St. Elsewhere (1982–1988): Season 3, Episode 21 - Murder, She Rote - full transcript
Elliot goes on a date; Caldwell tries to persuade his patient to leave her room; Mrs. Hufnagel leaves the hospital; Daniels is declared fit for work.
I'd like to schedule you
for a coronary bypass.
You wanna unzip me
just like that, huh?
That cut came awfully close
to the mitral apparatus.
I nicked the papillary muscle.
You see what you made me do?!
Andrea Fordham is coming in
today to get her bandages removed.
My face feels so small.
Who's the chubby guy
with the big peepers?
Dr Axelrod. He's a first year.
He's kinda cute.
Did Myra White
get my present for her baby?
I don't know, what was it?
The little ski mask. See?
I'm concerned about Shirley,
I mean about her mental state.
If you're suggesting
I try to win this case
through an insanity plea,
you're way off the mark.
I'm not ready yet.
To what?
I'm not going out there.
Late for rounds again!
What are you, my mother?!
Late for rounds again?
My engine caught on fire.
You don't own a car.
Craig doesn't know that.
Hold this for me, will you?
I'm not your valet.
Charts, I need charts.
Late for rounds again?
I've 10 minutes to check
on 20 patients before rounds.
If I'm not up on every case,
Craig will have my butt in a sling.
Ehrlich, you have pyjamas on!
So?
They have feet!
Right.
Better go change. Excuse me!
BUZZER
Oh, I'm coming, Mrs Hufnagel. Again!
Yeah, I just need
something short to read.
"Jokes For The John". OK. Thank you.
What is it this time?
I didn't know this thing
had an ejection button.
All I wanted to do was sit up.
The beds in this hospital don't
work any better than the elevators.
Don't believe me, Papandrao?
See, Cretan?
I beg your pardon?
Oh, your people are from
the Isle of Crete, aren't they?
I grew up in Fall River. Why?
Ah, you Greeks are
sure a distrustful lot.
Cradle of democracy, my eye.
Don't tell me that Onassis
wasn't trying to make a run for
the White House by marrying Jackie.
Oh, stop blathering, Mrs Hufnagel,
you're sounding paranoid again.
Ah!
There. You can do the rest.
Hey! Papandrao?
What?
Thanks.
You...are very welcome.
KNOCK ON DOOR
Good morning.
I'm not leaving.
Andrea, I thought by now...
I told you yesterday,
I can't go out there.
You're behaving like a child.
Please don't start!
I'm tired.
Spending the night on the exam
table was very uncomfortable.
There's no reason for you
to stay in this hospital.
Who says I need a reason?
According to Dr Caldwell,
after years of failure,
the operation is a great success.
When he took the bandages off
yesterday,
he said there was no sign
of the tumours coming back.
Oh, your face looks lovely, Andrea.
Oh, excuse me. Ladies,
I think you're in the wrong room.
I'm scheduled to see a patient
in here.
The nurse at the desk is aware of the
situation. We have Dr Caldwell's OK.
For what?
For my daughter and me to stay
in here as long as we want.
Oh, I see.
Sorry to bother you.
Darling, we simply have...
I don't mean to hurt you, Mother.
There was a side of the
disease that made me special.
It gave me an excuse
not to participate in life.
Now I look normal.
I don't know what people do.
I'll help you.
No, don't you see?
You can't help me any more.
I'll be right back with
the discharge papers, Shirley.
Okey-dokey.
You're fine.
OK, Toots, let's give the surgeon
one last gander
at his intricate suturing.
Take my word, the scar
is right where you left it.
I'm the medico here, OK?
So let's undo Mr Bow,
pull the gown back and take a peek.
Your hands are cold!
Yes, but my smile is warm.
And the traverse stops here.
Easy!
I know it's not the cleanest
appendectomy of the New Year,
but considering the incredible
pressure I was under.
You, a demented killer,
we almost dated once.
I've great difficulty excising
a vestigial organ
knowing that right around the bend
sits a cervical os.
Citizen Kane's dying
thought wasn't a fond remembrance
of a childhood sled, OK?
I don't mind the scar.
Besides, I'm not planning on
logging any bikini time for a while.
Surely, they won't send you
to prison, will they, Shirley?
Eventually. Until then,
I've got to find a job.
OK, embroider pillows.
It's a growing cottage industry,
you're home alone, no-one gets hurt.
My lawyer scheduled
a meeting with Auschlander
trying to get me reinstated
in Emergency.
If you need a character reference,
let me know.
I have always been in your corner.
I know your heart's in the
right place. So was Peter White's.
Ooh, I gotta go.
Because if it wasn't, I'd have had
to pull the trigger a third time
and blast a hole through his skull.
I gotta go. I'll talk to you.
I was uncomfortable.
I needed to elevate my thighs.
This is a bed, not a crane!
Good morning, Mrs Hufnagel,
we're looking well.
Chandler?
Ehrlich.
Well, I puke,
I can't breathe and my chest feels
like Buddy Richard's snare drum.
Other than that, I can't complain.
Typical post-op irritations,
I assure you.
Somehow, your assuring me
isn't very reassuring.
Always a wit, aren't we?
Your EKG showed high peak T waves
and your last serum electrolytes
indicated elevated potassium,
so we'd better recheck it.
Do us a favour, will you?
Don't play with the bed.
Will one of you dolls
get me a 20 gauge needle?
Sure.
Thanks.
Hold on there, horse face,
you're not jabbing me again.
Rounds started two minutes ago.
Roll up your sleeve.
You're all plotting against me.
Calm down, please.
You think it's fun for me
to be stabbing you with needles?
Hey, I've seen you before.
Sure. In the diner.
You always wore purple
and you never left a tip,
and you used to bad-mouth
the eats even before you tasted them.
Let's try a little reality here,
Mrs Hufnagel.
If your potassium is too high, it
might cause cardiac arrhythmias.
Ah, all part of a scheme, isn't it?
Rotten drugs dripping in me day
and night. The food.
Hey!
That's what's causing
all the bubbles in my head!
Look, you're on a special diet, OK?
It's important to eat
what we've prescribed.
I'm telling you
that I've got bubbles in my head.
Like Lawrence Welk.
All right, you don't want
the test, that's fine.
I don't have time
to shilly-shally around with you.
When you're ready for expert post-op
care, call my answering service.
I don't know what I'm going to do.
Personally, I don't
know what you see in her.
She's kind of cute.
Are we talking the call of the wild
here? Who is this little sweetie?
He's got the heat
for Rosenthal's daughter.
Who's got Finnegan's chart? >
I do, sir, me, I'm ready.
Fire away, let her rip.
'Dr Craig, Dr Mark Craig, OR two.'
Oh, all right. Right, rounds
are over. You lucked out, Ehrlich.
I've never been good at breaking
the ice with women, anyway.
The best way to break
the ice is to melt it.
This girl sounds
like she has a great appetite.
You should satisfy her hunger.
Never mind.
I'm talking about dinner.
Impress her over a meal.
Take her somewhere
they know you,
you get the best table,
tip-top service.
My mother's?!
No, I've just the hideaway. It's
a sedate little Polynesian bistro.
The Kahuna Room?
Yeah. The owner
is a good friend of mine.
My picture's on the wall.
I'm not trying to brag.
So you ask for Hong
and make sure you mention my name.
Is there a dress code?
Sarong, Elliot. See you later.
No, no dress code. Come here.
I must tell you,
the thought of a murderess,
however provoked, being
employed at St Eligius, sickens me.
Innocent till proven,
Dr Auschlander.
Remember,
the court allowed Peter White
to work here prior to his hearing.
A woefully misguided
exercise of civil liberties.
Dr Auschlander,
I want to play by the house rules.
Avoid the courts.
Meaning?
Evaluate
Shirley's mental competence.
Run psychological
and physiological tests.
If she's judged sane,
she's back on staff.
No deal.
Don't force my hand, Doctor,
I'm not being philanthropic.
The more competent she appears,
returning to her old job,
the stronger my defence will
be when she comes to trial.
I've talked to the head of nursing.
They're not going to aid or abet
either side in this issue.
It's certainly unethical
and probably immoral. Yes?
KNOCK ON DOOR
Excuse me.
What's it, Morrison?
Dr Ehrlich told me you were meeting
to reinstate Shirley Daniels.
I'd like to be
involved in the testing.
I'll do the EEG and the CAT scan.
Nurse Daniels is your friend,
Dr Morrison,
don't you think your opinion
is somewhat biased?
No, you don't understand,
I'm hoping the evaluation will
prove that Shirley is insane.
Mrs Hufnagel's buzzing again.
Let her wait.
10th buzz this morning.
PHONE RINGS
Third floor.
Ah, Vanette, I see you've
decided to live another day.
Either you give me
an accurate patient count >
or I'm coming up there and
we settle this with our fists. >
Anything for a laugh,
huh, Miss Hufnagel?
Miss Hufnagel.
Miss Hufnagel?
Damn!
Code blue, 3312.
Well, no-one can say we didn't try.
We performed CPR for 40 minutes.
This is all my fault.
I ignored her buzzer.
She's God's problem now.
What makes you think she's going up?
Old bird.
The bigots of the world
are gonna miss her.
Bob. What's going and in exam room B?
I tried to use it an hour ago
and the floor nurse tells me your
patient spent the night in it.
My NF patient.
She's in the middle
of a post-op crisis.
Call bed control, have her admitted.
If I get her out of the room,
I don't need to admit her.
I don't understand,
what are you waiting for?
For her to make up
her mind she's ready.
I don't see how
you're helping her towards
a decision if you're out here.
Stop thinking this
will take care of itself.
We have limited space
for exams and we need the room.
OK.
Hi.
Bob tells me you sold
your house yesterday.
Just called Lizzie at
school to tell her about it.
How did she take it?
Excuse me, Dr Craig. We lost one
of your patients. Florence Hufnagel.
Where is she?
In here. On her way to the morgue.
What happened?
Cardiac arrest.
Why haven't her test results
been charted?
We have ward clerks up the wazoo,
but you can't get a simple
blood test
back from the lab before high noon!
Well, the doctors didn't seem to
know what caused the heart attack.
Though my guess is,
it was brought on by the bed.
The bed, what bed?
Mrs Hufnagel was found, well,
she'd been swallowed up by the bed.
(LAUGHS)
I don't think it's so damn funny!
I'm not laughing,
I'm really not, it's tragic!
Wait until the hospital gets slapped
with a lawsuit for shoddy equipment!
Send the death certificate to
my office, and find the family.
OK, I'll start dredging the river.
We struggle to find a cure
for cancer, but what's
the cure for a bed?
I'm not laughing.
Excuse me, water.
This case has been manhandled
from the start, Donald.
I'm aware of that. Eight different
doctors, no continuity of care.
No awareness of the
overall clinical picture.
I've made it clear that I'm angry
and I'm tightening up procedures.
You can let it rest at that,
but this woman was murdered,
same as if she'd been
knifed in an alley.
Yeah, yeah, I agree with you.
We'll have to find out
who's culpable.
I intend to see to it
that the guilty parties pay.
To tell you the truth, Mom,
I wasn't overjoyed
with the idea of you being pregnant.
I'm sorry it turned out
the way it did,
but that's no reason to cancel
marrying Richard.
I still want him to live with us.
But since I'm not having a baby,
there's no point in getting married.
You've never needed a reason before.
Thanks for lunch, Marcy,
I'll see you at home.
OK.
Body's over there.
Mm-hm.
Hi.
Hi!
I'm Marcy Eisenberg.
Nurse Rosenthal's daughter.
Remember we met in the
cafeteria once? Sort of.
I don't know the reason
why you're in the morgue,
but it couldn't be very pleasant,
so I'll see you later.
No, actually, I came here to see you.
Mom said you'd be here.
Thanks, this is just what I needed.
Thanks a lot.
You're welcome.
Is there a medical problem?
No. I think you're cute.
Really?!
Uh-huh.
Does this mean if asked you out,
you wouldn't laugh in my face?
Yeah.
OK. OK. Are you planning
to be hungry some time?
For dinner, I mean?
Probably tonight.
We could go out.
You and I. Alone. Together.
To a restaurant!
Listen, I've got a better idea.
Why don't we order up Chinese
at your place and eat in bed?
Yeah! I mean, no! No.
Oh, face facts, Axelrod,
90% of dating only postpones
what two people really want.
I'm not that kind of guy, Marcy.
Old school, huh?
No. I just, I would like
our date to lead to
maybe a long-term meaningful
relationship.
You know, if we hop in bed together,
right away, what's the surprise?
Well, if that's the
way you want it, sure.
But, think of me as a vampire
because eventually,
I'll drain your
of all your body fluids.
Pick you up at eight?
Make it 7:30.
Give us a little extra time later.
What should I wear?
A sarong.
OK.
See you later.
See you.
Hiya. Would you like
to take a little walk?
No, thanks.
Hey, look at me.
No.
Andrea, I don't understand.
You have everything you ever wanted.
You can't expect me to walk out there
as if I've been a regular person
all these years.
You didn't go through
the ordeal of surgery
to spend the rest of your
life cooped up in some dumb room.
I was concerned about
my health like anyone else.
Surgery corrected the bone
disease and glaucoma...
I'm tired of this.
Time to get you out
in the real world.
You can't force me to leave here.
Sure I can.
No!
No!
Come on, I'll buy you dinner.
Watch it, will you?
Yeah.
Come on, Andrea.
You remember how.
Left foot. Right foot.
Left foot.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah. Just like that.
No problem.
Hey.
How you doing?
If Mr Lamb had taken my advice
and stopped smoking 10 years ago,
he might not have developed
cardiovascular disease. Stitch.
Hold off on that suction a minute.
Ehrlich, I didn't see any notes on
Mrs Hufnagel's chart this morning.
She was delusional and abusive and...
And dead.
What? She died?!
With a snarl on her face, I'm told.
Crushed by her ventilator clam.
Hufnagel in the half shell.
I don't want to hear
any more jokes about this woman.
I'm having an autopsy performed
and if I find you're responsible...
Me? I wasn't anywhere
near the old...sweetheart.
Precisely. It's possible that if
you'd rechecked her electrolytes,
you might have discovered
her potassium level
was dangerously high.
Instead, you chose to walk away.
Honestly, Dr Craig, I tried.
I couldn't get close.
She was delirious and hyper.
It's your job to cut through a
patient's anxiety and agitation.
She accused me of not leaving tips!
BP's 90 over 60.
I'm adding another unit.
I haven't crossed you off my list
of suspects either, Kochar.
What were you doing the
day Indira Gandhi was shot?
Mrs Hufnagel left the
OR in stable condition.
You could have maintained
better control of her mean
arterial pressure
and the Vaso Press you
gave her was too little, too late.
You two better
have your alibis straight
for the mortality conference because
somebody's head is going to roll.
Clamp.
The CAT scan shows no
evidence of brain lesions.
The first step in proving
to everyone that I'm sane.
That disappoints you, doesn't it?
Let's see if the EEG
is within normal limits.
Answer me, Jack!
If you get your way,
you're going to go to prison.
I'd rather see you declared insane
and free.
Who's free?
For you to survive in prison, you'd
have to become like a criminal
and I don't want to see that happen.
Besides, you'd lose all that time.
Time imprisons everybody.
But I'll make good use
of the time in my cell,
in isolation.
Why the sudden concern
for my welfare?
Why didn't I hear a word from you
after I was arrested?
Two months, Jack.
I couldn't get in touch.
You couldn't face the truth.
You convinced Peter to lie for me
at his entrapment hearing
and they convicted him.
He felt betrayed and
started attacking women.
Which made me angry, so I killed him.
But you really killed him
and he was your best friend.
Now, that's insane.
Really?
And that's what you want to hear.
Up on the roof that night,
I was totally unglued.
I admit it.
Anything could have happened.
But I chose life, Jack.
For both of us.
I made a mistake.
I should have splattered
you all over the sidewalk.
Start the damn test.
Let me get this straight.
You've never been married?
Right.
You've never even lived with a girl?
Never for more
than a couple of weeks.
What's the matter with you?
Right girl never come along?
No, she came. She went.
I'm just not very good
at commitment.
I got clams.
Stop!
I'm serious!
Mind if I crash the party?
Not at all. Wayne Fiscus,
this is Andrea Fordham.
Pleased to meet you.
Got one for you.
You're the manager
of a Broadway playhouse.
A giraffe runs into
the theatre during the matinee.
The audience panics. How do get
the giraffe out of the theatre?
Got me.
You can't if it's in its blood.
The woman obviously
has a sense of humour.
Something he had removed
shortly after arriving in Boston.
Be careful what you say about Dr
Caldwell. He's my friend. Aren't you?
You bet.
BEEPER
That's me. I'll see who it is.
I'll come with you.
Don't rush off.
He always comes back for his milk.
I just had the most
amazing experience in ER.
A guy came in with chronic hiccups
and I cured him with an
eight-inch hypodermic needle.
Where did you stick it?
Never give him the shot,
I just showed him the needle.
I always got results with an old
paper bag. I put it over my head.
I did the same thing
with surgical gloves,
except everyone got tired
of that routine.
Fine. Tell Dr Sutcliffe
I'll call him later.
Thanks.
You felt in your mind
that Dr White was dangerous.
I knew he was slime, Dr Weiss.
I treated some of the women
attacked, friends of mine.
One committed suicide.
Another had a nervous breakdown.
So you had to stop Dr White
from victimising
other women at St Eligius?
After slipped through
a loophole and was acquitted,
he was above the law.
Did you feel personally threatened
by Dr White?
No way.
I can take care of myself.
But all the women here
at St Eligius were terrified.
Hospitals have to be safe places,
like churches,
or home base when you played tag.
Do you believe
that what you did was wrong?
Peter was a rapist.
Rapists are scum.
A half notch above child molesters.
Given the opportunity,
you would shoot a child molester?
No, not me. I wouldn't let anyone
bring me to that point again.
But if someone else wanted to hang
a child molester, more power to them.
All right. There are some
mental and motor function tests
I need you to perform for me.
Take your thumb and forefinger like
this and let me see how quickly
you can tap them together.
Good.
Let me see how quickly
you can stick your tongue
in and out of your mouth.
All right.
Subtract 7 from
the number 100 repeatedly.
93, 86, 79, 72,
65, 58... Is that enough?
Plenty.
Can you think of one thing that
apples and oranges have in common?
Yeah, they both taste lousy
in Boston this time of year.
All right.
I'd like you to answer yes or no
to the following statements.
No.
No.
No.
I wish I could be as happy
as others seem to be.
Yes.
All right. That's it.
Can you stick out your
tongue and touch your nose?
Come on, Doc, give it a try.
Got you!
Yes, you did.
There is nothing wrong
with the young lady, Dr Auschlander.
You have nothing to be afraid of.
She can return to work.
Did you inquire about
the ski mask gift?
She denied having
anything to do with it.
You believed her?
I did.
Simon, I'm still not convinced.
It's too soon to have Shirley
return to the emergency room.
Very tough, very hard.
She sure was.
No, the tongue.
I hate to admit it,
but I honestly couldn't care less
that Mrs Hufnagel died.
There's a frothy haemorrhagic fluid
in the lungs.
First time I ever felt
this way about a patient, too.
The lower lobes are soggy.
Hello, Dr Craig.
What can you tell me?
The closure of the heart
held up beautifully.
Of course it held up.
So far, I've got a massive
pulmonary oedema
without chronic congestive
changes. It looks acute.
Here's what must have happened.
Ruptured papillary muscle right
along the incision line. See it?
I'm not blind.
The muscle must have held together
for a while,
but when it finally ruptured,
she went into CHF and died.
There's only one thing
wrong with that assessment.
I never went near
the papillary muscle.
No, sir, I think you did.
I seem to remember
Ehrlich whining and you nicked...
Dr Wade, what we're seeing
here is a pre-existing defect.
The cardiac cath just
didn't pick it up, that's all.
Well, maybe I'm confusing
two different patients.
Damn right you are.
We'll just say congestive heart
failure and leave it at that.
There'll be more information
in my surgical notes.
I dictated them immediately
after the operation.
She obviously had a lot
of things wrong with her.
That's beside the point.
If there was a screw-up
during the resection,
it's because Ehrlich distracted
me from keeping my eye on you.
My notes will clear that up.
This is taking for ever.
Excuse me!
I'm sorry. Here I am trying
to make a good impression.
I can't even get us a table.
Why don't we forget about
dinner and go to your place?
I wanted more for us
than a few cheap thrills.
What's wrong with
a few cheap thrills?
Let me see about our table again.
Stay right here.
Excuse me? We've been
waiting here for over an hour.
Name?
Axelrod MD, remember?
Everyone doctor at dinner time.
We had reservations.
Friends of Victor Ehrlich.
Who?!
Victor Ehrlich. Health spot, WYN TV.
You have his picture
hanging up here somewhere.
Victor Ehrlich? Victor Ehrlich?
Yeah, yeah.
Off air, made fool of self.
Ancient history.
Oh, welcome, darling!
Tatupu show you to your seat
right away.
Enjoy fire dance, darling!
Look, Hong. Will this
speed things up a little bit?
Hong see what he can do.
Excuse me, what about
this empty table right here?
No, that very special table.
Permanently reserved for Jack Ward.
Well, I could make an exception.
Right this way, sir.
'February 26th, 1985.
'Florence Hufnagel,
63-year-old white female.
'Right coronary bypass
and resection...
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Purse-string sutures were placed
in the aorta and right atrium.
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Aneurysm.
Coronary artery was isolated...
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Saphenous vein graft was profused
with cardioplegic solution...
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Detected small surgical nick
on the mitral papillary muscle
'which was repaired with...
'..Surgical nick
'on the mitral papillary muscle
which was repaired with...'
BUZZER
Not now.
'Small surgical nick
on the mitral papillary muscle...'
How's the spicy poi?
Mm!
It burns a little, but I like it.
Anyone ever tell you
you've got beautiful thumbs?
No.
You can tell a lot
about a man from his hands.
Yours are so...big.
You want?
I love fish.
Especially anchovies.
Let's go to my place.
RAPID DRUMBEAT
Show time, show time, darling.
Back to table.
Yee-ha!
Hello, hello! Direct from
the main room of the casino
on the island of Guam.
Please give big Kahuna Room aloha
to Sammy Sang
and the Flickering Flame dancers.
Yee-ha!
Hey!
Get the extinguisher.
Elliot!
Get the extinguisher.
Marcy, get an ambulance!
Relax. You're going to be OK.
I'm a doctor.
'Dr Susan Simons to Paediatrics.
Dr Susan Simons to Paediatrics.'
Mr Hong. You are one lucky fellow.
Just a couple of first
and second degree burns.
You'll be good as new in no time.
Now, take one of
these every six hours.
It will help ease the pain and I'll
see you at the end of the week.
No.
I'll see you in court, brother.
I am going to sue your
butt from here to Samoa.
Wait a second. Why?
I probably saved your life,
not to mention
your sleazy restaurant.
Life and restaurant insured.
Aquarium not insured.
I can't believe you're going
to drag me in front of a judge
over a lousy fish tank.
Not tank. Very rare Japanese koi.
Good investment.
Excellent tax shelter.
Those suckers spawn like crazy.
Hong is out about 20,000 big ones.
I hope you have a good lawyer,
brother.
Hong. Hong!
I saved your life!
Dinner was ruined. Life is terrible.
But we still got each other.
OK, Marcy. Let's go.
I ordered Chinese.
I thought we could like eat it
in my bed like you said.
Over my dead body.
Mom, I'll handle this. OK?
I'll wait for you in the car.
Listen, Elliot.
I was attracted to you because I
thought you were goofy and klutzy
and you wouldn't say no to me.
But when that guy caught on fire
tonight I saw a quick-thinking,
capable, caring doctor,
and I was attracted
to you more than ever.
Listen, we can skip the
Chinese food and get right to it.
I don't think I could wait, anyway.
Elliot, you don't understand.
Now I really like you as a person,
not as a quickie.
I think we should take our time
and not jeopardise our relationship
by just jumping into bed.
You do?
Sarong, Elliot. Call me?
Sure.
What's the matter, Elliot?
Just colour me blue.
Shirley. Found you.
Hi, Iris. My shift's about to start.
I was under the impression
Dr Auschlander put your return
to ER on hold.
Oh, he changed his mind.
Really?
He seemed so definite yesterday.
According to the experts,
I'm playing with a full deck.
That's wonderful.
This means you're going
to walk out of that courtroom
a free woman.
Now, on the stand I want you to
tell how Peter tried to rape you.
That you killed him in self-defence.
You're suggesting I perjure myself?
Not in so many words.
You said he tried to kiss you.
I went there to kill him.
I'm not going to manipulate
the system like did.
Honey, you're looking at five years.
Maybe less. I got to get going.
I'll drop by the ER later
to see how you're doing.
You don't have to, Iris.
It's no problem.
Yes, it is.
Why?
Because you're fired.
Oh, bye, Iris.
What's the name of that
Agatha Christie book?
Huh?
The one on the train where
everybody's guilty of this murder.
I don't know.
Anyway, that's how I'm feeling.
All the suspects
gathering in one room.
Dr Craig...
Not now, Ehrlich. It's time
for the mortality conference.
That's what
I want to talk to you about.
I overlooked Mrs Hufnagel's
symptoms.
Every doctor makes a mistake
at one time in their careers.
She kept talking about
air bubbles in her head.
She wasn't ranting.
She was trying to describe
an AV malformation
or maybe a brain tumour.
The woman underwent
a very complex procedure.
She was advised of the risks.
Excuse us.
Dr Craig, I remember where I was
the day Indira Gandhi was shot.
Book a passage to India,
will you, Kochar?
No, it's my fault.
I know I'm kind of a lousy doctor
sometimes and a wussy human being
and I'm ready to take full
responsibility for her death.
Although I'm hoping you won't kick
me out of the residency programme
I'm willing to accept
any disciplinary action
you may decide upon.
Yes, well,
thank you for your honesty.
OK.
All right,
let's get started, please.
First case, Dr Chandler.
Ziganski, Geoffrey,
32-year-old executive white male.
Cause of death was an
intracerebral haemorrhage.
He collapsed while he was in
a screening room Friday night
between 8 and 10pm.
You can sit and wait for a doctor
but trust me, all he's going
to do is put some ice onit.
I'll wait.
Then please have a seat
in the waiting room.
Isn't it
great America works this way?
One day, you're persona non grata,
the next day you're grata.
It's so good to have you here,
I can't tell you.
Yeah, why not?
Are you a doctor?
Can you take care of me?
Listen, Mr Falletta, I'll call
your name when a doctor's available.
Sure is nice having you
back in the cockpit.
Fasten your seat belts.
It's going to be a bumpy night.
And a craniotomy was performed
to reduce the increased
intracranial pressure.
Dr Chandler,
did the patient have a history
of cerebral vascular disease?
Yes, he had an aneurysm
that ruptured
and caused a massive
intracranial haemorrhage.
Any other questions?
Next case.
Hufnagel, Florence M.
I want you ladies and gentlemen
to know
that we're going to take a long,
hard look at this case.
63-year-old white female.
Expired postoperatively
of congestive heart failure,
secondary to...
I'll take this one.
The care this woman received
was disgraceful
and sub-professional.
Sure you can blame that
on her unhealthy lifestyle,
her paranoia, her negativity,
on her almost innate talent
to seize upon our personal lives
and expose our vulnerabilities,
but actually,
it was the system
that broke down, completely.
The medical profession
has been getting a lot
of criticism these days, but
there's nothing wrong with medicine,
it's just the people who are in it.
And I mean those doctors
who don't give their very best.
I know I yell at you all.
I say rude things. I goad.
But it's the only way I know
to challenge you to achieve.
After all,
you're the next generation.
As a teacher as well as a doctor,
use me as a yardstick
for excellence, perfection.
Which is why I have to tell you
now that Mrs Hufnagel's death
was a direct result
of a surgical error.
A small nick
in the mitral papillary muscle
which gradually ruptured
during the post-op period.
Those chest pains, Dr Ehrlich,
the shortness of breath, the nausea,
are not just routine
post-op complaints,
they're symptoms
of mitral regurgitation.
The ruptured papillary muscle
lead to acute mitral insufficiency
and congestive heart failure.
In other words, I'm responsible
for Mrs Hufnagel's death.
My father always said,
"One life,
"one day in that life,
"is as precious as any other."
We lose patients for a lot of
reasons that we can't control,
but when we lose a patient
because of our own ineptitude,
it's unforgivable.
I apologise to you all.
I made a mistake.
I'm sorry.
We'll proceed to the next case.
Dr Cavanero?
Wake up, Wayne.
The weirdest thing just happened.
I told Shirley I was going to go
to Nantucket and I'd stop
in to see her sister.
Her sister doesn't live
in Nantucket.
That's what's weird.
In the bar, I swear she said
she stopped there to see her sister.
What's that?
Got a headache.
Well, let's get back to it.
We got all kinds of people
who need a lot more help
than you do, Mr Falletta.
I've been waiting here
for 30 minutes.
St Eligius, Emergency.
Don't turn your back on me.
St Eligius, Emergency.
I'm Dr Fiscus. What's the matter?
All I get from her's the run-around.
Wait your turn!
Go to hell.
Why don't you do us
all a favour and wait?
What did you say?
I didn't say anything.
Say it, Peter, that you raped them.
Sure.
Shirley, don't.
Just like old times, huh, Jack?
You're a wimp! Always were.
Till now.
Shirley?
Please don't.
Can't anyone around here take a joke?
for a coronary bypass.
You wanna unzip me
just like that, huh?
That cut came awfully close
to the mitral apparatus.
I nicked the papillary muscle.
You see what you made me do?!
Andrea Fordham is coming in
today to get her bandages removed.
My face feels so small.
Who's the chubby guy
with the big peepers?
Dr Axelrod. He's a first year.
He's kinda cute.
Did Myra White
get my present for her baby?
I don't know, what was it?
The little ski mask. See?
I'm concerned about Shirley,
I mean about her mental state.
If you're suggesting
I try to win this case
through an insanity plea,
you're way off the mark.
I'm not ready yet.
To what?
I'm not going out there.
Late for rounds again!
What are you, my mother?!
Late for rounds again?
My engine caught on fire.
You don't own a car.
Craig doesn't know that.
Hold this for me, will you?
I'm not your valet.
Charts, I need charts.
Late for rounds again?
I've 10 minutes to check
on 20 patients before rounds.
If I'm not up on every case,
Craig will have my butt in a sling.
Ehrlich, you have pyjamas on!
So?
They have feet!
Right.
Better go change. Excuse me!
BUZZER
Oh, I'm coming, Mrs Hufnagel. Again!
Yeah, I just need
something short to read.
"Jokes For The John". OK. Thank you.
What is it this time?
I didn't know this thing
had an ejection button.
All I wanted to do was sit up.
The beds in this hospital don't
work any better than the elevators.
Don't believe me, Papandrao?
See, Cretan?
I beg your pardon?
Oh, your people are from
the Isle of Crete, aren't they?
I grew up in Fall River. Why?
Ah, you Greeks are
sure a distrustful lot.
Cradle of democracy, my eye.
Don't tell me that Onassis
wasn't trying to make a run for
the White House by marrying Jackie.
Oh, stop blathering, Mrs Hufnagel,
you're sounding paranoid again.
Ah!
There. You can do the rest.
Hey! Papandrao?
What?
Thanks.
You...are very welcome.
KNOCK ON DOOR
Good morning.
I'm not leaving.
Andrea, I thought by now...
I told you yesterday,
I can't go out there.
You're behaving like a child.
Please don't start!
I'm tired.
Spending the night on the exam
table was very uncomfortable.
There's no reason for you
to stay in this hospital.
Who says I need a reason?
According to Dr Caldwell,
after years of failure,
the operation is a great success.
When he took the bandages off
yesterday,
he said there was no sign
of the tumours coming back.
Oh, your face looks lovely, Andrea.
Oh, excuse me. Ladies,
I think you're in the wrong room.
I'm scheduled to see a patient
in here.
The nurse at the desk is aware of the
situation. We have Dr Caldwell's OK.
For what?
For my daughter and me to stay
in here as long as we want.
Oh, I see.
Sorry to bother you.
Darling, we simply have...
I don't mean to hurt you, Mother.
There was a side of the
disease that made me special.
It gave me an excuse
not to participate in life.
Now I look normal.
I don't know what people do.
I'll help you.
No, don't you see?
You can't help me any more.
I'll be right back with
the discharge papers, Shirley.
Okey-dokey.
You're fine.
OK, Toots, let's give the surgeon
one last gander
at his intricate suturing.
Take my word, the scar
is right where you left it.
I'm the medico here, OK?
So let's undo Mr Bow,
pull the gown back and take a peek.
Your hands are cold!
Yes, but my smile is warm.
And the traverse stops here.
Easy!
I know it's not the cleanest
appendectomy of the New Year,
but considering the incredible
pressure I was under.
You, a demented killer,
we almost dated once.
I've great difficulty excising
a vestigial organ
knowing that right around the bend
sits a cervical os.
Citizen Kane's dying
thought wasn't a fond remembrance
of a childhood sled, OK?
I don't mind the scar.
Besides, I'm not planning on
logging any bikini time for a while.
Surely, they won't send you
to prison, will they, Shirley?
Eventually. Until then,
I've got to find a job.
OK, embroider pillows.
It's a growing cottage industry,
you're home alone, no-one gets hurt.
My lawyer scheduled
a meeting with Auschlander
trying to get me reinstated
in Emergency.
If you need a character reference,
let me know.
I have always been in your corner.
I know your heart's in the
right place. So was Peter White's.
Ooh, I gotta go.
Because if it wasn't, I'd have had
to pull the trigger a third time
and blast a hole through his skull.
I gotta go. I'll talk to you.
I was uncomfortable.
I needed to elevate my thighs.
This is a bed, not a crane!
Good morning, Mrs Hufnagel,
we're looking well.
Chandler?
Ehrlich.
Well, I puke,
I can't breathe and my chest feels
like Buddy Richard's snare drum.
Other than that, I can't complain.
Typical post-op irritations,
I assure you.
Somehow, your assuring me
isn't very reassuring.
Always a wit, aren't we?
Your EKG showed high peak T waves
and your last serum electrolytes
indicated elevated potassium,
so we'd better recheck it.
Do us a favour, will you?
Don't play with the bed.
Will one of you dolls
get me a 20 gauge needle?
Sure.
Thanks.
Hold on there, horse face,
you're not jabbing me again.
Rounds started two minutes ago.
Roll up your sleeve.
You're all plotting against me.
Calm down, please.
You think it's fun for me
to be stabbing you with needles?
Hey, I've seen you before.
Sure. In the diner.
You always wore purple
and you never left a tip,
and you used to bad-mouth
the eats even before you tasted them.
Let's try a little reality here,
Mrs Hufnagel.
If your potassium is too high, it
might cause cardiac arrhythmias.
Ah, all part of a scheme, isn't it?
Rotten drugs dripping in me day
and night. The food.
Hey!
That's what's causing
all the bubbles in my head!
Look, you're on a special diet, OK?
It's important to eat
what we've prescribed.
I'm telling you
that I've got bubbles in my head.
Like Lawrence Welk.
All right, you don't want
the test, that's fine.
I don't have time
to shilly-shally around with you.
When you're ready for expert post-op
care, call my answering service.
I don't know what I'm going to do.
Personally, I don't
know what you see in her.
She's kind of cute.
Are we talking the call of the wild
here? Who is this little sweetie?
He's got the heat
for Rosenthal's daughter.
Who's got Finnegan's chart? >
I do, sir, me, I'm ready.
Fire away, let her rip.
'Dr Craig, Dr Mark Craig, OR two.'
Oh, all right. Right, rounds
are over. You lucked out, Ehrlich.
I've never been good at breaking
the ice with women, anyway.
The best way to break
the ice is to melt it.
This girl sounds
like she has a great appetite.
You should satisfy her hunger.
Never mind.
I'm talking about dinner.
Impress her over a meal.
Take her somewhere
they know you,
you get the best table,
tip-top service.
My mother's?!
No, I've just the hideaway. It's
a sedate little Polynesian bistro.
The Kahuna Room?
Yeah. The owner
is a good friend of mine.
My picture's on the wall.
I'm not trying to brag.
So you ask for Hong
and make sure you mention my name.
Is there a dress code?
Sarong, Elliot. See you later.
No, no dress code. Come here.
I must tell you,
the thought of a murderess,
however provoked, being
employed at St Eligius, sickens me.
Innocent till proven,
Dr Auschlander.
Remember,
the court allowed Peter White
to work here prior to his hearing.
A woefully misguided
exercise of civil liberties.
Dr Auschlander,
I want to play by the house rules.
Avoid the courts.
Meaning?
Evaluate
Shirley's mental competence.
Run psychological
and physiological tests.
If she's judged sane,
she's back on staff.
No deal.
Don't force my hand, Doctor,
I'm not being philanthropic.
The more competent she appears,
returning to her old job,
the stronger my defence will
be when she comes to trial.
I've talked to the head of nursing.
They're not going to aid or abet
either side in this issue.
It's certainly unethical
and probably immoral. Yes?
KNOCK ON DOOR
Excuse me.
What's it, Morrison?
Dr Ehrlich told me you were meeting
to reinstate Shirley Daniels.
I'd like to be
involved in the testing.
I'll do the EEG and the CAT scan.
Nurse Daniels is your friend,
Dr Morrison,
don't you think your opinion
is somewhat biased?
No, you don't understand,
I'm hoping the evaluation will
prove that Shirley is insane.
Mrs Hufnagel's buzzing again.
Let her wait.
10th buzz this morning.
PHONE RINGS
Third floor.
Ah, Vanette, I see you've
decided to live another day.
Either you give me
an accurate patient count >
or I'm coming up there and
we settle this with our fists. >
Anything for a laugh,
huh, Miss Hufnagel?
Miss Hufnagel.
Miss Hufnagel?
Damn!
Code blue, 3312.
Well, no-one can say we didn't try.
We performed CPR for 40 minutes.
This is all my fault.
I ignored her buzzer.
She's God's problem now.
What makes you think she's going up?
Old bird.
The bigots of the world
are gonna miss her.
Bob. What's going and in exam room B?
I tried to use it an hour ago
and the floor nurse tells me your
patient spent the night in it.
My NF patient.
She's in the middle
of a post-op crisis.
Call bed control, have her admitted.
If I get her out of the room,
I don't need to admit her.
I don't understand,
what are you waiting for?
For her to make up
her mind she's ready.
I don't see how
you're helping her towards
a decision if you're out here.
Stop thinking this
will take care of itself.
We have limited space
for exams and we need the room.
OK.
Hi.
Bob tells me you sold
your house yesterday.
Just called Lizzie at
school to tell her about it.
How did she take it?
Excuse me, Dr Craig. We lost one
of your patients. Florence Hufnagel.
Where is she?
In here. On her way to the morgue.
What happened?
Cardiac arrest.
Why haven't her test results
been charted?
We have ward clerks up the wazoo,
but you can't get a simple
blood test
back from the lab before high noon!
Well, the doctors didn't seem to
know what caused the heart attack.
Though my guess is,
it was brought on by the bed.
The bed, what bed?
Mrs Hufnagel was found, well,
she'd been swallowed up by the bed.
(LAUGHS)
I don't think it's so damn funny!
I'm not laughing,
I'm really not, it's tragic!
Wait until the hospital gets slapped
with a lawsuit for shoddy equipment!
Send the death certificate to
my office, and find the family.
OK, I'll start dredging the river.
We struggle to find a cure
for cancer, but what's
the cure for a bed?
I'm not laughing.
Excuse me, water.
This case has been manhandled
from the start, Donald.
I'm aware of that. Eight different
doctors, no continuity of care.
No awareness of the
overall clinical picture.
I've made it clear that I'm angry
and I'm tightening up procedures.
You can let it rest at that,
but this woman was murdered,
same as if she'd been
knifed in an alley.
Yeah, yeah, I agree with you.
We'll have to find out
who's culpable.
I intend to see to it
that the guilty parties pay.
To tell you the truth, Mom,
I wasn't overjoyed
with the idea of you being pregnant.
I'm sorry it turned out
the way it did,
but that's no reason to cancel
marrying Richard.
I still want him to live with us.
But since I'm not having a baby,
there's no point in getting married.
You've never needed a reason before.
Thanks for lunch, Marcy,
I'll see you at home.
OK.
Body's over there.
Mm-hm.
Hi.
Hi!
I'm Marcy Eisenberg.
Nurse Rosenthal's daughter.
Remember we met in the
cafeteria once? Sort of.
I don't know the reason
why you're in the morgue,
but it couldn't be very pleasant,
so I'll see you later.
No, actually, I came here to see you.
Mom said you'd be here.
Thanks, this is just what I needed.
Thanks a lot.
You're welcome.
Is there a medical problem?
No. I think you're cute.
Really?!
Uh-huh.
Does this mean if asked you out,
you wouldn't laugh in my face?
Yeah.
OK. OK. Are you planning
to be hungry some time?
For dinner, I mean?
Probably tonight.
We could go out.
You and I. Alone. Together.
To a restaurant!
Listen, I've got a better idea.
Why don't we order up Chinese
at your place and eat in bed?
Yeah! I mean, no! No.
Oh, face facts, Axelrod,
90% of dating only postpones
what two people really want.
I'm not that kind of guy, Marcy.
Old school, huh?
No. I just, I would like
our date to lead to
maybe a long-term meaningful
relationship.
You know, if we hop in bed together,
right away, what's the surprise?
Well, if that's the
way you want it, sure.
But, think of me as a vampire
because eventually,
I'll drain your
of all your body fluids.
Pick you up at eight?
Make it 7:30.
Give us a little extra time later.
What should I wear?
A sarong.
OK.
See you later.
See you.
Hiya. Would you like
to take a little walk?
No, thanks.
Hey, look at me.
No.
Andrea, I don't understand.
You have everything you ever wanted.
You can't expect me to walk out there
as if I've been a regular person
all these years.
You didn't go through
the ordeal of surgery
to spend the rest of your
life cooped up in some dumb room.
I was concerned about
my health like anyone else.
Surgery corrected the bone
disease and glaucoma...
I'm tired of this.
Time to get you out
in the real world.
You can't force me to leave here.
Sure I can.
No!
No!
Come on, I'll buy you dinner.
Watch it, will you?
Yeah.
Come on, Andrea.
You remember how.
Left foot. Right foot.
Left foot.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah. Just like that.
No problem.
Hey.
How you doing?
If Mr Lamb had taken my advice
and stopped smoking 10 years ago,
he might not have developed
cardiovascular disease. Stitch.
Hold off on that suction a minute.
Ehrlich, I didn't see any notes on
Mrs Hufnagel's chart this morning.
She was delusional and abusive and...
And dead.
What? She died?!
With a snarl on her face, I'm told.
Crushed by her ventilator clam.
Hufnagel in the half shell.
I don't want to hear
any more jokes about this woman.
I'm having an autopsy performed
and if I find you're responsible...
Me? I wasn't anywhere
near the old...sweetheart.
Precisely. It's possible that if
you'd rechecked her electrolytes,
you might have discovered
her potassium level
was dangerously high.
Instead, you chose to walk away.
Honestly, Dr Craig, I tried.
I couldn't get close.
She was delirious and hyper.
It's your job to cut through a
patient's anxiety and agitation.
She accused me of not leaving tips!
BP's 90 over 60.
I'm adding another unit.
I haven't crossed you off my list
of suspects either, Kochar.
What were you doing the
day Indira Gandhi was shot?
Mrs Hufnagel left the
OR in stable condition.
You could have maintained
better control of her mean
arterial pressure
and the Vaso Press you
gave her was too little, too late.
You two better
have your alibis straight
for the mortality conference because
somebody's head is going to roll.
Clamp.
The CAT scan shows no
evidence of brain lesions.
The first step in proving
to everyone that I'm sane.
That disappoints you, doesn't it?
Let's see if the EEG
is within normal limits.
Answer me, Jack!
If you get your way,
you're going to go to prison.
I'd rather see you declared insane
and free.
Who's free?
For you to survive in prison, you'd
have to become like a criminal
and I don't want to see that happen.
Besides, you'd lose all that time.
Time imprisons everybody.
But I'll make good use
of the time in my cell,
in isolation.
Why the sudden concern
for my welfare?
Why didn't I hear a word from you
after I was arrested?
Two months, Jack.
I couldn't get in touch.
You couldn't face the truth.
You convinced Peter to lie for me
at his entrapment hearing
and they convicted him.
He felt betrayed and
started attacking women.
Which made me angry, so I killed him.
But you really killed him
and he was your best friend.
Now, that's insane.
Really?
And that's what you want to hear.
Up on the roof that night,
I was totally unglued.
I admit it.
Anything could have happened.
But I chose life, Jack.
For both of us.
I made a mistake.
I should have splattered
you all over the sidewalk.
Start the damn test.
Let me get this straight.
You've never been married?
Right.
You've never even lived with a girl?
Never for more
than a couple of weeks.
What's the matter with you?
Right girl never come along?
No, she came. She went.
I'm just not very good
at commitment.
I got clams.
Stop!
I'm serious!
Mind if I crash the party?
Not at all. Wayne Fiscus,
this is Andrea Fordham.
Pleased to meet you.
Got one for you.
You're the manager
of a Broadway playhouse.
A giraffe runs into
the theatre during the matinee.
The audience panics. How do get
the giraffe out of the theatre?
Got me.
You can't if it's in its blood.
The woman obviously
has a sense of humour.
Something he had removed
shortly after arriving in Boston.
Be careful what you say about Dr
Caldwell. He's my friend. Aren't you?
You bet.
BEEPER
That's me. I'll see who it is.
I'll come with you.
Don't rush off.
He always comes back for his milk.
I just had the most
amazing experience in ER.
A guy came in with chronic hiccups
and I cured him with an
eight-inch hypodermic needle.
Where did you stick it?
Never give him the shot,
I just showed him the needle.
I always got results with an old
paper bag. I put it over my head.
I did the same thing
with surgical gloves,
except everyone got tired
of that routine.
Fine. Tell Dr Sutcliffe
I'll call him later.
Thanks.
You felt in your mind
that Dr White was dangerous.
I knew he was slime, Dr Weiss.
I treated some of the women
attacked, friends of mine.
One committed suicide.
Another had a nervous breakdown.
So you had to stop Dr White
from victimising
other women at St Eligius?
After slipped through
a loophole and was acquitted,
he was above the law.
Did you feel personally threatened
by Dr White?
No way.
I can take care of myself.
But all the women here
at St Eligius were terrified.
Hospitals have to be safe places,
like churches,
or home base when you played tag.
Do you believe
that what you did was wrong?
Peter was a rapist.
Rapists are scum.
A half notch above child molesters.
Given the opportunity,
you would shoot a child molester?
No, not me. I wouldn't let anyone
bring me to that point again.
But if someone else wanted to hang
a child molester, more power to them.
All right. There are some
mental and motor function tests
I need you to perform for me.
Take your thumb and forefinger like
this and let me see how quickly
you can tap them together.
Good.
Let me see how quickly
you can stick your tongue
in and out of your mouth.
All right.
Subtract 7 from
the number 100 repeatedly.
93, 86, 79, 72,
65, 58... Is that enough?
Plenty.
Can you think of one thing that
apples and oranges have in common?
Yeah, they both taste lousy
in Boston this time of year.
All right.
I'd like you to answer yes or no
to the following statements.
No.
No.
No.
I wish I could be as happy
as others seem to be.
Yes.
All right. That's it.
Can you stick out your
tongue and touch your nose?
Come on, Doc, give it a try.
Got you!
Yes, you did.
There is nothing wrong
with the young lady, Dr Auschlander.
You have nothing to be afraid of.
She can return to work.
Did you inquire about
the ski mask gift?
She denied having
anything to do with it.
You believed her?
I did.
Simon, I'm still not convinced.
It's too soon to have Shirley
return to the emergency room.
Very tough, very hard.
She sure was.
No, the tongue.
I hate to admit it,
but I honestly couldn't care less
that Mrs Hufnagel died.
There's a frothy haemorrhagic fluid
in the lungs.
First time I ever felt
this way about a patient, too.
The lower lobes are soggy.
Hello, Dr Craig.
What can you tell me?
The closure of the heart
held up beautifully.
Of course it held up.
So far, I've got a massive
pulmonary oedema
without chronic congestive
changes. It looks acute.
Here's what must have happened.
Ruptured papillary muscle right
along the incision line. See it?
I'm not blind.
The muscle must have held together
for a while,
but when it finally ruptured,
she went into CHF and died.
There's only one thing
wrong with that assessment.
I never went near
the papillary muscle.
No, sir, I think you did.
I seem to remember
Ehrlich whining and you nicked...
Dr Wade, what we're seeing
here is a pre-existing defect.
The cardiac cath just
didn't pick it up, that's all.
Well, maybe I'm confusing
two different patients.
Damn right you are.
We'll just say congestive heart
failure and leave it at that.
There'll be more information
in my surgical notes.
I dictated them immediately
after the operation.
She obviously had a lot
of things wrong with her.
That's beside the point.
If there was a screw-up
during the resection,
it's because Ehrlich distracted
me from keeping my eye on you.
My notes will clear that up.
This is taking for ever.
Excuse me!
I'm sorry. Here I am trying
to make a good impression.
I can't even get us a table.
Why don't we forget about
dinner and go to your place?
I wanted more for us
than a few cheap thrills.
What's wrong with
a few cheap thrills?
Let me see about our table again.
Stay right here.
Excuse me? We've been
waiting here for over an hour.
Name?
Axelrod MD, remember?
Everyone doctor at dinner time.
We had reservations.
Friends of Victor Ehrlich.
Who?!
Victor Ehrlich. Health spot, WYN TV.
You have his picture
hanging up here somewhere.
Victor Ehrlich? Victor Ehrlich?
Yeah, yeah.
Off air, made fool of self.
Ancient history.
Oh, welcome, darling!
Tatupu show you to your seat
right away.
Enjoy fire dance, darling!
Look, Hong. Will this
speed things up a little bit?
Hong see what he can do.
Excuse me, what about
this empty table right here?
No, that very special table.
Permanently reserved for Jack Ward.
Well, I could make an exception.
Right this way, sir.
'February 26th, 1985.
'Florence Hufnagel,
63-year-old white female.
'Right coronary bypass
and resection...
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Purse-string sutures were placed
in the aorta and right atrium.
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Aneurysm.
Coronary artery was isolated...
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Saphenous vein graft was profused
with cardioplegic solution...
TAPE FAST-FORWARDS
'Detected small surgical nick
on the mitral papillary muscle
'which was repaired with...
'..Surgical nick
'on the mitral papillary muscle
which was repaired with...'
BUZZER
Not now.
'Small surgical nick
on the mitral papillary muscle...'
How's the spicy poi?
Mm!
It burns a little, but I like it.
Anyone ever tell you
you've got beautiful thumbs?
No.
You can tell a lot
about a man from his hands.
Yours are so...big.
You want?
I love fish.
Especially anchovies.
Let's go to my place.
RAPID DRUMBEAT
Show time, show time, darling.
Back to table.
Yee-ha!
Hello, hello! Direct from
the main room of the casino
on the island of Guam.
Please give big Kahuna Room aloha
to Sammy Sang
and the Flickering Flame dancers.
Yee-ha!
Hey!
Get the extinguisher.
Elliot!
Get the extinguisher.
Marcy, get an ambulance!
Relax. You're going to be OK.
I'm a doctor.
'Dr Susan Simons to Paediatrics.
Dr Susan Simons to Paediatrics.'
Mr Hong. You are one lucky fellow.
Just a couple of first
and second degree burns.
You'll be good as new in no time.
Now, take one of
these every six hours.
It will help ease the pain and I'll
see you at the end of the week.
No.
I'll see you in court, brother.
I am going to sue your
butt from here to Samoa.
Wait a second. Why?
I probably saved your life,
not to mention
your sleazy restaurant.
Life and restaurant insured.
Aquarium not insured.
I can't believe you're going
to drag me in front of a judge
over a lousy fish tank.
Not tank. Very rare Japanese koi.
Good investment.
Excellent tax shelter.
Those suckers spawn like crazy.
Hong is out about 20,000 big ones.
I hope you have a good lawyer,
brother.
Hong. Hong!
I saved your life!
Dinner was ruined. Life is terrible.
But we still got each other.
OK, Marcy. Let's go.
I ordered Chinese.
I thought we could like eat it
in my bed like you said.
Over my dead body.
Mom, I'll handle this. OK?
I'll wait for you in the car.
Listen, Elliot.
I was attracted to you because I
thought you were goofy and klutzy
and you wouldn't say no to me.
But when that guy caught on fire
tonight I saw a quick-thinking,
capable, caring doctor,
and I was attracted
to you more than ever.
Listen, we can skip the
Chinese food and get right to it.
I don't think I could wait, anyway.
Elliot, you don't understand.
Now I really like you as a person,
not as a quickie.
I think we should take our time
and not jeopardise our relationship
by just jumping into bed.
You do?
Sarong, Elliot. Call me?
Sure.
What's the matter, Elliot?
Just colour me blue.
Shirley. Found you.
Hi, Iris. My shift's about to start.
I was under the impression
Dr Auschlander put your return
to ER on hold.
Oh, he changed his mind.
Really?
He seemed so definite yesterday.
According to the experts,
I'm playing with a full deck.
That's wonderful.
This means you're going
to walk out of that courtroom
a free woman.
Now, on the stand I want you to
tell how Peter tried to rape you.
That you killed him in self-defence.
You're suggesting I perjure myself?
Not in so many words.
You said he tried to kiss you.
I went there to kill him.
I'm not going to manipulate
the system like did.
Honey, you're looking at five years.
Maybe less. I got to get going.
I'll drop by the ER later
to see how you're doing.
You don't have to, Iris.
It's no problem.
Yes, it is.
Why?
Because you're fired.
Oh, bye, Iris.
What's the name of that
Agatha Christie book?
Huh?
The one on the train where
everybody's guilty of this murder.
I don't know.
Anyway, that's how I'm feeling.
All the suspects
gathering in one room.
Dr Craig...
Not now, Ehrlich. It's time
for the mortality conference.
That's what
I want to talk to you about.
I overlooked Mrs Hufnagel's
symptoms.
Every doctor makes a mistake
at one time in their careers.
She kept talking about
air bubbles in her head.
She wasn't ranting.
She was trying to describe
an AV malformation
or maybe a brain tumour.
The woman underwent
a very complex procedure.
She was advised of the risks.
Excuse us.
Dr Craig, I remember where I was
the day Indira Gandhi was shot.
Book a passage to India,
will you, Kochar?
No, it's my fault.
I know I'm kind of a lousy doctor
sometimes and a wussy human being
and I'm ready to take full
responsibility for her death.
Although I'm hoping you won't kick
me out of the residency programme
I'm willing to accept
any disciplinary action
you may decide upon.
Yes, well,
thank you for your honesty.
OK.
All right,
let's get started, please.
First case, Dr Chandler.
Ziganski, Geoffrey,
32-year-old executive white male.
Cause of death was an
intracerebral haemorrhage.
He collapsed while he was in
a screening room Friday night
between 8 and 10pm.
You can sit and wait for a doctor
but trust me, all he's going
to do is put some ice onit.
I'll wait.
Then please have a seat
in the waiting room.
Isn't it
great America works this way?
One day, you're persona non grata,
the next day you're grata.
It's so good to have you here,
I can't tell you.
Yeah, why not?
Are you a doctor?
Can you take care of me?
Listen, Mr Falletta, I'll call
your name when a doctor's available.
Sure is nice having you
back in the cockpit.
Fasten your seat belts.
It's going to be a bumpy night.
And a craniotomy was performed
to reduce the increased
intracranial pressure.
Dr Chandler,
did the patient have a history
of cerebral vascular disease?
Yes, he had an aneurysm
that ruptured
and caused a massive
intracranial haemorrhage.
Any other questions?
Next case.
Hufnagel, Florence M.
I want you ladies and gentlemen
to know
that we're going to take a long,
hard look at this case.
63-year-old white female.
Expired postoperatively
of congestive heart failure,
secondary to...
I'll take this one.
The care this woman received
was disgraceful
and sub-professional.
Sure you can blame that
on her unhealthy lifestyle,
her paranoia, her negativity,
on her almost innate talent
to seize upon our personal lives
and expose our vulnerabilities,
but actually,
it was the system
that broke down, completely.
The medical profession
has been getting a lot
of criticism these days, but
there's nothing wrong with medicine,
it's just the people who are in it.
And I mean those doctors
who don't give their very best.
I know I yell at you all.
I say rude things. I goad.
But it's the only way I know
to challenge you to achieve.
After all,
you're the next generation.
As a teacher as well as a doctor,
use me as a yardstick
for excellence, perfection.
Which is why I have to tell you
now that Mrs Hufnagel's death
was a direct result
of a surgical error.
A small nick
in the mitral papillary muscle
which gradually ruptured
during the post-op period.
Those chest pains, Dr Ehrlich,
the shortness of breath, the nausea,
are not just routine
post-op complaints,
they're symptoms
of mitral regurgitation.
The ruptured papillary muscle
lead to acute mitral insufficiency
and congestive heart failure.
In other words, I'm responsible
for Mrs Hufnagel's death.
My father always said,
"One life,
"one day in that life,
"is as precious as any other."
We lose patients for a lot of
reasons that we can't control,
but when we lose a patient
because of our own ineptitude,
it's unforgivable.
I apologise to you all.
I made a mistake.
I'm sorry.
We'll proceed to the next case.
Dr Cavanero?
Wake up, Wayne.
The weirdest thing just happened.
I told Shirley I was going to go
to Nantucket and I'd stop
in to see her sister.
Her sister doesn't live
in Nantucket.
That's what's weird.
In the bar, I swear she said
she stopped there to see her sister.
What's that?
Got a headache.
Well, let's get back to it.
We got all kinds of people
who need a lot more help
than you do, Mr Falletta.
I've been waiting here
for 30 minutes.
St Eligius, Emergency.
Don't turn your back on me.
St Eligius, Emergency.
I'm Dr Fiscus. What's the matter?
All I get from her's the run-around.
Wait your turn!
Go to hell.
Why don't you do us
all a favour and wait?
What did you say?
I didn't say anything.
Say it, Peter, that you raped them.
Sure.
Shirley, don't.
Just like old times, huh, Jack?
You're a wimp! Always were.
Till now.
Shirley?
Please don't.
Can't anyone around here take a joke?