St. Elsewhere (1982–1988): Season 3, Episode 19 - Red, White, Black and Blue - full transcript
With the First Lady coming to Boston, St Eligius is chosen by the Secret Service to care for her, if needed. As the staff prepare and enter alert mode, Ehrlich reports a case of potential child abuse and Shirley Daniels returns.
Donald. >
Hello, Mark. It's cold enough
to freeze anything out here.
I hate to say it,
but ever since they put
our parking spaces next to each
other you've consistently parked
off-centre and I have to squeeze
out of the car door.
I'll try and watch it.
Ellen does it in the garage.
I had to paint a line
for her to follow.
Sorry. There you go.
Doesn't enough of our salaries
go to welfare programmes?
Actually, a higher percentage of
your tax dollar goes to defence.
Beginning with stagflation
in the mid-70s and then...
All right, all right.
Say hello to Chip O'Neill for me.
Hello, Chip.
What's new?
I got a call from a friend of mine
in the House medical unit.
They want us as
a receiving hospital
when the First Lady visits Boston.
Donald, when someone
asks, "What's new?"
they expect to hear, "Oh, not much."
Instead, you hit me with a headline.
Why wasn't I told?
I just got the call yesterday.
When is this happening?
My friend is coming in this morning
and the First Lady
is due in tomorrow.
The House asked me to set up a
team of our top people to be on
call.
I submitted you to lead the surgical
team in case there's an emergency.
Submitted?
There's a security check
for everybody on the team.
Oh, good. They'll see
what a tight ship we run.
Hey, Phil.
Guess who called me last night?
Who?
Cherie Daniels.
Ah, Miss .45 calibre.
What did she want?
Called out of the blue to say hi.
I thought she skipped
town after making bail.
She's back in Boston.
We're meeting tonight.
Well, I'd wear bullet proof
boxer shorts if I were you.
There you go.
OK, time to wake up and move on.
Come on, let's go.
The mission is open for breakfast.
Move it.
Don't I get a kiss?
Richard. What are you doing here?
I wrapped up negotiations with
the baggage handlers an hour ago.
I came over to see you, fell asleep.
I love you.
Richard.
Look, I know that I've
been really pushy...
I know I've been pushy about moving
in but I want to live with you.
Is that so bad?
No, I'd love to have you move in.
You would? That's wonderful.
I'll come over tonight.
No!
It's not fair to the kids
to have someone just move in.
It's their house too, you know.
Marci likes me.
There are four others.
Look, if they approve...
That could take a lot of time,
getting to know all about you.
I'll come by the house tomorrow.
We'll all get acquainted.
See if the kids like me.
How about it?
Well...
Great. I'll make a good impression.
I promise.
Here we are.
This is some
neighbourhood you're in.
Once that boss of yours figures
out a way to provide for these
people
it might improve.
The President is not my boss.
I'm just one of his doctors.
My influence on public policy
is one vote, same as you.
Oh, it's good to see
you again, Donald.
You, too.
Excuse me.
Daniel, I'd like you to meet
Captain Gloria Neil, US Navy.
Daniel Auschlander,
Director of Service.
Pleasure.
Gloria was one year
behind me in med school.
She's recently been promoted
to the House staff.
Very impressive.
I like to think I was being
rewarded for a lifetime
of giving Navy short-arm
inspections.
We're very flattered at
St Eligius that you've chosen us
to be one of
your receiving hospitals.
Our motorcade route through Boston
was altered at the last minute.
She'll be passing nearby and your
trauma care is highly regarded.
I didn't know anyone else thought
so.
May I ask what the occasion is?
The First Lady's giving
a lecture on drug abuse
took a grade school in Brookline
then travelling to Boston General.
Boston General?
She's cutting the ribbon on a new
chemical dependency unit there.
I see.
The secret service
agent will fill you in
on all the preparations later.
Well, we'd be more than
happy to co-operate. Right, Daniel?
Yes, of course. But I must
admit to some reservations
about standing watch while
Boston General gets a new wing.
Well, I'm scheduled for rounds
this morning. Daniel will give you
the tour and I'll catch
up with you later, all right?
Fine.
Dinner at my house later?
Love it.
See ya.
Where would you like to start?
How about the ladies' room?
Very good. OK, show me...
I'll do it now.
OK, now show me the fish.
PHONE RINGS
Good!
That's a good boy.
Next, we're gonna find the dog.
Hello. Hi!
You did? That's fast.
Hold on. Let me get a pencil.
OK. How many?
OK, the first is what?
How much is that one?
OK, what's the next one?
CRASHING AND CRYING
Sean?! Oh, honey. It's all right.
All emergencies go through the ER.
She wouldn't let us,
insisted we bring her here.
I'm sorry.
Hey. Turn me around.
Look, honey. Those clowns in ER,
they don't know the difference
between a stethoscope and a truss.
Excuse me?
I'd rather go see a witch doctor
than go through that meat market,
so just take me back to my
old room. The name is Hufnagel.
You have to be admitted by a doctor.
Look, I'm in bad shape.
Ask Suzie Wong.
Possible MI.
She needs immediate attention.
You see? I'm sinking fast.
All right.
I'm Dr Wade. I'll take care of you.
Let's get an exam.
Well, get me a room on
the north side.
Better radio reception.
Secret Service's job is to
ensure safety and control
should it be necessary to
bring the First Lady here.
If there's an emergency,
we want your guarantee
to have immediate access
to all facilities.
Are you asking us
to shut down the ER?
No, just part of it.
I assume you would want
us to keep open an OR?
And a securable private suite.
You might also be sure there's
an elevator kept on hold.
Fire and ambulance
people will be alerted
to take non-critical
cases to other hospitals.
I'm not gonna have the regular
services of this hospital impeded.
Let me assure you, we don't
want to put you out of business.
We'll only secure
the building if there's an event.
White House communications,
WHACA, will be...
Umm...
Oh, I thought I had
a lecture in here today.
No, it's been moved to the
conference room on the second floor.
Oh, sorry.
WHACA will be installing hotlines
in the OR, ER and the private suite
with direct access to Washington.
That's great. Just when we get
our new phone system working right.
Also, there will be a supply of
blood arriving tomorrow. Six units,
type-specific, to be kept in your
blood bank for the First Lady only.
BYOB.
En route to Boston General,
the motorcade will pass through
four zones each with
a designated hospital.
You're second in line.
The motorcade will cross
into your zone at 3:11pm.
Primary time of exposure in this
zone is 12 minutes until 3:23.
I will be stationed in the ER and in
constant contact with the motorcade.
Now, then. What about the people
I recommended for the medical team?
The Secret Service
would like a substitute
for one of your
scrub nurses, Miss Dickinson.
Why?
Computer shows a felony record
you may not have been aware of.
Are there any other
felons in our midst?
They also were unable
to clear Dr Mark Craig.
The X-ray shows the leg's broken.
How did you say this happened?
I didn't see.
He must have fallen
off the chair. Sean, loves to climb.
OK, excuse me a minute. Annie.
What's the problem?
I've got a two-year-old with
a spiral fracture of the left tibia.
How did it happen?
Mother says the kid fell off a
chair.
It'd be hard for a two-year-old to
get a spiral fracture from a fall.
Yeah. More like some sicko
grabbed the leg and twisted it.
Poor little kid.
You think it's child abuse?
This kind of an injury,
an explanation that doesn't match,
the mother's got to
be trying to cover-up.
I'll call the social worker.
What the hell do you
mean "confusion"?
Dr Neil said something about
a problem with your file.
Problem? I'm as clean as Jack Frost.
I earned every merit
badge in the Scouts.
Civil defence leader
at my grade school.
Won the Silver Star in Korea.
I'm in Who's Who in
America, for Pete's sake.
I'm sorry,
Dr Craig, it's out of our hands.
Who's my replacement?
Oliver London.
Oliver London?!
The man couldn't carve
his initials in a desk.
I'm calling my congressman.
Whoever he is.
She's right out there.
You're from the hospital?
I'm a paediatric social worker.
While Dr Ehrlich
puts the cast on your son,
I thought
I'd get some more information.
Where were you at the
time of the accident?
Well, I answered the
phone in the kitchen
and Sean was in the dining room.
How was Sean behaving today?
Energetic! Maybe I shouldn't have
given him those cookies,
sugar hypes him up.
Do you have a job, Miss Wilkes?
I'm a library assistant at the
Massachusetts Historical Commission
but I had to take some time off.
Sean's day-care centre doubled its
fees so I'm looking after him
until I can find
a less expensive school.
You live alone?
Mmm-hmm.
Does he fall a lot?
Well, he's two.
What's this all about?
I just need to ask a few
questions, Miss Wilkes.
What for?
To see what it's like
for you and Sean together.
Everything is fine with us.
See it's not clear to me
how Sean got his injury.
I heard a crash. He was just
lying there by the chair.
How much alcohol
do you drink, on the average?
What are you talking about?
Your son has an injury
that looks inflicted.
I'm getting a court order
to keep him here
and get the State Social Services
department to investigate.
I don't understand.
This hospital has a legal
responsibility to protect your
child.
Protect him from what?
From you.
I never hurt him. I never hurt Sean!
You can't take my son away from me!
I'm sorry.
You can't take him! No! You can't
take my son away from me!
This is a beautiful house.
A lot of care went into this.
That's Marine's influence.
I'm afraid the place is getting old
though, starting to fall apart
here and there. Roof leaks,
the garden's gone to seed,
I've let the place go.
A house like this needs a family.
Yeah.
You dating?
No.
Why the hell not?
Certainly there must
be interested women.
Well, the kids
have kept me pretty busy.
I don't know,
just haven't felt like it.
I remember you in med school. You
were the most charming, intelligent,
talented man I'd ever met.
You were devastating in a lab coat.
Still are.
Well, afraid I can't see it.
Don't undersell yourself.
You only thing you've lost is hair.
And a little energy.
Oh, haven't we all?
But it's still a large life.
There's room to move.
Yeah.
Had enough?
Mmm - delicious.
Maybe you could use a change,
Donald.
I'm in contact with a lot of good
hospitals, there are opportunities.
No, I like the work
we do at St Eligius, Gloria.
The top clinics
can always get good people.
Am I badgering?
A little. It's all right.
Well, I've got to check
with the House.
Maybe I'd better get back
to my hotel.
OK.
Thanks for dinner.
You're welcome. Let me help you.
See you tomorrow?
Mm-hmm.
It's nice having company.
Goodnight, Donald.
Hi, Wayne.
Hi.
What can I get you?
Beer.
Excuse me, draught please.
You look good.
So do you.
A little vacation does wonders.
I tried to call you
after you got out.
I went to Nantucket
- visited my sister.
It was beautiful.
Cold, quiet, stars.
Though I think having a killer
in the house made her nervous.
When I first got out
I didn't know whether to go
scuba-diving in Florida
or duck hunting in Maine,
but I couldn't violate my bail.
I'm worth 10 grand, you know!
Cathy says hi.
She's back in the
residency programme.
Good for her. That's proof.
Of what?
That we do get better.
If we want to.
Hm...
Did you know that
the King of Hearts played
at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge
for like ten years?
People liked it when the lunatics
got out of the asylum in the end,
because it's a crazy world.
I never saw the good side of the
craziness before, only the bad.
The casualties in ER, people
dying in your hands, all the pain.
But being away from that,
being free,
I can see there's more
and I plan to enjoy it.
What about the trial?
Oh, my lawyer thinks
she can get me off.
That's great.
Personally, I want to do the time.
Cheers.
Do you sleep in the nude?
I thought I was coming over here
just to get acquainted.
Well, we thought that each of us
would compile a list of questions
to elucidate your character,
you know.
I wanted to know if you were
the pyjama type or the nude type?
Nude.
Gross.
Do you like Oaties?
What are Oaties?
I think I'll get my stuff
and wait outside.
Did I do something?
Ira's picking up Rosenthal
for the weekend.
Jeff, why don't you wait here?
It's too cold outside.
Your question.
I was going to ask
if you smoked.
A pipe.
Why didn't you have any kids?
Something wrong with the plumbing?
(LAUGHS)
No, it's...
I just thought I never had much to
offer a child and Mitzi, my ex-wife,
her idea of mothering was talking
baby-talk to our schnauzer.
You own a schnauzer?
(CLEARS THROAT)
Do you believe in reincarnation?
If I did, I would have
stayed with Mitzi
and built up credit
for the next life.
Do you love Mom?
Yes.
Can we borrow your car?
Absolutely not.
After OR in post-op
we bring her through here
to a private room on this floor.
Rubbernecking, Daniel?
Actually, Mark,
we wanted to talk to you.
This is Dr Neil
from the White House staff.
How do you do?
Doctor.
She just learned that you'd been
cleared to head the Alert team.
Government snaffle, right?
Boy, you people have a knack.
What did they do, mix up
my file with someone else's?
Actually, no, your file
was your file but it was tagged.
Er, what does that mean?
Subversive activity.
Hey, wait a minute.
Your wife sent a cheque
on your joint account
to a breakfast programme
for the poor back in 1968.
Evidently the programme was
being run by the Black Panthers
and they were being scrutinised
by the Government.
The Black Panthers?
Ellen?
His IV Solu-Cortef was also DC-ed
and he was put on pregnezone.
He proceeded to do well...
Weird.
Shirley acted like
everything was great.
That's good.
No, that's bad. She was two up.
Dr Wade, your case please.
This one's a little unusual.
The patient's name is Hufnagel.
ALL: Oh!
Woman, white, mid-60s.
Bigoted. The pits.
Poisonous.
What's wrong with her now?
Admitted yesterday with
a mild cardial infarction
caused by a clot in the right
coronary artery.
Cardiac catheterisation
then revealed a posterior wall
left ventricular aneurysm.
It's unclear what caused
the clot to form initially.
Bad vibes.
The patient's been admitted
repeatedly starting
with a sprained wrist.
Each time she comes back
there's a new problem that's worse.
Thrombophlebitis, gastric bleeding,
gall bladder disease.
Can I see the chart, please?
Any ideas?
Send her to Bernheim Memorial.
Mrs Hufnagel's being managed
on drugs right now,
but she could need a bypass
and resection.
I'd like to find out
what caused the clot.
The answer's right here.
She was given Coumadin
and clofibrate.
Those two drugs interact to cause
increased anticoagulation
and no-one checked
or adjusted the dosage
and the Coumadin was
simply discontinued.
Her PT fell too low
and a clot formed in the artery.
From what I see, this file
is a record of medical abuse.
The drug list is excessive,
her primary physician was changed,
sometimes daily,
and now because of your treatment,
or lack of it,
this woman is seriously ill.
No-one consciously mistreated this
woman but what happened is worse -
no-one cared. And that doesn't
happen in this hospital.
Looks like everything's
in order, Mr Knox.
We're set, the motorcades
en route to Brookline now.
You can be assured
that St Eligius is ready.
Let's hope there's no need
to prove ourselves, Dr Craig.
MUTTERING
I'm not doing too well, am I?
Well, let me put it this way,
you could use a good final round.
PHONE RINGS
Hello.
Oh.
Hi, Ira.
Yeah.
Sure, I'll tell him.
So long.
What a hump!
What did Ira want?
He said he was busy or something.
Will he come later?
Look, Rosenthal...
Ira's not gonna be
able to make it.
Oh.
Rosenthal hasn't seen Ira
since he moved out.
He was looking forward to it.
Ira's a jerk.
Could you leave
Jeff and me alone, please?
Sure.
I guess your dad's got too much
to do right now, huh?
He just doesn't want me around.
I'm not gonna have a dad any more.
Look, I don't know too much
about being a father,
but I know something
about being a son.
It's not always so great, is it?
My dad was sick all his life.
We never did one thing together -
no games, no long talks, no jokes.
I was supposed to understand
he had a disease.
Well, I didn't.
I thought he was a jerk.
And then one day he died.
Dads aren't around
for all kinds of reasons.
You know, sometimes it seems
they don't love you,
but I realise now
that they're usually
just not very good at it.
Unfortunately, you just can't
go down to the dad store
and pick up a new one.
You go with what you've got.
But sometimes a friend helps.
If you need a friend, maybe...
Well, how about a Celtics' game
this Friday
whether I pass the test or not?
I prefer the Bruins.
Dad hates hockey
because of the blood.
He faints if he cuts his finger.
Bruins it is.
Souvenirs!
Streamers!
Bumper stickers!
Patriotic pompons!
Get your flags!
Souvenirs!
Show you love America!
Souvenirs!
Hey, man!
What's all this junk for?
The First Lady,
she's coming this way.
Do you want a souvenir?
Who cares?
You should be proud
to be an American.
I'm proud of this.
How much you got?
SPEAKS SPANISH
Let's go. Come on!
Roger that.
They're in the zone.
This is pretty exciting.
It sure beats watching
the President wade into a crowd
of people shaking hands.
I thought all you Secret Service
guys were carved out of stone.
Depends on who we're talking to.
This looks like a possible
broken wrist.
Noncritical patients were supposed
to be taken to Bernheimer today.
But nobody told them.
Sorry. This one can transfer.
Spread those ribs further.
He's lost 800CCs of blood
through the chest tube.
How's it going?
He's losing blood like crazy.
There's blood on
the pericardial sac.
It looks like the knife entered
the left ventricle.
Helen, find out where
that chest surgeon is.
He was just selling souvenirs
and they knifed him.
I'm gonna open the pericardial sac
and suture the hole.
Hang another bag
of Lactated Ringer's.
2-0 Polydek.
Annie, how about an assist?
Sure.
Dr Cavanero,
I just want to remind you,
you're on call
until this alert's over.
Chest surgeon's ready in OR.
OK, let me just get a couple of
sutures in so we can move him.
Can't you people look alive?
Who are you?
Bob, I came by to see
if the OR was ready.
Well, this is kind of like
standing on the sidelines
waiting to see if there'll be a
game.
I still don't know why
I'm even on call.
Suppose we run into surgery
that requires cosmetic work?
The First Lady's appearance
is important.
I wonder what kind of music
she likes?
For crying out loud.
Would you look at this?
Doesn't anybody take this seriously?
The First Lady of the United States
could be on that table
in a matter of minutes.
It will be our time
to be in the spotlight.
One doesn't wish for it,
of course...
When you get right down to it,
a doctor's job depends on people
who are hurt and sick.
Wanting to heal
means wishing for patients.
I guess in an ideal life,
we'd be out of business.
Impossible. Even if
there wasn't any disease,
somebody would walk into
an aeroplane propeller
or get shot, or want a nose job.
It's the nature of man
to need repair.
Well, what should we do
while we wait?
Get to know each other better?
Fine. Just spare me the stories
of your gridiron glories, OK?
Deal.
Knife wound to the chest
entering the left ventricle.
We got a heartbeat back,
BP is 80, palpable.
His chest is filled with blood.
We only got a couple
of stitches in the heart.
Betadine drip.
All right, get me six more units
of whole blood.
That'll be hard.
We're out of universal donor
and that's the last unit of
his type in the blood bank.
Well, has the Red Cross been called?
They're on their way.
PHONE RINGS
Hello.
I'm nude, too.
Who's this?
Mrs Hufnagel?
I'll be right with you.
Listen, bub, I don't go in
for this rough stuff,
so will you try somebody else?
Who are you?
Dr Westphall.
Oh, Westphall.
Yeah, you're the high muckity muck.
Director of Medicine.
Medicine? Ha! You call what goes on
in this pop stand medicine?
That's like calling Henny Youngman
a violin player.
Well, I'm sorry you feel you've been
mistreated here, Mrs Hufnagel.
How are you getting along?
Pains in my chest, I'm tired
and worried about dying.
Other than that, it's a mitzvah.
A sensation of death is common
after a heart attack, Mrs Hufnagel,
but I don't think
you're going to die.
The medication you're on
should manage your problem.
If it doesn't,
there are other options.
Ah, You can keep
your artificial heart.
I'm not hauling that piece
of hardware around inside me.
You're not going to need
an artificial heart.
The one thing that worries me
about dying is being alone.
See, I've got nobody.
I live alone. I'm just like you.
I mean, your wife's dead, you've
got a daughter in college somewhere,
and that retarded kid, boy,
that's a kick in the shorts.
You poor fellow.
The thing I can't figure out is
how they can let you run a hospital?
What do you mean?
You're a jinx.
Mrs Hufnagel...
Come to think of it,
this whole place is jinxed.
Auschlander's about ready
to kick the bucket,
Morrison got his degree
from a Crackerjack box,
Rosenthal isn't exactly symmetrical.
Ehrlich, he's got bad luck
in his genes.
And behind those sensible wrinkles
in your forehead,
your life's a mess.
Ha, I should write a book.
Notify Dr Craig to take over
Mrs Hufnagel's case, will you?
You know, it's really
hard to believe
that this much goes on
every time the First Lady travels.
They don't publicise it.
The less any crackpot
knows the better.
It must cost a lot.
What you're really wondering is,
is it worth it?
It does seem hard to justify
when the Government's cutting back
on necessary social programmes
including health care.
You can't just let the First
Lady be fair game, Miss Howard.
Aside from her life, we're
protecting the stability
of the White House.
By virtue of being married
to the President,
she's integral to his wellbeing.
Maybe shouldn't go out.
Oh, there you are.
What's the problem?
We have a knifing victim in there
who's eating up the hospital's
blood supply and needs more.
Now, the blood we have on hold for
the First Lady is the same type.
I don't have the authority
to release it.
A man's life is at stake.
The delivery van is stuck in
traffic because of the motorcade.
Dr Craig, this hospital
agreed to hold that supply.
I'd have to clear any change
in status. That could take time.
He doesn't have time!
I'm sorry, I'll do the best
I can but for now,
that blood is still on hold.
Ms Wilkes, hi.
I'm Dr Westphall,
you wanted to see me?
Yes, there's been a mistake.
I need to see someone in authority.
They won't let me see my son.
Yes, I was told that we have
a court order to guard him.
But I never hurt Sean, I swear.
I'm a good mother. I love my son.
Please, let me see him.
Why don't you sit down?
Do you have any idea
how this happened?
I didn't see.
I try not to leave him alone.
It was only for a few seconds
to answer the phone. I mean,
a kid could catch his foot somehow
and twist like that, couldn't he?
Why do they think I did it?
I want Sean to love himself.
I want him to love other people.
When you hurt someone, it takes
all the love right out of them.
Were you abused, may I ask?
Sean's father, he beat me.
But I left when I got pregnant
so my son wouldn't grow up
with someone who didn't care.
Sean is my victory.
I could never hurt that.
Here, look at us.
Sean and me.
That's his first day.
That's us playing at Cape Cod.
That's his baptism.
We're happy. Sean makes me happy.
Maybe you don't understand
the feeling.
I have children.
Do you know what it's like
to be separated from them?
Why don't you go home
and get some rest?
Sean is safe here.
I'll look into this.
I'm not leaving my son.
'Jim, how are you doing?'
I'm fine. He's lousy.
'Got bleeders all over the place.'
There's still two minutes to go.
Two minutes more?
Mark, this guy's
already below the dipstick.
OK, you've got it.
Call the blood bank, get the supply
we have on hold for the First Lady.
Dr Craig, I understand,
but you can't.
I just did, Miss Halloran.
Come on.
He's running dry. Give it a squeeze.
Well, I guess Mr Gutierrez
will owe the First Lady one.
That's it. They're out of the zone.
Good, now it's
somebody else's problem.
We'll probably be using you again.
Next time, maybe for the President.
I'll make it a point
to be out of town.
So long.
Shirley!
Hold me, Annie.
Helen!
Did you examine for bruising or
any other signs of mistreatment?
There's an old bruise on
the lower part of the back.
Come on, Sean.
Sit up, will you, pal?
That could be a faint
Mongolian spot, just a birthmark.
Common on black children.
Anything else?
The X-ray show any old fractures?
There's an angular deformity
of the distal radius
that's compatible
with a previous break.
Well, he's an active child. That
could've been caused by the fall.
No, I'd say
this is open to suspicion.
What about a spiral fracture
of the leg?
I can't say how it happened,
but I talked to the mother
and I can't believe that woman
is capable of harming this child.
With respect, Dr Westphall,
that is just your instinct.
No, this little guy is perfectly
healthy in all other respects.
He appears to be
very well cared for.
I think Dr Ehrlich jumped the gun.
Dr Ehrlich identified a serious
injury that's been associated
with child abuse.
He did the right thing.
Now listen, there's a very
distraught mother out there
who can't see her son. Yet she
spent all night here to be near him.
That should tell you something.
Dr Westphall, the parent is
not my concern at this point.
I have another case, a two-year-old
like Sean, her mother immersed her
in scalding water.
Punishment for an accident
during toilet training.
We have to protect these children.
Mr Paley, I'm fully aware of the
extent of the problem you facing.
I'll take the chance that we
over-reacted. We may be wrong,
but the price is too high if we
allow a child to be abused again.
Let the State decide.
How long will that take?
Can we stop the investigation?
No. Once a report's been made,
it can't be rescinded.
They're moving Sean into foster
care until they reach a decision.
Even then, we won't know
if their decision is right.
Our department is one
of the best in the country
at dealing with child abuse.
Well, I'm willing to make a
statement on the mother's behalf.
I'll tell them.
You think I made a mistake?
Yep.
How can one person be more
important than anyone else?
By marrying the right guy.
Who'd you vote for?
I was in surgery all election day.
Pat Paulsen always get my vote.
He hasn't run since 68.
It's the principle that counts.
Jack, how many times a day
do you brush your teeth?
Four.
Hygiene, Jack, that's a fetish.
By the way, Ehrlich borrowed
your toothbrush this morning.
Wayne, they just wheeled
Shirley Daniels into ER.
What's wrong?
They said it was serious. >
I knew it, suicide,
I should have done something.
How do you know it's suicide?
Nobody's that happy unless
they're going to crash.
Dr Craig.
I'm doing surgery.
It will only take a minute.
I called the blood bank
after the alert
to release our supply to you.
They said you'd removed it earlier.
That could have been a big mistake.
Yeah, well, I'd do it again.
There might be hearing of some sort,
possibly a reprimand from
Washington.
Fine.
By the way,
how is the man who needed the blood?
He died on the table.
What happened?
Hi, Jack.
Why did you do it, Shirl?
Do what?
I should have called, I'm sorry.
You'll have plenty of time to
talk after her appendix comes out.
Appendix?
Shirley has acute appendicitis.
She's on her way to surgery. >
What did you think, Fiscus?
I was sure you'd decided to...
Well, like the roof.
I'd have to be
crazy to commit suicide.
Everything went
according to plan, did it?
Roughly.
I just wanted to say goodbye.
I have to meet the motorcade
at Logan.
Last time I looked, it was morning.
I'd barely saw you today.
Maybe another time?
I'd like that.
Donald, back in med school,
my knees used to get weak
when I saw you.
The feeling hasn't changed.
I'm kind of sorry nothing
happened last night.
Take care of yourself, Donald.
Bye.
Ms Wilkes,
I'm sorry.
I brought my son to you for help.
Please try and understand, I
thought I was doing the right thing.
Why do you suspect me?
Because I'm black?
No, no, of course not.
Maybe I jumped to conclusions
but it's my duty,
it's my job to report any suspicion.
So much publicity about child abuse,
everybody's on the lookout.
I felt like a hero.
And you wonder
what it's like for kids today,
being taught to suspect everyone,
including their own parents.
I guess it's good
everyone knows about abuse,
but now everybody's suspicious
and where do you draw the line?
I've never been so confused.
Hey, I'm a doctor,
I'm not a judge. I don't know.
Whenever I screwed up as a kid,
my dad spanked me with a belt.
And now I wonder, was that
punishment or abuse? I don't know.
I wish there was something I
could do to make things right again.
But if there's any way to help...
There is, Dr Ehrlich.
Let me kiss my son goodnight.
Richard?
Helen, I think I found the problem.
What problem?
The kid said the disposal was on
the fritz. There's a loose wire.
Hi, Mom.
Dick, can I borrow the car?
No.
Come on,
it's just for a little while.
Look, I'll be careful,
I'll put gas in it.
OK, only Unleaded Supreme,
don't ride the clutch and I
never let the RPMs get over 4,000.
Good man.
Glad he's going to be around.
By the way, everybody else
went to the movies
so you two could be alone. So long.
Well, you seem to have
made quite an impression.
The kids helped me move in.
Isn't that great?
Here we go!
Isn't this a little sudden?
What?
I didn't expect
this to happen so fast.
It was nothing. Once I
found the wire, it was a snap.
Helen,
I've never been happier in my life.
I love you.
Well, welcome, Richard.
It's a clear night for Boston.
Is that Orion's Belt?
Where?
There, to the left of the bright
one.
I can never tell.
A pretty sight though, isn't it?
Daniel, what would you say
if I told you
I was thinking of selling the
house and moving into an apartment?
What brought this on?
Maureen's gone, Lizzie's in college,
Tommy's in family care
and I keep a candle burning in
the window like one of those stars.
Maybe time for a change.
Do it. You don't need permission.
Boy, that's beautiful.
Hi.
Hi.
Must be tiring watching kids sleep.
You know it.
I'll hold down the fort,
if you like.
Why don't you get a mug
of hot, steaming java?
That's OK, thanks.
Come on, go ahead, doctor's orders.
OK.
Take your time.
Hello, Mark. It's cold enough
to freeze anything out here.
I hate to say it,
but ever since they put
our parking spaces next to each
other you've consistently parked
off-centre and I have to squeeze
out of the car door.
I'll try and watch it.
Ellen does it in the garage.
I had to paint a line
for her to follow.
Sorry. There you go.
Doesn't enough of our salaries
go to welfare programmes?
Actually, a higher percentage of
your tax dollar goes to defence.
Beginning with stagflation
in the mid-70s and then...
All right, all right.
Say hello to Chip O'Neill for me.
Hello, Chip.
What's new?
I got a call from a friend of mine
in the House medical unit.
They want us as
a receiving hospital
when the First Lady visits Boston.
Donald, when someone
asks, "What's new?"
they expect to hear, "Oh, not much."
Instead, you hit me with a headline.
Why wasn't I told?
I just got the call yesterday.
When is this happening?
My friend is coming in this morning
and the First Lady
is due in tomorrow.
The House asked me to set up a
team of our top people to be on
call.
I submitted you to lead the surgical
team in case there's an emergency.
Submitted?
There's a security check
for everybody on the team.
Oh, good. They'll see
what a tight ship we run.
Hey, Phil.
Guess who called me last night?
Who?
Cherie Daniels.
Ah, Miss .45 calibre.
What did she want?
Called out of the blue to say hi.
I thought she skipped
town after making bail.
She's back in Boston.
We're meeting tonight.
Well, I'd wear bullet proof
boxer shorts if I were you.
There you go.
OK, time to wake up and move on.
Come on, let's go.
The mission is open for breakfast.
Move it.
Don't I get a kiss?
Richard. What are you doing here?
I wrapped up negotiations with
the baggage handlers an hour ago.
I came over to see you, fell asleep.
I love you.
Richard.
Look, I know that I've
been really pushy...
I know I've been pushy about moving
in but I want to live with you.
Is that so bad?
No, I'd love to have you move in.
You would? That's wonderful.
I'll come over tonight.
No!
It's not fair to the kids
to have someone just move in.
It's their house too, you know.
Marci likes me.
There are four others.
Look, if they approve...
That could take a lot of time,
getting to know all about you.
I'll come by the house tomorrow.
We'll all get acquainted.
See if the kids like me.
How about it?
Well...
Great. I'll make a good impression.
I promise.
Here we are.
This is some
neighbourhood you're in.
Once that boss of yours figures
out a way to provide for these
people
it might improve.
The President is not my boss.
I'm just one of his doctors.
My influence on public policy
is one vote, same as you.
Oh, it's good to see
you again, Donald.
You, too.
Excuse me.
Daniel, I'd like you to meet
Captain Gloria Neil, US Navy.
Daniel Auschlander,
Director of Service.
Pleasure.
Gloria was one year
behind me in med school.
She's recently been promoted
to the House staff.
Very impressive.
I like to think I was being
rewarded for a lifetime
of giving Navy short-arm
inspections.
We're very flattered at
St Eligius that you've chosen us
to be one of
your receiving hospitals.
Our motorcade route through Boston
was altered at the last minute.
She'll be passing nearby and your
trauma care is highly regarded.
I didn't know anyone else thought
so.
May I ask what the occasion is?
The First Lady's giving
a lecture on drug abuse
took a grade school in Brookline
then travelling to Boston General.
Boston General?
She's cutting the ribbon on a new
chemical dependency unit there.
I see.
The secret service
agent will fill you in
on all the preparations later.
Well, we'd be more than
happy to co-operate. Right, Daniel?
Yes, of course. But I must
admit to some reservations
about standing watch while
Boston General gets a new wing.
Well, I'm scheduled for rounds
this morning. Daniel will give you
the tour and I'll catch
up with you later, all right?
Fine.
Dinner at my house later?
Love it.
See ya.
Where would you like to start?
How about the ladies' room?
Very good. OK, show me...
I'll do it now.
OK, now show me the fish.
PHONE RINGS
Good!
That's a good boy.
Next, we're gonna find the dog.
Hello. Hi!
You did? That's fast.
Hold on. Let me get a pencil.
OK. How many?
OK, the first is what?
How much is that one?
OK, what's the next one?
CRASHING AND CRYING
Sean?! Oh, honey. It's all right.
All emergencies go through the ER.
She wouldn't let us,
insisted we bring her here.
I'm sorry.
Hey. Turn me around.
Look, honey. Those clowns in ER,
they don't know the difference
between a stethoscope and a truss.
Excuse me?
I'd rather go see a witch doctor
than go through that meat market,
so just take me back to my
old room. The name is Hufnagel.
You have to be admitted by a doctor.
Look, I'm in bad shape.
Ask Suzie Wong.
Possible MI.
She needs immediate attention.
You see? I'm sinking fast.
All right.
I'm Dr Wade. I'll take care of you.
Let's get an exam.
Well, get me a room on
the north side.
Better radio reception.
Secret Service's job is to
ensure safety and control
should it be necessary to
bring the First Lady here.
If there's an emergency,
we want your guarantee
to have immediate access
to all facilities.
Are you asking us
to shut down the ER?
No, just part of it.
I assume you would want
us to keep open an OR?
And a securable private suite.
You might also be sure there's
an elevator kept on hold.
Fire and ambulance
people will be alerted
to take non-critical
cases to other hospitals.
I'm not gonna have the regular
services of this hospital impeded.
Let me assure you, we don't
want to put you out of business.
We'll only secure
the building if there's an event.
White House communications,
WHACA, will be...
Umm...
Oh, I thought I had
a lecture in here today.
No, it's been moved to the
conference room on the second floor.
Oh, sorry.
WHACA will be installing hotlines
in the OR, ER and the private suite
with direct access to Washington.
That's great. Just when we get
our new phone system working right.
Also, there will be a supply of
blood arriving tomorrow. Six units,
type-specific, to be kept in your
blood bank for the First Lady only.
BYOB.
En route to Boston General,
the motorcade will pass through
four zones each with
a designated hospital.
You're second in line.
The motorcade will cross
into your zone at 3:11pm.
Primary time of exposure in this
zone is 12 minutes until 3:23.
I will be stationed in the ER and in
constant contact with the motorcade.
Now, then. What about the people
I recommended for the medical team?
The Secret Service
would like a substitute
for one of your
scrub nurses, Miss Dickinson.
Why?
Computer shows a felony record
you may not have been aware of.
Are there any other
felons in our midst?
They also were unable
to clear Dr Mark Craig.
The X-ray shows the leg's broken.
How did you say this happened?
I didn't see.
He must have fallen
off the chair. Sean, loves to climb.
OK, excuse me a minute. Annie.
What's the problem?
I've got a two-year-old with
a spiral fracture of the left tibia.
How did it happen?
Mother says the kid fell off a
chair.
It'd be hard for a two-year-old to
get a spiral fracture from a fall.
Yeah. More like some sicko
grabbed the leg and twisted it.
Poor little kid.
You think it's child abuse?
This kind of an injury,
an explanation that doesn't match,
the mother's got to
be trying to cover-up.
I'll call the social worker.
What the hell do you
mean "confusion"?
Dr Neil said something about
a problem with your file.
Problem? I'm as clean as Jack Frost.
I earned every merit
badge in the Scouts.
Civil defence leader
at my grade school.
Won the Silver Star in Korea.
I'm in Who's Who in
America, for Pete's sake.
I'm sorry,
Dr Craig, it's out of our hands.
Who's my replacement?
Oliver London.
Oliver London?!
The man couldn't carve
his initials in a desk.
I'm calling my congressman.
Whoever he is.
She's right out there.
You're from the hospital?
I'm a paediatric social worker.
While Dr Ehrlich
puts the cast on your son,
I thought
I'd get some more information.
Where were you at the
time of the accident?
Well, I answered the
phone in the kitchen
and Sean was in the dining room.
How was Sean behaving today?
Energetic! Maybe I shouldn't have
given him those cookies,
sugar hypes him up.
Do you have a job, Miss Wilkes?
I'm a library assistant at the
Massachusetts Historical Commission
but I had to take some time off.
Sean's day-care centre doubled its
fees so I'm looking after him
until I can find
a less expensive school.
You live alone?
Mmm-hmm.
Does he fall a lot?
Well, he's two.
What's this all about?
I just need to ask a few
questions, Miss Wilkes.
What for?
To see what it's like
for you and Sean together.
Everything is fine with us.
See it's not clear to me
how Sean got his injury.
I heard a crash. He was just
lying there by the chair.
How much alcohol
do you drink, on the average?
What are you talking about?
Your son has an injury
that looks inflicted.
I'm getting a court order
to keep him here
and get the State Social Services
department to investigate.
I don't understand.
This hospital has a legal
responsibility to protect your
child.
Protect him from what?
From you.
I never hurt him. I never hurt Sean!
You can't take my son away from me!
I'm sorry.
You can't take him! No! You can't
take my son away from me!
This is a beautiful house.
A lot of care went into this.
That's Marine's influence.
I'm afraid the place is getting old
though, starting to fall apart
here and there. Roof leaks,
the garden's gone to seed,
I've let the place go.
A house like this needs a family.
Yeah.
You dating?
No.
Why the hell not?
Certainly there must
be interested women.
Well, the kids
have kept me pretty busy.
I don't know,
just haven't felt like it.
I remember you in med school. You
were the most charming, intelligent,
talented man I'd ever met.
You were devastating in a lab coat.
Still are.
Well, afraid I can't see it.
Don't undersell yourself.
You only thing you've lost is hair.
And a little energy.
Oh, haven't we all?
But it's still a large life.
There's room to move.
Yeah.
Had enough?
Mmm - delicious.
Maybe you could use a change,
Donald.
I'm in contact with a lot of good
hospitals, there are opportunities.
No, I like the work
we do at St Eligius, Gloria.
The top clinics
can always get good people.
Am I badgering?
A little. It's all right.
Well, I've got to check
with the House.
Maybe I'd better get back
to my hotel.
OK.
Thanks for dinner.
You're welcome. Let me help you.
See you tomorrow?
Mm-hmm.
It's nice having company.
Goodnight, Donald.
Hi, Wayne.
Hi.
What can I get you?
Beer.
Excuse me, draught please.
You look good.
So do you.
A little vacation does wonders.
I tried to call you
after you got out.
I went to Nantucket
- visited my sister.
It was beautiful.
Cold, quiet, stars.
Though I think having a killer
in the house made her nervous.
When I first got out
I didn't know whether to go
scuba-diving in Florida
or duck hunting in Maine,
but I couldn't violate my bail.
I'm worth 10 grand, you know!
Cathy says hi.
She's back in the
residency programme.
Good for her. That's proof.
Of what?
That we do get better.
If we want to.
Hm...
Did you know that
the King of Hearts played
at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge
for like ten years?
People liked it when the lunatics
got out of the asylum in the end,
because it's a crazy world.
I never saw the good side of the
craziness before, only the bad.
The casualties in ER, people
dying in your hands, all the pain.
But being away from that,
being free,
I can see there's more
and I plan to enjoy it.
What about the trial?
Oh, my lawyer thinks
she can get me off.
That's great.
Personally, I want to do the time.
Cheers.
Do you sleep in the nude?
I thought I was coming over here
just to get acquainted.
Well, we thought that each of us
would compile a list of questions
to elucidate your character,
you know.
I wanted to know if you were
the pyjama type or the nude type?
Nude.
Gross.
Do you like Oaties?
What are Oaties?
I think I'll get my stuff
and wait outside.
Did I do something?
Ira's picking up Rosenthal
for the weekend.
Jeff, why don't you wait here?
It's too cold outside.
Your question.
I was going to ask
if you smoked.
A pipe.
Why didn't you have any kids?
Something wrong with the plumbing?
(LAUGHS)
No, it's...
I just thought I never had much to
offer a child and Mitzi, my ex-wife,
her idea of mothering was talking
baby-talk to our schnauzer.
You own a schnauzer?
(CLEARS THROAT)
Do you believe in reincarnation?
If I did, I would have
stayed with Mitzi
and built up credit
for the next life.
Do you love Mom?
Yes.
Can we borrow your car?
Absolutely not.
After OR in post-op
we bring her through here
to a private room on this floor.
Rubbernecking, Daniel?
Actually, Mark,
we wanted to talk to you.
This is Dr Neil
from the White House staff.
How do you do?
Doctor.
She just learned that you'd been
cleared to head the Alert team.
Government snaffle, right?
Boy, you people have a knack.
What did they do, mix up
my file with someone else's?
Actually, no, your file
was your file but it was tagged.
Er, what does that mean?
Subversive activity.
Hey, wait a minute.
Your wife sent a cheque
on your joint account
to a breakfast programme
for the poor back in 1968.
Evidently the programme was
being run by the Black Panthers
and they were being scrutinised
by the Government.
The Black Panthers?
Ellen?
His IV Solu-Cortef was also DC-ed
and he was put on pregnezone.
He proceeded to do well...
Weird.
Shirley acted like
everything was great.
That's good.
No, that's bad. She was two up.
Dr Wade, your case please.
This one's a little unusual.
The patient's name is Hufnagel.
ALL: Oh!
Woman, white, mid-60s.
Bigoted. The pits.
Poisonous.
What's wrong with her now?
Admitted yesterday with
a mild cardial infarction
caused by a clot in the right
coronary artery.
Cardiac catheterisation
then revealed a posterior wall
left ventricular aneurysm.
It's unclear what caused
the clot to form initially.
Bad vibes.
The patient's been admitted
repeatedly starting
with a sprained wrist.
Each time she comes back
there's a new problem that's worse.
Thrombophlebitis, gastric bleeding,
gall bladder disease.
Can I see the chart, please?
Any ideas?
Send her to Bernheim Memorial.
Mrs Hufnagel's being managed
on drugs right now,
but she could need a bypass
and resection.
I'd like to find out
what caused the clot.
The answer's right here.
She was given Coumadin
and clofibrate.
Those two drugs interact to cause
increased anticoagulation
and no-one checked
or adjusted the dosage
and the Coumadin was
simply discontinued.
Her PT fell too low
and a clot formed in the artery.
From what I see, this file
is a record of medical abuse.
The drug list is excessive,
her primary physician was changed,
sometimes daily,
and now because of your treatment,
or lack of it,
this woman is seriously ill.
No-one consciously mistreated this
woman but what happened is worse -
no-one cared. And that doesn't
happen in this hospital.
Looks like everything's
in order, Mr Knox.
We're set, the motorcades
en route to Brookline now.
You can be assured
that St Eligius is ready.
Let's hope there's no need
to prove ourselves, Dr Craig.
MUTTERING
I'm not doing too well, am I?
Well, let me put it this way,
you could use a good final round.
PHONE RINGS
Hello.
Oh.
Hi, Ira.
Yeah.
Sure, I'll tell him.
So long.
What a hump!
What did Ira want?
He said he was busy or something.
Will he come later?
Look, Rosenthal...
Ira's not gonna be
able to make it.
Oh.
Rosenthal hasn't seen Ira
since he moved out.
He was looking forward to it.
Ira's a jerk.
Could you leave
Jeff and me alone, please?
Sure.
I guess your dad's got too much
to do right now, huh?
He just doesn't want me around.
I'm not gonna have a dad any more.
Look, I don't know too much
about being a father,
but I know something
about being a son.
It's not always so great, is it?
My dad was sick all his life.
We never did one thing together -
no games, no long talks, no jokes.
I was supposed to understand
he had a disease.
Well, I didn't.
I thought he was a jerk.
And then one day he died.
Dads aren't around
for all kinds of reasons.
You know, sometimes it seems
they don't love you,
but I realise now
that they're usually
just not very good at it.
Unfortunately, you just can't
go down to the dad store
and pick up a new one.
You go with what you've got.
But sometimes a friend helps.
If you need a friend, maybe...
Well, how about a Celtics' game
this Friday
whether I pass the test or not?
I prefer the Bruins.
Dad hates hockey
because of the blood.
He faints if he cuts his finger.
Bruins it is.
Souvenirs!
Streamers!
Bumper stickers!
Patriotic pompons!
Get your flags!
Souvenirs!
Show you love America!
Souvenirs!
Hey, man!
What's all this junk for?
The First Lady,
she's coming this way.
Do you want a souvenir?
Who cares?
You should be proud
to be an American.
I'm proud of this.
How much you got?
SPEAKS SPANISH
Let's go. Come on!
Roger that.
They're in the zone.
This is pretty exciting.
It sure beats watching
the President wade into a crowd
of people shaking hands.
I thought all you Secret Service
guys were carved out of stone.
Depends on who we're talking to.
This looks like a possible
broken wrist.
Noncritical patients were supposed
to be taken to Bernheimer today.
But nobody told them.
Sorry. This one can transfer.
Spread those ribs further.
He's lost 800CCs of blood
through the chest tube.
How's it going?
He's losing blood like crazy.
There's blood on
the pericardial sac.
It looks like the knife entered
the left ventricle.
Helen, find out where
that chest surgeon is.
He was just selling souvenirs
and they knifed him.
I'm gonna open the pericardial sac
and suture the hole.
Hang another bag
of Lactated Ringer's.
2-0 Polydek.
Annie, how about an assist?
Sure.
Dr Cavanero,
I just want to remind you,
you're on call
until this alert's over.
Chest surgeon's ready in OR.
OK, let me just get a couple of
sutures in so we can move him.
Can't you people look alive?
Who are you?
Bob, I came by to see
if the OR was ready.
Well, this is kind of like
standing on the sidelines
waiting to see if there'll be a
game.
I still don't know why
I'm even on call.
Suppose we run into surgery
that requires cosmetic work?
The First Lady's appearance
is important.
I wonder what kind of music
she likes?
For crying out loud.
Would you look at this?
Doesn't anybody take this seriously?
The First Lady of the United States
could be on that table
in a matter of minutes.
It will be our time
to be in the spotlight.
One doesn't wish for it,
of course...
When you get right down to it,
a doctor's job depends on people
who are hurt and sick.
Wanting to heal
means wishing for patients.
I guess in an ideal life,
we'd be out of business.
Impossible. Even if
there wasn't any disease,
somebody would walk into
an aeroplane propeller
or get shot, or want a nose job.
It's the nature of man
to need repair.
Well, what should we do
while we wait?
Get to know each other better?
Fine. Just spare me the stories
of your gridiron glories, OK?
Deal.
Knife wound to the chest
entering the left ventricle.
We got a heartbeat back,
BP is 80, palpable.
His chest is filled with blood.
We only got a couple
of stitches in the heart.
Betadine drip.
All right, get me six more units
of whole blood.
That'll be hard.
We're out of universal donor
and that's the last unit of
his type in the blood bank.
Well, has the Red Cross been called?
They're on their way.
PHONE RINGS
Hello.
I'm nude, too.
Who's this?
Mrs Hufnagel?
I'll be right with you.
Listen, bub, I don't go in
for this rough stuff,
so will you try somebody else?
Who are you?
Dr Westphall.
Oh, Westphall.
Yeah, you're the high muckity muck.
Director of Medicine.
Medicine? Ha! You call what goes on
in this pop stand medicine?
That's like calling Henny Youngman
a violin player.
Well, I'm sorry you feel you've been
mistreated here, Mrs Hufnagel.
How are you getting along?
Pains in my chest, I'm tired
and worried about dying.
Other than that, it's a mitzvah.
A sensation of death is common
after a heart attack, Mrs Hufnagel,
but I don't think
you're going to die.
The medication you're on
should manage your problem.
If it doesn't,
there are other options.
Ah, You can keep
your artificial heart.
I'm not hauling that piece
of hardware around inside me.
You're not going to need
an artificial heart.
The one thing that worries me
about dying is being alone.
See, I've got nobody.
I live alone. I'm just like you.
I mean, your wife's dead, you've
got a daughter in college somewhere,
and that retarded kid, boy,
that's a kick in the shorts.
You poor fellow.
The thing I can't figure out is
how they can let you run a hospital?
What do you mean?
You're a jinx.
Mrs Hufnagel...
Come to think of it,
this whole place is jinxed.
Auschlander's about ready
to kick the bucket,
Morrison got his degree
from a Crackerjack box,
Rosenthal isn't exactly symmetrical.
Ehrlich, he's got bad luck
in his genes.
And behind those sensible wrinkles
in your forehead,
your life's a mess.
Ha, I should write a book.
Notify Dr Craig to take over
Mrs Hufnagel's case, will you?
You know, it's really
hard to believe
that this much goes on
every time the First Lady travels.
They don't publicise it.
The less any crackpot
knows the better.
It must cost a lot.
What you're really wondering is,
is it worth it?
It does seem hard to justify
when the Government's cutting back
on necessary social programmes
including health care.
You can't just let the First
Lady be fair game, Miss Howard.
Aside from her life, we're
protecting the stability
of the White House.
By virtue of being married
to the President,
she's integral to his wellbeing.
Maybe shouldn't go out.
Oh, there you are.
What's the problem?
We have a knifing victim in there
who's eating up the hospital's
blood supply and needs more.
Now, the blood we have on hold for
the First Lady is the same type.
I don't have the authority
to release it.
A man's life is at stake.
The delivery van is stuck in
traffic because of the motorcade.
Dr Craig, this hospital
agreed to hold that supply.
I'd have to clear any change
in status. That could take time.
He doesn't have time!
I'm sorry, I'll do the best
I can but for now,
that blood is still on hold.
Ms Wilkes, hi.
I'm Dr Westphall,
you wanted to see me?
Yes, there's been a mistake.
I need to see someone in authority.
They won't let me see my son.
Yes, I was told that we have
a court order to guard him.
But I never hurt Sean, I swear.
I'm a good mother. I love my son.
Please, let me see him.
Why don't you sit down?
Do you have any idea
how this happened?
I didn't see.
I try not to leave him alone.
It was only for a few seconds
to answer the phone. I mean,
a kid could catch his foot somehow
and twist like that, couldn't he?
Why do they think I did it?
I want Sean to love himself.
I want him to love other people.
When you hurt someone, it takes
all the love right out of them.
Were you abused, may I ask?
Sean's father, he beat me.
But I left when I got pregnant
so my son wouldn't grow up
with someone who didn't care.
Sean is my victory.
I could never hurt that.
Here, look at us.
Sean and me.
That's his first day.
That's us playing at Cape Cod.
That's his baptism.
We're happy. Sean makes me happy.
Maybe you don't understand
the feeling.
I have children.
Do you know what it's like
to be separated from them?
Why don't you go home
and get some rest?
Sean is safe here.
I'll look into this.
I'm not leaving my son.
'Jim, how are you doing?'
I'm fine. He's lousy.
'Got bleeders all over the place.'
There's still two minutes to go.
Two minutes more?
Mark, this guy's
already below the dipstick.
OK, you've got it.
Call the blood bank, get the supply
we have on hold for the First Lady.
Dr Craig, I understand,
but you can't.
I just did, Miss Halloran.
Come on.
He's running dry. Give it a squeeze.
Well, I guess Mr Gutierrez
will owe the First Lady one.
That's it. They're out of the zone.
Good, now it's
somebody else's problem.
We'll probably be using you again.
Next time, maybe for the President.
I'll make it a point
to be out of town.
So long.
Shirley!
Hold me, Annie.
Helen!
Did you examine for bruising or
any other signs of mistreatment?
There's an old bruise on
the lower part of the back.
Come on, Sean.
Sit up, will you, pal?
That could be a faint
Mongolian spot, just a birthmark.
Common on black children.
Anything else?
The X-ray show any old fractures?
There's an angular deformity
of the distal radius
that's compatible
with a previous break.
Well, he's an active child. That
could've been caused by the fall.
No, I'd say
this is open to suspicion.
What about a spiral fracture
of the leg?
I can't say how it happened,
but I talked to the mother
and I can't believe that woman
is capable of harming this child.
With respect, Dr Westphall,
that is just your instinct.
No, this little guy is perfectly
healthy in all other respects.
He appears to be
very well cared for.
I think Dr Ehrlich jumped the gun.
Dr Ehrlich identified a serious
injury that's been associated
with child abuse.
He did the right thing.
Now listen, there's a very
distraught mother out there
who can't see her son. Yet she
spent all night here to be near him.
That should tell you something.
Dr Westphall, the parent is
not my concern at this point.
I have another case, a two-year-old
like Sean, her mother immersed her
in scalding water.
Punishment for an accident
during toilet training.
We have to protect these children.
Mr Paley, I'm fully aware of the
extent of the problem you facing.
I'll take the chance that we
over-reacted. We may be wrong,
but the price is too high if we
allow a child to be abused again.
Let the State decide.
How long will that take?
Can we stop the investigation?
No. Once a report's been made,
it can't be rescinded.
They're moving Sean into foster
care until they reach a decision.
Even then, we won't know
if their decision is right.
Our department is one
of the best in the country
at dealing with child abuse.
Well, I'm willing to make a
statement on the mother's behalf.
I'll tell them.
You think I made a mistake?
Yep.
How can one person be more
important than anyone else?
By marrying the right guy.
Who'd you vote for?
I was in surgery all election day.
Pat Paulsen always get my vote.
He hasn't run since 68.
It's the principle that counts.
Jack, how many times a day
do you brush your teeth?
Four.
Hygiene, Jack, that's a fetish.
By the way, Ehrlich borrowed
your toothbrush this morning.
Wayne, they just wheeled
Shirley Daniels into ER.
What's wrong?
They said it was serious. >
I knew it, suicide,
I should have done something.
How do you know it's suicide?
Nobody's that happy unless
they're going to crash.
Dr Craig.
I'm doing surgery.
It will only take a minute.
I called the blood bank
after the alert
to release our supply to you.
They said you'd removed it earlier.
That could have been a big mistake.
Yeah, well, I'd do it again.
There might be hearing of some sort,
possibly a reprimand from
Washington.
Fine.
By the way,
how is the man who needed the blood?
He died on the table.
What happened?
Hi, Jack.
Why did you do it, Shirl?
Do what?
I should have called, I'm sorry.
You'll have plenty of time to
talk after her appendix comes out.
Appendix?
Shirley has acute appendicitis.
She's on her way to surgery. >
What did you think, Fiscus?
I was sure you'd decided to...
Well, like the roof.
I'd have to be
crazy to commit suicide.
Everything went
according to plan, did it?
Roughly.
I just wanted to say goodbye.
I have to meet the motorcade
at Logan.
Last time I looked, it was morning.
I'd barely saw you today.
Maybe another time?
I'd like that.
Donald, back in med school,
my knees used to get weak
when I saw you.
The feeling hasn't changed.
I'm kind of sorry nothing
happened last night.
Take care of yourself, Donald.
Bye.
Ms Wilkes,
I'm sorry.
I brought my son to you for help.
Please try and understand, I
thought I was doing the right thing.
Why do you suspect me?
Because I'm black?
No, no, of course not.
Maybe I jumped to conclusions
but it's my duty,
it's my job to report any suspicion.
So much publicity about child abuse,
everybody's on the lookout.
I felt like a hero.
And you wonder
what it's like for kids today,
being taught to suspect everyone,
including their own parents.
I guess it's good
everyone knows about abuse,
but now everybody's suspicious
and where do you draw the line?
I've never been so confused.
Hey, I'm a doctor,
I'm not a judge. I don't know.
Whenever I screwed up as a kid,
my dad spanked me with a belt.
And now I wonder, was that
punishment or abuse? I don't know.
I wish there was something I
could do to make things right again.
But if there's any way to help...
There is, Dr Ehrlich.
Let me kiss my son goodnight.
Richard?
Helen, I think I found the problem.
What problem?
The kid said the disposal was on
the fritz. There's a loose wire.
Hi, Mom.
Dick, can I borrow the car?
No.
Come on,
it's just for a little while.
Look, I'll be careful,
I'll put gas in it.
OK, only Unleaded Supreme,
don't ride the clutch and I
never let the RPMs get over 4,000.
Good man.
Glad he's going to be around.
By the way, everybody else
went to the movies
so you two could be alone. So long.
Well, you seem to have
made quite an impression.
The kids helped me move in.
Isn't that great?
Here we go!
Isn't this a little sudden?
What?
I didn't expect
this to happen so fast.
It was nothing. Once I
found the wire, it was a snap.
Helen,
I've never been happier in my life.
I love you.
Well, welcome, Richard.
It's a clear night for Boston.
Is that Orion's Belt?
Where?
There, to the left of the bright
one.
I can never tell.
A pretty sight though, isn't it?
Daniel, what would you say
if I told you
I was thinking of selling the
house and moving into an apartment?
What brought this on?
Maureen's gone, Lizzie's in college,
Tommy's in family care
and I keep a candle burning in
the window like one of those stars.
Maybe time for a change.
Do it. You don't need permission.
Boy, that's beautiful.
Hi.
Hi.
Must be tiring watching kids sleep.
You know it.
I'll hold down the fort,
if you like.
Why don't you get a mug
of hot, steaming java?
That's OK, thanks.
Come on, go ahead, doctor's orders.
OK.
Take your time.