Emergency! (1972–1979): Season 2, Episode 21 - Audit - full transcript

Hey, you know, you
were right about that game.

I owe you four bits.

Oh. Thanks.

Is there something
bothering you?

I think I’m in trouble.

I got that a couple of weeks
ago and forgot about it.

I was lying there in
bed this morning...

You know how there's
something always hanging

over you, something you
should be worrying about?

Well, when I got up
this morning, it hit me.

I've gotta go to the Internal
Revenue Service tomorrow.



Well, they're only gonna
audit you. It's no big deal.

No big deal?

Roy, this is the Internal
Revenue Service.

Well, you make it sound like the big,
bad wolf. It's nothing to worry about.

Oh, yeah. When you go there, don't
tell them about that four bits I gave you.

They'll be all over you.
Oh, it's Bob Hope now.

Well, you know, the reviews
said it was a bad movie.

But there was nothing else
around, so we went and we saw it.

Johnny?

Johnny?

[ Dispatcher, Indistinct ]

Squad 31, no answer
on the callback number.

There's nothing in
here about it. They don't

even give me a hint
what they got me on.



They haven't got
you on anything yet!

But they wanna see me! Right here.
They wanna see me with my records.

Look, this is just
a routine audit.

They send these things out
to a certain number of people.

It's a spot check.

Yeah? Yeah. Now, come
on. Let's get some work done.

How can you be so sure? I
got audited three years ago.

You...

Wait a minute. You did? Yeah.

Well, what happened? They asked me
some questions. I showed them my records.

We shook hands. Zip.
That's all there was to it.

That's all there was to it? Yep.
Half an hour, in and out. No sweat.

Well, maybe there's— maybe
everything's gonna be all right then.

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

Huh. Huh.

[Alarm Blaring ]

[ Dispatcher] Squad 51, man
injured, 1906 North Hillside.

1906 North Hillside.
Cross street Garvey.

Time out 0923.

Squad 51, KMG-365.

[Siren Blaring ]

[ I Radio Chatter ]

[ Doorbell Rings
] [ Man Moaning ]

Oh! He's right inside here.

[Groaning ]

Let's take a look at you, huh?
What seems to be the trouble?

Who are you? It's all right.

I don't want you!
Now, don't worry.

I want a doctor! All right. We're
firemen. We're paramedics.

Where's that
ambulance? I told you!

I need a doctor in a hospital!

All right, now, look. We're
paramedics. I think we can help you.

You want to help me?
Get me an ambulance.

There's one on the way. Now,
what's wrong with your head?

[ Chuckles ] What's
wrong with my head!

It hurts! Ooh.

- Do you mind if we take a look at it?
- No! There's nothing you can do.

I need a doctor in a hospital.

Were you in an accident?

Oh.

[Sighs] Was he in an accident?

He said he was hit on
the head. That's all I know.

Does he live here?

Oh, no. I heard this pounding on
the door— a-and about 10 minutes ago.

And then— Then there
was all this yelling.

He said that he was hurt
and that he wanted to come in.

And, I mean, I'm here all alone,
and I didn't want to let him in.

I mean, you can
understand that, can't you?

Um, and then, I mean, it sounded
like he fell, so I opened the door,

and, uh, there he
was, on the porch.

Uh, unconscious? Uh-huh.

And then I brought him in
here as best I could and...

I mean, I don't even
know his name or anything.

[Groaning ] What's your name?

John Welman.

Mm-hmm. How old
are you, Mr. Welman?

Thirty-eight.

Where do you live?
Green Gate Apartments.

- Rampart, this is Rescue 51.
- [ Moans ]

Go ahead, 51. [ Gage] Rampart,
we have a male, 38 years old.

Approximately 155, 160 pounds.
He's been struck on the head.

He's complaining of severe pain.

He's just lost consciousness. He won't
let us examine him, says he wants a doctor.

Yeah, he's got a minor
swelling on the back of his head.

His pupils are
normal and reactive.

Rampart, there's a minor
swelling in the back of his head.

Pupils are normal and
reactive. There's no bleeding.

There's no other
apparent signs of injuries.

Respiration's 25.

Okay. B.P.'s 90 over 40.

B.P.is 90 over 40.

Pulse is, uh, 50.

Pulse rate is 50.

51, do you have an
ambulance at the location?

[ Siren Winding Down ] Affirmative,
Rampart. They just arrived.

Transport as soon as possible.

[Siren Blaring ]

[Gasps ]

This is where you
were hit? Yeah. Yeah.

Ow!

Your blood
pressure's 120 over 68,

pulse 72, respiration's 18.

Were you hit anyplace else?

I don't think so.

What it was— I was in the
park, and these kids, you know...

Now, look straight ahead,
please. Teenagers, they were.

Started hassling me,
pushing me around.

I didn't want to make any trouble, so
I just started to walk away from them,

and the next thing you
know, I’m laying on the ground.

Were you knocked out? But good.

Mr. Welman, I want you to
follow my finger with your eyes.

No, no. Keep your
head straight, please.

How long were you out?

Five, 10 minutes. I
don't know for sure.

Do you know what
they hit you with?

Yeah, one of them was carrying a stick,
like a two-by-four, couple of feet long.

I just got myself
across the street to this

house, and I told the
woman to get me a...

Let's get him back down.

Still regular.

How bad am I?

We're still trying to
find out. [Groans ]

It's bad. I know that.

Now, just take it
easy and don't worry.

Mr. Welman, what did it feel
like when you started to pass out?

Ah, nothin'.

You just blacked
out, just like that?

Mm-hmm. Right.

[Sighs] Dix, I want an
echoencephalogram.

Are you on any medication?

No. Have you had any
illness, any problems lately?

Well, uh, my right leg and my
hand— They've been bothering me.

Bothering you how?

They feel heavy, like,
you know, sort of numb.

- Any tingling?
- Uh, no. Mm-mmm.

When did you first become
aware of this numbness?

Uh, it's hard to say.

Uh, a couple of weeks ago maybe.

Listen, are you sure you didn't make a
mistake on Welman's pressure, his pulse?

I’m positive.

That's funny. Everything
I got was normal.

Well, some people
snap back in a hurry, Dix.

Yeah, I suppose. Hey,
you're gonna be audited, huh?

Yeah. Well, that's too bad.

It's just a routine spot check.

Well, what are they checking
for? More money, right?

Exactly.

You know, one of the doctors had
the same kind of notice. Poor guy.

Dix, it took me 20 minutes
to get him calmed down.

Oh, forget I even mentioned it.
No, wait a minute. Wait a minute.

“Poor guy?” What
happened to him?

Well, they had him come back
five or six different times, you know,

checking into all of
his records, all that.

Well, did it cost
him anything extra?

Dix. Oh, sorry.

[Sighs]

[ Whispers ]

Here. Take these, will you?

Twenty-three hundred dollars?

This isn't going to hurt, is it?

You won't feel a thing.

This will give us an indication if
there's any swelling of the tissues...

inside your skull.

And there doesn't seem to be.

[ Chuckles ] Well,
that's good, isn't it?

Well, at least we know
one thing that isn't wrong.

[Groans ] Are you still in pain?

You better believe it.

Mr. Welman, I want you to take
hold of my fingers and squeeze.

Bear down real hard. [Grunts]

Okay.

You're right-handed? Mm-hmm.

Dix, let's get him x-rayed.

Full skull series? Yeah,
as soon as possible.

Full skull series, huh?

Twenty-three hundred bucks?

That's what she said.
Twenty-three hundred bucks.

Look, a doctor's in a different
tax bracket than you are.

You're not going to get ripped
off for that amount of money.

[Sighs] Even a hundred
dollars would hurt.

Yeah, but a doctor has a
lot of questionable items.

He's got office overhead. He's got
expenses— entertainment, whatnot.

You've got a real cut-and-dried
return, so stop worrying.

Yeah, well, I'll still be glad
when tomorrow's over with.

That makes two of us.

Yeah? Follow me,
please, over there.

Well, what's the problem, ma'am?
What's the prob— Ma'am? Uh...

[ Chattering ]

It's terrible—a little baby
left out here like that.

The whole time—
You know he's cold.

I don't know what's wrong
with him. [ DeSoto] Excuse me.

He hasn't stirred! It's
disgraceful. He's been

locked in there for over
an hour that I know of.

I think something's wrong with him.
Certainly something's wrong with him!

He's unconscious.

Well? Well?

Uh...

I just happened to
glance at him as I was on

my way into the market,
and it struck me...

There is something
very odd about that child.

[ Knocking On Window ]

Yeah. Hey, does anyone
know who owns this car?

Then when I finished my shopping—
And that took over an hour...

I looked again, and the
poor thing's still lying there.

[Banging] He hasn't moved.

- Well?
- He's unconscious. You can tell.

It's locked. They're all locked!

- We tried.
- What do you think?

Well, I suppose we could go around
and have this license number paged.

- Well, you gotta do something!
- That's gonna take a while.

There are a lot of stores here.

The roof is hot. I think maybe
the heat might have built up inside.

Lord knows how long he's been
lying in there, broiling in the sun.

Roy, I think we should
get him out of there.

Wonderful idea.

Yeah, uh, there's a coat
hanger I that rear compartment.

I'll get on the phone.

L.A, this is Squad 51.

We have a baby trapped
in a car at 7217 West Vail.

We're handling it. It's in a parking
lot, so we won't need any assistance.

But better contact
the police department.

[ Dispatcher On Radio]
10-4, Squad 51. Time 1246.

[Gage] Excuse me. Excuse me.

Excuse me.

This wing window—
There's no give in it.

All right. We'll
try it here then.

Okay. I'm through.

Dang!

It's a good thing you got an honest job.
You'd never make a living stealing cars.

Don't you have an ax?
Break a window or something.

No, we'd rather do it this way.

- Can I try it?
- Will you just— I can do it.

Did it.

Okay. All right. Let's
take a look at you now.

Come on. It's not
that hot in here.

[Crying]

Let's take a look
at ya. Is he all right?

He doesn't have a fever.
He seems to be fine.

Ah, he was just asleep.

That's a relief!

[ Crying Continues ]

What do we do now?

I think we'd better
get him calmed down.

That's no job for a bachelor.
Let me— Let me take him.

There you are! There!

He's just hungry. So am I.

And wet.

You know, uh,
when they're hungry,

you can rock 'em until,
uh, your arms fall off.

[ Crying Continues ]

Hey! You!

What are you doing
with him? My baby!

Oh. Who are you?
How did you get him?

Uh, well, we're firemen, ma'am,
and we saw him lying here in the car.

What did you do? You broke into
my car? We thought he was sick.

Listen, you had no-no
right to break into my car...

and take my baby!

You see, we were just
trying to help, ma'am.

Well, I'd like to tell you
that I'm perfectly capable...

of taking care of my own child.

I know, ma'am. I don't need
you to meddle in my business.

Now, get out of
here! Okay, ma'am.

Ah, you poor baby.

Some people got a lot
of nerve around here!

Oh, baby.

Normal EEG, and nothing
shows on the X-rays.

We're on teaching rounds,
Mr. Welman, if you don't mind.

Uh, no. Go right
ahead. Be my guest.

Maybe one of you fellas can
figure out what's wrong with me.

Can you raise your head? Please?

Oh. [ Chuckling ]

- Does your head still hurt?
- Yeah, it seems a little better though.

Thank you. Not much of a bump.

He's blacked out twice.

And once while I was
pounding on that woman's door.

Three times. There's no
warning. It's instantaneous.

Mr. Welman, would you, uh...

Would you mind getting up
and taking a few steps for us?

Sure, Doc. Whatever you want.

Oh! Thank you.

That'll be fine.

[Sighs]

This problem with your right
side— Has it been getting any worse?

I'd say so. Yeah.

Echoencephalograph shows
no midline displacement?

Like I said, there's many
puzzling aspects to this case.

Kinda got you stumped, huh, Doc?

Don't you worry about
it. We'll get it sorted out.

Mike, you're presenting
on the next one.

Listen, if there's
anything else you want to

ask me, I'd be more
than happy to cooperate.

Thank you.

What do you do next, Doctor?

A spinal tap, about
a half an hour.

I see what you mean. Not only
that, but this doesn't check out either.

Kel, did you discharge
Welman? No. Why do you ask?

Well, he's not in his room,
and his clothes are gone.

I'll be right back.

[Woman on P.A.] Dr. Adler, wanted in
Surgery. Dr. Adler, wanted in Surgery.

Take a look around the floor.

Hospital security.

Sergeant, this is
Dr. Brackett in Emergency.

One of my patients
just walked out on me.

He may have a
severe head injury.

Well, within the past
10 minutes or so.

John Welman. Uh,
38, about 5'10"...

Weighs about 160.

He's wearing khaki
trousers, I think.

[Dispatcher] Headquarters
2, your destination and ETA—

Yeah, Dick, I'll tell
Captain Stanley.

Hey, Roy? Yeah?

How many guys
questioned you atthel.RS.?

- One.
- One? Is that all?

Huh. Well, that's
not bad, is it?

Hey, Roy. Yeah?

- Just one more question.
- Okay. Let's hope so.

These guys, uh—
They're pretty sharp, huh?

Mm-hmm. That's their job.

It'd be just my luck to get a
real eager beaver on this one.

Look, you made out
an honest return, right?

Course I made out
an honest return.

- I think I got it right.
- Well, then what's your problem?

[ Chuckles ] That's right.

What's my problem?

Everything's gonna be all right.

Hey, Gage, did
you read this article?

“County employee
indicted for tax evasion.”

Can they put you in jail?

Take it easy.

You want me to wait, don't you?

No, I guess not.

How are you gonna get back?
We'll get a lift somewhere.

Man, that don't make sense.

It's all right.
Thanks for the lift.

She needs to see a doctor.

Are you in labor? No, I just
can't seem to catch my breath.

If you'll just sit down there.

She gonna have to wait?

No, I'll get somebody right
away with a wheelchair.

[Woman on P.A. ]
Dr. Baker, report to Surgery.

Dr. Baker, report to Surgery.

Dr. Kandor, go to the
Emergency entrance.

Dr. Kandor, go to the
Emergency entrance.

Oh, I can't breathe. All
right, all right. I'll get you up.

Better make it a little higher.

Okay.

Is that okay? Yeah.

I've had to sit up
the past few nights.

Uh— You can't
breathe lying down?

No. Last night I
almost passed out,

so I told George.

- That's your husband?
- Yeah.

We talked about it, and we both
agreed that I gotta see a doctor.

You're, what— About
seven months' pregnant?

Just about. And you
haven't seen a doctor yet?

Now, please, don't
hassle me about it.

I won't. I promise.

115 over 70.

When did you first notice
this shortness of breath?

It's been coming on, like,
about 10 days, maybe.

Ten days? You should
have come in sooner.

Well, I thought
it would go away.

God, I'm so scared.

Now, how.

Not of me, I hope.

No.

George and I wanted to
have the baby by ourselves.

You mean, no
doctor, no hospital?

No, nothing like that.

Nothing artificial.
Just naturally.

I see.

It can really be a very meaningful,
very beautiful experience for a couple.

And George was premed
before he quit. Shh.

Did you have rheumatic
fever when you were a child?

I don't think so.

Your parents never mentioned it?

No. I had the usual
things. You know.

You've been normally active
most of your life? I’d say so.

Shortness of breath
hasn't interfered?

Oh, no. I hike and I ski
and I work out in the garden.

Dix, let's do a 12-lead E.K.G.

Good morning. I'm Dr. Early.

What seems to be the trouble?

[Groans ] I got this
pain in my stomach.

[Groans ] Lots of pain.

[ Groaning Continues ]

Not only do I have
this pain in my stomach,

Doc, but I have trouble
keeping things down.

Vomiting? Uh-huh.

And lots of time
I bring up blood.

How long has this been going
on? Oh, about a week now.

I haven't got any strength.

What's his pressure?
120 over 70.

Pulse is good.

Do you feel weak right
now, Mr.— Uh, Wells.

Gilbert Wells.

You're darn right. I could
hardly drag myself down here.

Will you show me
where the pain is?

[Groaning ] Right here.

Ohh! Oww!

Is this sensitive here? What
have I been telling you? It hurts.

[Sighs] That doesn't
feel so bad there.

Let's get a C.B.C. on him.

Do you have any other symptoms?

Isn't that enough?
What more do you want?

- Take it easy, Mr. Wells.
- Take it easy?

I brought myself over
here this morning,

and they kept me waiting
out there, and waiting.

They could see I was sick.

We've been a little jammed
up. When did you eat last?

Around 7:00. What did you have?

Cereal and milk. I like juice and
coffee too, but they double me right up.

Were you in pain then?

It hit me around
9:00, maybe, 9:15.

Have you brought up
any blood this morning?

Mm-hmm!

More than usual. It scared me.

That's when [ said to myself,
“Gil, quit fooling around.

You belong in the hospital.”

[ Monitor Beeping ]

[Click] [ Beeping Stops I

Mrs. Barton, one of your heart
valves have been damaged.

It's called mitral stenosis.

Undoubtedly, you had rheumatic fever
when you were a child and nobody caught it.

Now, to put it in
its simplest terms,

your heart isn't quite up to the
added burden of a pregnancy.

There'll have to be some
changes made. For one thing,

forget any idea of your
husband trying to deliver the baby.

Well, just between us,

I wasn't too wild
about that part.

Then I think the best thing is for
you to stay here at the hospital.

Oh, well, I’m not
sure about that.

Well, I am. Very sure.

You're going to need
constant medical supervision

for the next couple
of months at least.

Oh, I knew it.

Oh, I've been so scared if...

Well, you should be.

We're gonna make
a lot more tests.

But I’m practically
certain right now that

you can complete your
pregnancy successfully.

It's George. He...

Are you afraid of him?

No, not of him.

It's just, I know how much
he was counting on this.

You know, it...

It was really nice for a while,

cutting back to the basics
and doing everything ourselves.

It's really very
simple and quiet.

Serene.

Really very nice.

[Sighs] But having a baby...

That's, like, for real.

For me, anyway.

But George, I— I
don't know. He...

Have you talked
it over with him?

[Sighs] Yeah.

I've tried.

But I know how he feels.

And I haven't come out
in just so many words,

but, well, George is
very rigidly structured.

I mean, he talks about consistency
in our lifestyle and all that.

Well, I would have
gone through with it.

I really didn't want
to let him down.

Is he still outside, Dix?

Yeah. He said he'd wait.

Doctor, it's important to him.

You don't know how
hard he's worked.

Well, unfortunately
the campout's over.

And I think I should prepare you
for the fact that, in all probability,

your wife may not be able to have
another child without heart surgery.

[ Exhales ]

Does she know that?

Well, I think she suspects.
I haven't told her anything.

She's pretty upset as it is.

Yeah, I can imagine.

She's gonna have
to stay in the hospital?

I’m afraid so.

[ Exhales ] That's gonna
take a lot of money.

Yes, it is.

Well, that changes
everything, man.

All our plans... just finished.

Can I see her, Doctor?

Well, now, that all depends on
what you want to talk to her about.

More than anything she's
worried about how you're

gonna take this, and if
you're gonna reproach her...

Oh, there's no way, Doctor.

I mean, it's one thing to talk about
having a baby when you’re months off.

But when it gets close— I'm
not sure I could have handled it.

In fact, I know I couldn't have. So
I’m not gonna lay anything on her head.

Okay, let's go tell her that.

[Woman on P.A. ]
Call for Dr. Alex Lopez.

Good morning.

Well? Well what?

- Well, how'd you make out?
- Down at the Internal Revenue Service.

Oh, that.

Keeps us up half
the night last shift with

his I.R.S. phobia,
and he says, “Oh, that.”

[ Coffee Pouring ]

They didn't find
anything wrong, did they?

Oh, yeah, there was a mistake.

See, I didn't loop the top of my
nine. It made it look like a four.

Well, it's either five
bucks or 50 bucks.

Fifty. Oh, that hurts.

Oh, not me.

It was in their favor, but when
they checked my taxes again,

it turned out that
they owed me $4.72.

Well, see, now? I
told you not to worry.

Oh, I wasn't worried.

What do you mean, you weren't
worried? You were paralyzed.

Oh, come on now. I
might have been a little

concerned, but I
certainly wasn't paralyzed.

[Sighs]

What's to eat?

Got room for a weary
body in here, Kel?

Sure, Joe. Come
on in and sit down.

Been one of those mornings, huh?

Yeah. Frantic. Yeah, same here.

I got kind of a
funny one, Kel. Oh?

It puzzles me. It's
a male, late 30s.

Presents severe upper
abdominal pain and weakness.

Claims he's been bringing
up blood for a week.

But everything's normal—
Vitals, blood count.

And I can't find
anything in the X-ray.

His name wouldn't be Welman,
by any chance, would it?

Well, could he be faking? It
occurred to me. That's the puzzler.

I tried to aspirate him,
and he gagged in the tube.

And there was no question
about it— He threw up blood.

Hmm.

Who's Welman?

Oh, some phony that came
in a couple of days ago.

Claimed a head injury. There
were a lot of inconsistent symptoms.

Stayed around for about
four hours and then just left.

I notified the police, and, as it
turns out, they've got a file on him.

He's a professional patient.

Dixie checked our
records, and, as it is, he's

been at Rampart four
times in the last year.

Five, including the other day.

I'm gonna post his
picture. Good idea.

Is it possible to fake
gastric bleeding?

- Yeah.
- Make that six, Kel.

He's right down the hall.

[ Dispatcher] Station
51, Engine 7, Truck 34.

Man trapped at the construction
site, 1210 East Evans.

[ Sirens Wailing ]
1210 East Evans.

Cross street Blake.
Timeout 1710 [ Horn Blowing ]

[Sighs] Well, how are
you feeling, Mr. Welman?

Miserable. Hey, when are you
gonna do something for me?

The way you people are organized, I
could die and you wouldn't even know it.

- Why'd you run out on me the other day?
- I felt better.

Sol left. Whatever
you did worked.

I didn't do anything.
I examined you.

Hey, would you take care of my stomach?
Because he's not doing me any good.

- Why don't you come off it, Welman.
- Yeah, knock it off, Welman.

You've been in half the hospitals
in this county in the past two years.

[ Chuckling ]

You were gettin”
on to me, weren't ya?

When you looked at my
hand, it all at once hit me...

I should have scratched it,
put a little cigarette burn on it.

Mm-hmm. And your right shoe should
have had a little more unusual wear.

You're the sharpest
I've bumped into yet.

You know, I had one
guy going for 11 days.

I mean, a real big specialist.
Had him climbing the walls.

Man, that was
beautiful. [ Laughs]

- Is that the game— fooling doctors?
- It's a kick.

And I like hospitals.

People looking after
ya, fussin' all over ya.

It's A-okay, Doc.

Taking doctors away from
people who really need care?

Oh, they're better off without
'em. I was a medic in the army.

Oh? Is that how you learned to
manipulate your pulse and blood pressure?

[ Chuckles ]

Ah, doctors.

Struttin' around in white coats like
they got the last word on everything.

“Corporal, hurry up
with that specimen!

Get this down to the
lab on the double.”

“Yes, sit?”

Pompous idiots! Uh-huh.

A couple of guys were gonna write
me— Me— up in the medical journals.

[ Chuckles ] If they could ever
figure out what was wrong with me.

Well, I think I'll be on my way.

I, uh—I'd like you to stick
around a little longer.

You can't keep me! I
haven't broken any law!

That's right. But I'd like to
have you examined further.

No spinal taps. I don't dig "em.

No, that's not
what I had in mind.

No! Have you ever
seen a psychiatrist?

Well, I think you should.

Psychiatrist? Hmm.

[ Chuckles, Laughs ]

Yeah. Yeah. That
might be very interesting.

[Sighs] I'll arrange it.

Yeah, you do that, Doc.

[ Laughing ]

Psychiatrist. Huh. Yeah.

I don't know how much
good psychiatry will do.

Still, I'll bet he had a
really weird childhood.

Well, if he didn't, I bet he comes up with
one before I get a psychiatrist to him.

[Approaching Sirens Wailing ]

He's down there! What happened?

We were pouring cement in the
basement and one of the forms broke.

Okay, let's take a look.

Here's the form!

Okay, you're all right. Come on up
and get some fresh air. How many hurt?

Just Milt here.

He thinks his left leg
is broken, and the right

one's got one of those
rods going through it.

We can't get at him until
we get this muck out of here.

How long? We're almost there.

[DeSoto ] Looks like
you got yourself in a bind.

Rampart. Rescue 51.

Marco, see if you can get one
of their hoses up in here. Right.

This is Rampart
Emergency. Go ahead, 51.

Rampart, we have a man
trapped at a construction site.

Uh, possible broken leg.
Maybe some other injuries.

Uh, he's inaccessible
right now. Please stand by.

10-4, 51. Standing by.

Hey, look!

That's fixin' to go. All
right, you men, over here

on the double. Let's get
this thing shored up. Quick!

Come on. Let me have one
of those braces. Over here.

[Approaching Siren Blaring ]

- [Gasps]
- [ Firemen, Workers Chattering ]

[Creaking ]

All right, that's enough.

Let me have a look here.

Cap, we're gonna need the bolt cutters
and a hacksaw. You got 'em. Kelly?

Captain, talk to
you a minute? Sure.

[ Brackett On Radio] Rescue 51.

Rescue 51. Go ahead.

51, start an I.V. with D5W, and let
me know as soon as you get him free.

D5W. 10-4.

What's the situation?

His left leg's broken.

He's got a rod through
his right leg about yea thick.

Now, we're gonna have to
cut that from top and bottom.

How long is that gonna
take? It's gonna take

a while. He's all tangled
up underneath there.

Hey, Milt. Yeah?

Look, Milt, you're stuck
in there pretty good.

I got the whole crew on
the other side of this thing

trying to strip the form,
relieve the pressure.

Come on, Lou,
that's gonna take time.

And what you're done on this
side— It's-it's Mickey Mouse.

Yeah.

There's another way
to get you out of there.

[Milt] Right.

Take off my leg.

[ Form Creaking ]

Can you guys give me
something to ease the pain?

Now, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.

Milt, look, man, we
can't make that decision.

Can't we put a cofferdam
up here or something?

Now, look, there's 60
yards of concrete up there.

When that thing lets go, it's
gonna wipe this place clean.

How long is that gonna hold?

I won't guarantee you
longer than right now.

Now, look, I don't know how much
time I have left, but I want those years.

Yeah, I’m gonna get on
the phone to the hospital.

[ Creaking Continues ]

Rampart Base, this is Rescue 51.

Go ahead, 51.

Rampart, we have a problem here.

I have a victim with a reinforcing
rod through his right leg.

He's in immediate
danger of concrete falling

and trapping him in
before we can cut that rod.

Removal of the leg may be
necessary to keep him alive.

He's given us permission.

10-4, 51. I understand.

Joe— I'll go. Dix, will you
get me an ambulance?

51, what's the location?

[ DeSoto] 1210 East Evans.

51, Dr. Early's on his way.

The doctor's on his way.

That's gonna take time too.

I'll work on the rod.

[Loud Cracking ]

[Rumbling ]

Okay, Doc, I think you'd
better go ahead with this thing.

I’m gonna give you a shot here.

It will take a couple minutes.

A couple of minutes.

You really don't want
to do this thing, do ya?

No.

Friend, I wouldn't either.

[ Exhales ] How
long will it take?

Oh, not too long.

Well, look at it this way...

I don't dance. I don't bowl.
All I do is sit around all day.

[Sighs] Got a strong union.

Maybe I'll get a desk job.

Look, I'll be right back.

[ Creaking Continues ]

Rampart Base, this is Rescue
51. Is there any word on Dr. Early?

He left about five minutes ago.

Rampart, we're
running out of time.

This man wants
me to take off his leg.

What am I gonna do?

51, I can't advise you
on that. Nobody can.

Whatever you do,
you've got to decide.

I understand.

10-4, Rampart. [
Beams Cracking ]

You got any feeling in this leg?
No, I don't have any feeling in it.

Look, I know what I’m
talking about. This thing

is gonna go. So let's
get it over with, will ya?

I got it!

[Gage] He should be clear now.

[DeSoto ] Great!
Let's get outta here!

Chet!

Give him a hand in there. Ow!

All right, easy now, easy
now. Watch your step. Watch it.

Hold it. Hold it.

[Grunts] There. Okay.

[ Milt Groaning ]

Okay. [Gage] Wait a minute!

Okay— Watch his leg!
Watch his leg! [ Milt Screams ]

Okay. Okay, on three.

All right, let's go. Easy.

[Rumbling ]

Sure glad that was
you back there, not me.

Thanks. Just being honest.

[ Exhales ]

[ Exhales ]

What were you
gonna do back there?

I don't know.

I really don't know.

Squad 51 available.

[ Dispatcher On Radio]
Squad 51. [ Engine Starts ]