Saving Hope (2012–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Consenting Adults - full transcript

A routine surgical procedure goes awry when Alex's patient, a soon-to-be-wed young woman, falls into a coma. While Alex struggles with a case that hits close to home, Joel treats a patient ...

(Alex) I will go in from
the top left of your belly.

The leiomyoma is
on the wall of your bowel,

and since it's small,
I will remove it laparoscopically.

(Charlie) We take pains to be clear
with our patients...

what we're going to do,
what might go wrong...

all to explain
why we're touching them.

We spend our days touching people.

And we'll also have to remove
a small segment of your jejunum,

and then I will staple the ends together,

but that is normal for this procedure.

- Normal?
- (Alex) Yes.



Mom, please don't harass Dr. Reid.

I'm not harassing her. I just want to know

everything there is to know
about your surgery.

I'm so sorry, Dr. Reid.

Totally fine. Now is the time
to ask me anything.

Whoa. (chuckles) Wrong thing to say.

Sandhya keeps saying
that she's got a tumor

but that it's not cancer.

Now is this true, or is she just
saying that so I won't worry?

Leiomyomas are rarely cancerous,
but after we remove the tumor,

we will examine it under
a microscope and make 100% sure.

Well, we've planned
a pre-wedding celebration

for Sandhya, a puja,

but it's next weekend,
and I'm worried that



she won't be healed from
the surgery by then.

Well, since we are going
in laparoscopically,

she will be able to go
home by the end of the day.

Sandhya Ahuja?

Yeah.

This is Victor.

He'll prep you for your surgery,

and then I'll see you in there.

Okay. (sighs)

Come with me. Right through here.

How are you doing today?

As soon as I'm finished,
I'll come and talk to you.

- Thank you.
- Thanks.

She's gonna be fine, mom. She'll be fine.

Hi. What's up?

Hey, I was looking for you.

I'm booked solid, back-to-back surgeries,

and I need a favor.

- Another favor.
- Shoot.

I am bringing in a masseuse
today to see Charlie.

Ooh, a masseuse.

Her name's Ashley.

Ooh. Ashley. (chuckles)

I know. Sounds like a blonde.

With a D-cup and braces.

Charlie wishes.

Anyway, the reason I'm bringing her in is

because she works with coma patients.

Don't judge.

No. Every little bit helps.

So do you mind keeping an eye out for her

and buzz me when she gets here?

- Sure.
- Great.

(lowered voice) Here comes trouble.

Dawn.

Alex, hi.

- Hi.
- Hi.

Uh, I'm sorry for just dropping in.

I'm here for a new vascular
methodology conference.

Oh. Well, do you want to see Charlie?

Is that okay?

Of course.
He'd be happy you were here.

(indistinct conversations,
telephone rings in distance)

(sirens wailing)

So how are you feeling?

Feeling like crap is how I'm feeling.

Almost passed out on the way down here.

You been drinking?

It's 10:00 in the morning.

Taking drugs.

No.

I am not taking any drugs.

Oh. All right.

Well, we'll get a nurse down here.

She'll take your temperature
and blood pressure.

I'm sure it's just the flu.

It's not the flu.

These are infected!

What are your horns made of?

Silicone implants.

They'll be harder and twice
as long when I'm done.

(chuckles) I bet you say
that to all the gals.

Do you mind if I touch them?

No.

Look, I know what's wrong,

so could you just give
me some antibiotics,

and I'll get out of here?

Actually, I think you may
need more than antibiotics.

Just wait here, okay?

Okay.

(Dawn) He's not better.
(Alex) He's not worse.

No, you're not understanding me.
He's not getting better.

Alex, don't react.
Just take a deep breath.

What do you want me to say?
I come in here every morning,

hoping today's the day he wakes up.

- He had pneumonia?
- Yes, and he beat it.

Is this the lost soul?

The man I'm here to work my magic on?

(case clatters, latches click) To, uh...

bring back from the brink?

This guy's not touching me.
D-don't let that happen.

You're Ashley?

You were expecting a lady.

That's a common mistake.

Ashley.

What's the guitar for?

Well, music is freedom.

(strums chords)

Okay, okay. We're just in
the middle of something.

Could you just give us
a couple of minutes?

Oh. My time is your money.

Thank you.



(singing indistinctly)

(sighs) Coma arousal therapy.

You're the one that suggested it.

Where did you find him, clown school?

Well, he was highly recommended.

You know what? I don't know why
I'm explaining myself to you.

You're not the one here every day.

Exactly. I have perspective,

and what I see...
and I am not attacking you...

what I see is that
Charlie is not waking up.

(monitor beeping rhythmically)

He will.

I have to get back to my conference.

It was nice seeing you, Alex.

Don't doubt yourself.
You know me better than anyone.

(sighs) I'm right...

here.

We're giving you some medication, Sandhya.

It'll make you very sleepy.

Okay.

(monitor beeping steadily)

And this is just oxygen.

(ventilator hissing)

Wow. (chuckles) Wow.

- Hey, Dr. Reid?
- Mm-hmm?

Are you married?

I'm engaged, actually.

- Me, too.
- I heard. Congratulations.

Yeah. Sanjay.

He looks like Hrithik Roshan.

(chuckles) Bollywood star. Gorgeous.

Sandhya, can you count down
from ten for me, please?

Uh... ten... mm...

She's out. Sevoflurane.

(vaporizer hisses) Done.

Okay.

Let's take this girl's tumor out,

get her the temple on time.

Bowel looks good.

Tissue's clean.

No sign of any other tumor.

We'll have eyes on this
in just a sec here.

(monitor beeping rapidly) Status?

- Blood pressure rising.
- Body temp?

Rising as well. 103.

C.O.2 65. Blood pressure 150/100.

We need to hyperventilate.
I'm removing the ports.

Turning her off the gas.
Giving her 100% oxygen. (beep)

Put her on a propofol drip.

Temp?

Still rising. 104.

- We need to bring it down.
- Peak "T" wave on the E.C.G.

Too much potassium.
It's malignant hyperthermia.

Get me the M.H. kit.

She needs dantrolene, cooling blankets.

Suture gun now. (beep)

(clicks)

Okay. Patient's convulsing.
We've got an emergency.

- Everybody, move now.
- Yep.

Got it? She needs the dantrolene.

We've got to get her temp
down or she's gonna arrest.

Bolus her with cool saline.

She's on fire. Come on, Sandhya.

What's happening with my M.H. kit?!

- I've gotta mix it, doctor. I'm on it.
- Can't you go any faster?!

No. Shut up so we can concentrate. Ohh.

What's going on?

An adverse reaction to the anesthetic.

It wasn't in her file.

We have dantrolene going
through her system,

but we need the temperature to go down.

Is it?

Uh... temp falling. 102.9.

It's gotta drop faster.

Come on. Come on. Come on!

Temp 102.8. 102.7.

- Good. C.O.2?
- 50 and dropping.

"T" waves are normalizing.

Pupil activity. Come on, come on, come on.

We got it.

That's great news,
if you didn't cook her brain.

(sighs)

She only had local anesthetics
in her history, no general.

No family history of
malignant hyperthermia.

Why'd it take so long to
get her on the dantrolene?

We moved as fast as we could.

Yeah, so why isn't she waking up?

Get her up to the I.C.U.
Have Shahir take a look.

What do we tell her family?

We tell them what we know,
that she had a reaction

to the anesthetic. She's unconscious.

Yeah, but her pupils are reactive.

They're tracking to stimuli,
and that's very good news.

- Reid, you're not a neurologist.
- I know that,

but I don't want to
frighten Sandhya's family

before we know what's going on for sure.

And I don't want to give 'em false hope.

We can't wake her up,
and that's not good, okay?

(monitor beeping steadily)

(sighs)

Okay. Let's try 45 across.

Okay. (speaks indistinctly)

I, uh... I don't know.

I don't... I don't know that one.

What's wrong?

(telephone rings in distance)

We believe Sandhya had
a reaction to her anesthetic.

I wasn't able to finish the surgery.

Is she okay?

She's stable now.

We're sending her for more tests.

Uh, c... um, can we see her?

Not yet. She's unconscious.

(sighs, voice breaks)
This isn't happening.

Mrs. Ahuja, in a situation like this,

things can change minute by minute,

and depending on what we discover,

I promise, there's no reason
why Sandhya won't wake up

and walk out of here today, okay?

Listen to her, mom, okay?
She's the doctor.

She, um, she knows what she's saying.

Dr. Reid.

(indistinct conversations)

I will come and find you as
soon as we know anything.

Okay.

(telephone ringing in distance)

(lowered voice) Less is more, Reid.

So you realize these kinds of
implants are illegal, right?

Could you just give me something for 'em,

and I'll get out of here?

We're just awaiting the
results of your blood test.

It'll be any minute now.

So where'd you get these done?

I own my own tattoo parlor.

Mm-hmm.

Everything from belly
buttons to prince Alberts.

- You know what that is?
- Yes, I do.

It's a ring through the
glans of the penis.

Five years now I've had
my business, no problems.

Everything you see here...
did it all myself.

So you put these horns in your own head.

How do you deal with the anesthetic?

I don't use it. It's too dangerous.

Okay, so, Barry, is it?

It's Karn, actually.

Okay, Karn, what you have here is

two transdermal implants gone awry.

The source of the contamination
is possibly the knife

you used to cut your own skin,
or it's the implants themselves.

Diagnosis, Dr. Lin?

- Cellulitis.
- At the very least,

but my concern is osteomyelitis.

What's that?

It's an infection of the bone.
Now we'll need to get a C.T.

to see if the cranial vault
has been compromised.

Compromised how?

The infection could be eroding your skull.

You want to take off my horns.

- If I have to, yeah.
- No way. (sighs)

It took me a year of work to build 'em up.

Well, it's your decision,
but if it is osteomyelitis,

then all those nasty germs
could go from your skull

into your brain, and if that happens,

then you're facing meningitis,
brain abscess, possible death.

But we won't know without a C.T.,

so first things first, okay?

(sighs) Yeah.

(lowered voice) You might want
to talk to your friend Gavin

about a psych consult.

I have a feeling that Damien
is gonna resist treatment.

That's not his name. It's Karn.

"Karn" is not his name, either.

(curtain rings swoosh)

You're a shrink?

(chuckles) I prefer
"psychiatrist," but yeah.

Unbelievable.

I come here for help,
and they send me you.

Dr. Goran is worried
that you don't want to be treated.

Treated how? Treated like a freak?

'Cause you guys...

you guys are knocking it out
of the park on that one.

I just want to ask you a few questions.

Is that all right?

Okay. Great.

(chair wheels rattle) So, Karn, uh,

tell me, when did you
start modifying your body?

I got my first tattoo at 13,

my first piercing at, uh, 16.

And you did most of this yourself?

Yeah, but I'm trained to do it,

like you're trained to do... this.

It must've been painful.

Most reasonable people shy away from pain.

Pain's an attitude.

If you have a goal, you get over it.

What's your goal?

You wouldn't get it.

Try me.

I have a dream of what I want to be.

I want to take what's on the inside,

and I want to put it on the outside.

I want to mark my body
with my identity,

with my story.

Hmm.

What story is this one telling?

I got that one when my dad passed,

to mark it, to help me grieve.

It's a pretty dark image.

Yeah, well, my dad was a pretty hard guy.

He was military.

Was he abusive?

No. My dad did not abuse me.

He just didn't like me.

I'm just trying to understand you, Karn.

You operate on your body continually.

So what? It's my body.

(chuckles and sighs)

Skydiving is dangerous.

Car racing. Smoking. Eating fast food.

The people that do all those things...

are they crazy, too?

Hmm. All right. (scribbles)

(papers rustle)
Well, thanks for talking to me, Karn.

(pen clicks) I think we're done.

Great.

Go tell the surgeon to cut
out the freak's horns.

Actually, I'm gonna tell Dr. Goran

that you're as sane as any of us.

Good luck.

In Charlie's chart, it says
he has no response to stimuli.

Not that I've seen.

So he's in a persistent vegetative state.

That's not a term I use.

You know, there have
been hundreds of studies

on coma patients, Dr. Bell,

and we still don't understand why

one wakes up and one doesn't.

Okay, but... in your opinion?

Charlie's chances of recovery
are small but not impossible.

So he could stay like this forever?

Yes. Or he could wake up.

Or he could suffer from a bed sore,

turn septic, and die.

We just don't know.

Shahir, I need you to look me in the eye

and tell me that you think
Charlie will wake up.

Alex is committed to Charlie's recovery.

I'm not talking about Alex.
I'm talking about you.

Well, I can't answer that. Sorry.

(indistinct conversations)

Where are you going with this, Dawn?

This isn't about you anymore.

Stay out of it.

Hello? Hello? (gasps)

No one can see me or hear me. Can you?

Yeah.

(panting) Ohh. Thank god.

Thank god.

Hi. (chuckles)

Hmm. I've seen this before.

A teen I treated with blunt force trauma

after a skiing accident.

No brain stem damage

and normal brain and pupil activity.

We couldn't wake him.

So you don't actually have a prognosis.

Well, the next 48 hours are critical.

Come on. You can say that
about every critical patient.

You can't give us something
a little more concrete?

Unless she crashes or wakes,
it's a waiting game.

And there's nothing we can do?

- No.
- My office in 15.

We'll tell the family what we know,

which, unfortunately, isn't much.

(monitor beeping rhythmically,
ventilator hissing)

I am so sorry.

It isn't your fault, Alex.
It's a rare reaction.

I know that,

but she's about to get married,
and she's too young for this.

I can't just stand by and wait.

Sometimes all we can do is wait.

You tell that to her family.

Kinda want to jump back into it, don't ya?

Just get back into your body
and make yourself wake up.

No, actually.

I'm in no rush.

♪ you are my chi ♪

♪ you are my energy ♪

♪ you are my chi ♪

Yeah. You have to fire him.

I know.

Mel, the woman in room 304...

Yeah, she was your patient. I know.

I want to know about any
change in her status,

no matter how small, okay?

I'm your I.C.U. spy. (chuckles)

First Charlie. Now the new girl.

Has Dawn been back to see Charlie?

- No.
- Good.

If she does, don't let her in.

She doesn't have my permission.

- Got it.
- Thanks.

♪ you are my chi ♪

I know he's flaky...

Mm-hmm.

And I will hand him his pink slip.

I will...

but just not right now, okay?

I kinda find it...

comforting that someone
is here with Charlie

when I can't be.

♪ you are my energy ♪

♪ you are my chi ♪

♪ ee-ee-ee ♪

(sighs)

Uh, so this is another hallway.

People kinda pass through here

on their way to... other places.

(laughs) It may be boring for you,

but I am happy to have a break.

(chuckles)
You're taking this really, really well.

Listen, I-I don't wanna burst your bubble,

but you might not...

I might die?

Yeah.

And you're right.

I guess I should be scared
or weirded out, but I'm not.

Maybe it's because I'm hindu,
and I believe in reincarnation.

So you're not afraid of dying?

(sighs) My dad passed away,

and the only thing that
helped me through was

the thought that I would
be with him again,

maybe on an astral plane, maybe back here.

Okay, what do you think
happens after we die?

Uh, what happens when we die?

Um... (sighs)

Nothing. We, uh, we die.
We go in the ground.

That's it. Game over.

That's science, and I'm, uh, I'm a doctor.

I can tell you exactly
how the human body works.

I'm not talking about the body.

No, you're talking about the soul...

electrical synapses in the brain,

yada yada yada. Uh, more science.

So then how am I standing
here and talking to you?

See, I haven't quite
figured that part out yet.

That's my point.

Hey.

Hey. So I finished my evaluation.

Mm-hmm.

Karn isn't delusional
or even body dysmorphic.

Well, he's definitely not normal.

See, that's the thing, Joel.

You may not like the patient's choices,

but he's a sane and
competent decision-maker.

Great. Well, his skull's still infected,

and he might get septicemia,
so the horns have to come off.

The body mods are his identity.

It's who he is,
so you can't just go in there

and order him to do whatever you want.

You have to sit down with him.
You have to talk him through it.

Yeah, maybe then I'll show him the C.T.,

I'll point out exactly
where his brain's turning

into mashed potatoes.

(telephone rings in distance)

Are we done here?

Do you ever think of the other person?

Like, anyone who isn't you?

I'm not gonna dignify that with an answer.

Okay.

Sandhya has had a rare reaction

to a routine medication
called sevoflurane.

It's, uh, 1 in 50,000.

It's an anesthetic that we administer

in vapor form during surgery.

The reaction raised her body temperature,

and it has affected her brain.

(voice breaks) Is she going to die?

There is always a chance that
she could develop complications.

Internal bleeding is a possibility,

heart failure, stroke,

but of more immediate concern
is that Sandhya is in a coma.

A coma? (sighs)

(sighs) We were told
she was just unconscious.

When I spoke with you earlier today,

we weren't sure.

Well, how long will she be asleep?

We don't know.

Dr. Hamza is a renowned neurosurgeon.

He's treating Sandhya, and for now,

all we can do is wait.

(voice breaking) You promised me.

You told me that she would
wake up and walk out of here.

Today.

- Mrs. Ahuja...
- You said that.

Was it a lie?

Come on, mom.

(voice breaks)
Let's go get a coffee, okay?

You told me her surgery was simple,

and now my daughter is dying.

How can you live with yourself?

"I promise you your
daughter will wake up today"

"and walk out of here"?

I said it was a possibility.
I know that it's...

You are a doctor.

Every word that comes out of your mouth,

they hang on to, they believe in,

so you basically lied to them.

(papers rustle)

Sandhya is not Charlie,

and you have no idea what
that family is going through.

None.

(door opens and closes)

(sighs)

(cooing)

Winston Churchill?

Yeah. Looks like him.

Ah, but reincarnation is not that simple.

Okay. Who is he then?

I'm torn between Winston...

and Kurt Cobain.

(whispers) What?

(normal voice) No, no, no, no, no.

Hear me out.

He's got Winston's cheeks,

but I feel his soul is more complicated.

(cooing continues)

You look sad, Charlie.

Are you worried you
won't get to have kids?

No. (sighs)

I'm worried that the people
I love are forgetting who I am

'cause all they see is a comatose body.

Well, it doesn't take a coma

for people to not see who you really are.

Take my fiance, for example.

(gasps)

My fiance. Did... didn't I just say that?

(panting) What's happening to me?

I'm not sure.

What is it?

Her leg's white from the mid-calf down.

(sighs) Arterial thrombosis?

Blood clot in the femoral artery.

I gave her an angiogram.

So we're doing an emergency thrombectomy?

Yep. Right now.

- What's that?
- Mom.

She has a blood clot.
We need to remove it.

- I need to be with her.
- Mom.

- I'm sorry. You can't.
- No, I... there's no way I'm leaving her...

- Mom, come on.
- With you again.

You can have a seat in the waiting room.

Dr. Reid and I need to move fast.

- No.
- (panting) Mom.

I'll come and talk to
you as soon as I can.

I... (sighs) please, Mrs. Ahuja.

Okay, mom. Come on. Sit down.

Is this dangerous?

Yes.

But don't worry.

Dr. Reid's done this procedure
hundreds of times before.

She knows what she's doing.

(sighs) Yeah. Heard that before.

Losing a patient or harming a patient

is every surgeon's worst nightmare,

but it happens, and you should know

that your doctor feels guilty and awful.

Do you know her?

I do. She's my fiancee.

(Melanda) You're close.

(sighs) Where the hell is it?

I thought it was right there.

Maybe we're not down far enough.

Might be up against the wall.

I'll look.

Yeah.

There it is. (sighs)

It's up against the left wall.
I just need to move past it.

(beeps)

Okay.

Get ready to inflate the balloon.

(beeps)

(beeps)

Okay. (sighs) inflating.

(sighs) Okay. Balloon inflated.

You got it. She's golden.

Let's get this thing out of her.

(beeps)

Oh.

(sighs)

You rock.

Ohh. (sighs)

Vascular clamp.

(beeps)

Then I'll suture.

Uh, I can do it, if you like.

(panting) Thanks.

I have to go talk to the family,

convince them this is good news,
despite all the bad news.

What are my chances, do you think?

Uh, that all depends on
how long you stay under.

Have long have you been in your...

Uh, over a month.

Yeah. I know. My...
my prospects aren't terrific.

God. I should be consoling you.

You know what?

All things considered,

today's been a pretty good day.

(indistinct conversations)

Who's that?

Sanjay, my fiance.

Oh.

Do you want to be...

I want to get away from him,

as far away from him as I can.

(telephone rings)

Miller, my patient... you seen him?

- Karn?
- Yeah.

Checked himself out,
signed a refusal of treatment,

- and took off.
- You didn't try and stop him?

Of course I tried to stop him.

I did everything I could to stop him,

but if the guy wants to go,
he's allowed to go.

I don't make up the rules.

(moans)

(groans)

(wheezes)

(groans)

- Karn.
- Hey. Watch where you're walking, freak.

Ah. Sorry.

What did you say?

Get a load of this guy.

- You want to do this?
- No. No. No. No. No. No.

- It's cool. Karn. Karn. Karn.
- What's he got? Rabies?

Hey. You're delirious.
You need to let me help you.

You stay away from me.

Maybe you should take him to the vet.

You should just back off.

- Take it back! Take it back!
- Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.

Let's go. Come on.
Guys, both of you... enough.

Enough.

(grunts)

Karn! Hey.

(speaks indistinctly)
You okay? You all right?

Can-can you sit?

(groans)

(monitor beeps rhythmically)

Didn't want to let go of his horns, huh?

Not even if it killed him.

People are strange.

Yeah.

He's out there, all right,

but at least he's living his own story.

(chuckles)
Look who's turning into a softie.

(chuckles)

(monitor beeps)

Okay, I'm going to cut out the horns

And scrape the infection from the skull.

You're the man.

You know, I had a boyfriend
once who had a pierced tongue.

Kissing him was like

making out with a shish kebab.

You like to share, don't you, Victor?

Yeah.

My fiance comes to see me,

and I run.

That's a terrible thing to do.

Well, I don't think he noticed,

if that makes you feel any better.

I'm supposed to marry him
this weekend, Charlie,

so why...

Because you don't love him.

So why do you wanna marry him?

I have to.

It's been arranged. It's a big deal.

I promised my father that...

You'd spend the rest of your life

with someone you don't love?

Okay.

What's-what's wrong with this guy?

I love to sing,

but I have the worst voice in the world.

Who cares? Right?

I wanted karaoke at our reception.

He said no.

And it's not just that.

He doesn't want to travel.

He wants kids, which is great,

except I don't even really
think that he likes them.

You know, I was married
to the wrong... woman...

once.

And then one day, I found myself engaged

to the right woman.

How did you know that
she was the right one?

Oh, because she-she got me,

you know, warts and all.

And every new thing I learned about her

just made me love her more.

Listen, when you say
you're a lousy singer,

like, how bad are we talking?

Are we talking, like... like,
professional lousy

or are we talking, like,
real person lousy, 'cause...

Oh, we're talking pretty lousy.

Sing. I want to hear it. Come on.

Okay.

♪ people say I'm the life of the party ♪

♪ 'cause I make a joke or two ♪

That's great.

(both) ♪ although I might be
laughing loud and hearty ♪

♪ deep inside deep inside I am blue ♪

♪ doo, doo, doo, doo ♪

♪ so take a good look at my face ♪

♪ doo, doo, doo ♪

♪ you see my ♪

♪ smile looks out of place... ♪

(gasps)

(panting)

Sandhya?

I had that strange feeling again.

Sandhya?

(gasps)

Come with me.

Come with me.
I think I know what's wrong with you.

Hey.

I'm Dr. Goran.

Hey. I'm Karn's wife Kat.

Nice to meet you.

You, too. How's he doing?

He's doing very well, actually.

Yeah. How you doing, mate?

- Um, his surgery was...
- I'm awake.

Wanna see daddy?

So the surgery was a success.

Uh, we were able to excise
all the infected bone.

I'm going to put you on
some oral antibiotics.

As soon as you're in the clear,
we'll discharge you.

Thank you.

You've got a beautiful family here, Karn.

Hope they get to keep you around.

What does that mean?

It means you can't work
on yourself anymore.

Because only a guy like you
can do something like that?

No, because unless you're in an O.R,
it's not sterile.

You're going to get an infection,
guaranteed.

I'll think about it.

Good.

And you can think about it...
(sighs)

because we saved your brain today.

(horns rattle)

(monitor beating steadily)

Okay. What else?

What if Sandhya's
reaction to the anesthetic

affected her intracranial pressure

and her brain is infarcted?

I tested that. The profusion
scan came out normal.

She doesn't see the thing
that's right in front of her.

There's no way that you can tell her?

Maybe we can find a psychic.

Uh, yeah. That's not gonna work.

What if she was encephalopathic?

Mm, she'd still have a fever.

- Does she?
- No.

Alex, take a step back.
This isn't just a coma.

You're too focused on the test.
You're not seeing the symptoms.

(cell phone buzzes)

(sighs) You've gotta be kidding me.

I told you to get rid of him.

Oh, no. What now?

I caught him massaging sadhya.

Her family went for a walk,
and he sneaked in here.

- What?
- It was reiki. I-I didn't touch her.

I just moved her energy around.

Of course you did.

(sighs) Oh, ye of little faith.

No room for faith in science, Ash.

No place for invading
my patient's privacy in the I.C.U.

I love you, Alex,

but get him out of here,
or I'm calling security.

I will. Sorry, Mel.

Western medicine is so
focused on the disease.

You don't see the whole, the universal.

But because I respect the chi,
the universal energy

that surrounds each and every one of us,

I know that Charlie and my Mona Lisa here

are on their journey
back towards equilibrium.

Okay, Ash...

See? She's trying to communicate with us.

She's saying, "I'm still here,"

"the eternal me."

How many times has she done this?

Smiled?

I noticed it during our reiki sessions.

Uh, I didn't touch her.
I just moved her energy around.

When I placed my hand over
her heart chakra, she smiled.

How long ago was that?

About ten minutes or so.

Repetitive myoclonus.

Somebody call Dr. Hamza.

We need him in here now.

Good news, Sandhya.

Looks like you're gonna wake up.

(monitor beeping rhythmically)

We believe Sandhya's suffering

from what's called status epilepticus.

Her body's having multiple seizures,

and it's the seizures,
not the reaction to the anesthetic,

that's keeping her in a comatose state.

Well, why didn't you see this before?

Well, a single E.E.G.
won't catch it, but this will.

This takes continuous
video of her waveforms.

It records brain activity.

Hopefully, we'll find
a pattern indicating seizures.

And if you do?

If we do, then we put
Sandhya on anticonvulsants

And stabilize her.

And she'll wake up?

It's a possibility. Yes.

(sighs)

Mm.

I bet I know what you're
thinking right now.

Finally. A man who can read my mind.

You're thinking that...

being here is easy,

being in between places.

No weddings to plan and no, uh...

No father to please in the next life

- and mother to please in this one?
- Something like that.

Remember how you said

every new thing that you learn
about your fiancee

makes you love her more?

Yeah.

I want that.

I don't want to live without that.

Am I crazy?

No.

No, you're not crazy.

I want that, too.

I'm 27, Charlie,
and I've never been in love.

Honestly, that's like a crime.

It is.

(monitor beeping rhythmically,
respirator whooshing)

(beep)

Anything?

Let's give it a minute.

(beeps)

Oh.

(pants) Is that it?

I don't have much time.

Come on. Sit.

They've probably given
you a shot of phenytoin

'cause they've seen the seizures.

Okay? It'll reduce
the electrical conductance

among the brain cells... (laughs)

and it will stop the seizures.
Why are you laughing?

(laughs) Always the doctor.

Hey, don't knock it.
Science is bringing you back, kid.

Thanks to a hippie scrubbing my chakras.

See? It's all interconnected,
Charlie Harris.

Well, that would be something,
wouldn't it?

Kiss me, Charlie.

Just once before I go back.

Sandhya, I...

I appreciate the invitation, but I...

I can't do that.

Then do a girl a solid
and take off your tux.

What? (laughs)

Seriously?

(laughs)

(panting)

I can feel it, Charlie.

I can feel my body. It's calling me back.

It's like...

What's it like?

I'm connected...

to myself,

my mother,

to you,

Dr. Reid.

I'm connected to everything.

It's warm.

It's wonderful.

It's... (panting)

it's life.

(Jason Collett) ♪ all the flowers fade ♪

♪ and all the stars pale ♪

♪ as this bitter beauty ♪

♪ grabs you by the tail ♪

♪ how long will you hesitate? ♪

♪ halfway up the trail ♪

♪ yes, it's dark in the trees ♪

♪ and some wounds never heal ♪

♪ but you're dreamin' ♪

♪ with eyes wide open ♪

♪ your heart has spoken ♪

♪ for the first time ♪



♪ ooh, ooh ♪

♪ for the first time ♪

I say two days.

Another two days, then she can go home.

And we'll reschedule the surgery
for after the honeymoon.

Guys, I'm so, so sorry

for putting everyone
through such a big scare.

You did.

The scare of my life.

But we have you back now.
That's all I care about.

So what was it like, the, uh, coma?

Was it like you were, uh, uh, dreaming?

I don't remember much.

I just know that I felt safe and...

protected.

Tell her, Sandhya.

She needs to know I'm okay.

Like someone was there the whole time

looking out for me.

We should let Sandhya rest.

Mom, can you stay behind?

Absolutely.

We just need a moment alone.

Sure. (speaks indistinctly)

(telephone rings)

Charlie...

(monitor beeping steadily)

(sighs)

I saved a life today.

A coma patient.

And I realized something.

Just when I think I've done everything...

(sighs)
there's always one more thing I can do.

And it's waiting for me.

I just have to find it.

That's right.

To hell with the naysayers.

You know me best.

So... did you wield a pitchfork?

No, I was a little young for that.

I think I just fed the chickens.

Mm. And it's for sale?

Yeah, my aunt and uncle sold it years ago,

and I guess the new owners
are selling it again.

- Tell me more.
- About what?

When did you go live
with your aunt and uncle?

Uh, a couple years after my parents died.

So for a couple of years,
you didn't have any family?

No, I guess I was, um,
in the system for a while.

I really don't remember much.

Let's buy it.

(coughs) What?

I mean it. It meant something to you

and maybe still does, so let's buy it.

You really want to do this?

I really want to do this.

We're buying a barn.

Yay!

(glasses clink)

(Alex) Buying a barn.

(Charlie) Every patient has a story.

Sometimes we can't see
what they're trying to tell us.

Sometimes we just don't want to.

Hey, doc.

Throw him your horns.

Keep it real.

Always.

But the truth is always there,

staring us in the face,

daring us to disagree,

begging us to understand

and to do what needs to be done.

Alex?

Dawn.

You're still here.

It's a little late for visiting.

No, I came to talk to you.

Oh.

Okay. Good.

I need to talk to you, too.

Charlie should be D.N.R.

I'm appealing to the
consent and capacity board.

What?

He's been in this coma long enough,

and you don't see it because
you're with him every day.

No. Uh...

Dawn, we need more time.

To do what?

You're trying everything you can,
but nothing is working.

There will be a hearing...

I know how this works.

To determine who should make
Charlie's end-of-life decisions.

That person is me.

I'm filing my petition tomorrow.

Be ready.