damn, these hiccups.

Okay, I got an 85 year old

with abdominal pain,
headache and dizziness.

‐ This sucks, man.
‐ Yeah, it does.

[hiccups]

I saw the patient in Seven.

She agreed
to a voluntary admission.

Thank you.

[coughs]
Mm, hiccups.

[sighs]

‐ Does it work?
‐ I don't know.

I'm desperate.
Now, I'm listening to Randi.

‐ Did you like it?
‐ Yes.

First edition.

Must have been expensive.

Well, what's the point
of working like a maniac

if you can't spend
a little money on your friends?

Friends.

I don't think we're in
the same place on this.

On‐on what, Christmas?

No. Us.

I don't need
any more friends.

Oh.

Okay. Okay.

I understand.

Do you?

No. No, I like you,
and I respect you

and I thought that we were
really hitting it off.

Well, that's the problem.

You're straight, and I'm not

and I've done this before
and it didn't work out

and I am not gonna
do it again.

Yeah, but I'm not asking
for that from you.

I mean,
we're comfortable together.

We have a lot in common.
We have fun together..

That's why I can't be
your friend, Kerry.

[telephone ringing]

‐ You want me to get that?
‐ Uh, yeah. Could you?

Room 914.

Yes.

Hold on.

It's your mother.

She's sleeping right now.
Can I take a message?

I don't know.

Okay.

She wants you to call her.

Would you put a
"Do not disturb" on the phone?

Sure.

Thank you.

[instrumental music]

[theme music]