The Good Doctor (2017–…): Season 4, Episode 15 - Waiting - full transcript
After a political protest turns violent, the team races to save two young gunshot victims.
[crowd chanting]
Two-six-six! Two-six-six!
It's just an hour.
Which really means
an hour and a half,
which means by the time we get
to Jason's, the party will be over.
It's not a party, it's four boys
arguing over who's going to
play Call Of Duty's Warfare.
You're learning how to exercise
your First Amendment rights.
By waving signs at cars?
And it's Call Of Duty:
Modern Warfare.
[Taryn] Everyone who sees our
signs knows that they're not alone,
and when we have numbers
we have a voice, we are heard.
At least someone's being heard.
This is democracy,
Ethan, making a difference.
- This is how change happens.
- Yeah, well, change sucks.
It's 10:30. I will have you
at Jason's by 11:45, okay?
Ooh, I see a spot.
- Really?
- Why'd you let her in?
Because the idiot
would've smashed our car.
How about we go get
milkshakes instead? Hmm?
But I spent three
hours making signs.
Oh! There! There's a spot!
[crowd chanting]
Two-six-six! Two-six-six!
Sweet.
Two-six-six! Two-six-six!
Any hint of trouble,
we are leaving, got it?
Inspiring speech, Mom.
Very Vince Lombardi.
I saw his hologram.
Oh. Here's your
very own wristband.
Solidarity!
Yeah!
Yes, they already did the finger
prick and gave me the gloop.
It's a 50 gram glucose solution.
It was gloop and
it tasted awful.
Gloop wouldn't tell us if
you have gestational diabetes
which is associated with
hypertension, preeclampsia,
preterm labor, and for the baby,
respiratory issues and obesity.
Before we buy jumbo baby clothes,
let's get the test results, okay?
- Okay. Will you text me when you...
- Whoa.
What's this?
We know at least two
people have been shot,
but we have no
information on their status.
By all reports, the
rally in support...
- That is less than a mile from here.
- Was quite peaceful,
despite the presence of
some counter-protesters.
[pager beeping]
But just about 20 minutes
ago, what witnesses describe...
I have to go to the E.R. STAT.
As a late-model, white
panel van sped by,
the passenger opening fire...
[dramatic music playing]
[siren wailing nearby]
Nine-year-old boy with multiple
gunshots to chest and abdomen.
- He took three rounds of epi, still PEA.
- Trauma phase six. Checking ABCs.
Asher, take compressions.
Claire, assess wounds.
- You're the mom? What's his name?
- Mm-hm.
- Mason.
- Mason, got it.
[monitor alarm beeping]
- Entry wound, left chest.
- [Marcus] Right over his heart.
- Emergency thoracotomy?
- [Claire] Twenty blade.
We'll take good care of Mason,
- but right now you need to go.
- I can't.
- Now.
- Rib spreader.
- We got a pumper!
- Oh!
I can't see a thing. Suction.
Hole in right ventricle,
I got my finger on it.
That stopped the bleed,
but we've gotta get the
heart pumping normally.
Urinary catheter.
Stick it in the hole, inflate the
balloon inside the ventricle...
and occlude the hole.
- And we've got a regular heartbeat.
- Red cells, platelet transfusions.
Let's get him to the OR.
Very good, Dr. Browne.
[siren wailing]
Kid took one gunshot to the head.
Became unresponsive en route.
Intubated him. He's bradycardic.
[monitor alarm beeping]
- Pupils are blown.
- No response to sternal rub.
- And the kid's leaking brain.
- [Shaun] Glasgow Coma Scale: 3T.
[Audrey] One gram per kilo
Mannitol, 50 milligrams per kilo Keppra.
Elevating head 30 degrees
and bagging down his CO2.
Let's take him. OR 2.
[theme music playing]
[reporter on TV] And
we can now confirm
that the shooting
victims were young boys,
witnesses describing them
as both under 10 years of age.
According to accounts,
one was shot several times
in the chest and abdomen,
the other shot at
least once in the head.
The fact it was children who
were shot is devastating news.
And so, we have yet another day
in an otherwise peaceful community
erupting in violence,
the kind of atrocity that has
sadly become all too commonplace.
And that only makes this attack
even more tragic and senseless.
We are awaiting updates and will let
you know as soon as we have any...
[Claire] Fixed the
liver laceration.
Let's get this
spleen out of there.
[Marcus] Suturing the right
ventricle. Next up is left ventriculotomy.
All that'll leave is the bronchial
injury, the diaphragm tear, the VSD,
and the hollow
viscus bowel injury.
[Marcus] BP's dropping fast.
We're going to need every unit
of O neg or compatible blood.
Do you have someone in surgery?
No. I'm just here for a test.
- Mrs. Wilkie?
- What is it?
- And Mrs. Bardo?
- What happened?
Nothing. I just need
you to fill out these forms.
- Forms?
- Necessary evil.
Do you have copies of
your insurance cards?
Uh, no. I must have left mine...
I work here. In I.T. I'll
help them with the forms.
[Audrey] This is not a happy brain.
Let's clean out as much as we can.
Scalp, hair, skull fragments,
and let's not forget
bullet shrapnel.
Ultrasound.
I'm looking for any
deeper bullet fragments.
- [Alex] Brain's herniating.
- CO2 is normal.
[monitor alarm beeping]
- Is he storming?
- Heart rate's way too low.
We need to take off
his entire right skull.
[Audrey] Drill with B1 bit.
Initial there.
And sign here.
Thank you...
- Lea.
- Lea.
I... I think that's
the other mom.
I'm Carina.
Were you... at the rally?
Yeah. I'm Taryn.
Mason's 9.
[sobbing] Ethan's 8 and a half.
They'll be fine.
I know it.
You're one of them.
Them?
Get away from me.
[Claire] It is so sad that people
can't express their views peacefully.
The right is so intolerant
of political differences,
of any differences.
I think there are some
intolerances on both sides.
Well... like there are
good people on both sides?
What if I told you I
belong to the NRA?
[chuckles] I'd think you were
saying that to make a point.
About five years ago, my wife and
I went to a very trendy restaurant
in a very shady part of town,
and on our way back to the
car, we were mugged at gunpoint.
The next day, I bought us both
handguns. I'm a card-carrying member.
- I voted for Trump.
- Too soon.
I'm serious.
I liked his stand on Israel.
But I've never told anyone
because I'd be absolutely vilified.
- As you should be...
- Pooling up.
- [alarm beeping]
- He's hypotensive. Lactate's rising.
- Okay. Crit's down to 17.
- Could put him into deep hypothermia.
No, the low temp would
only worsen his coagulopathy.
He needs more blood.
We've used most of the
O and A neg from the bank.
Start calling other
hospitals. Now.
[Claire] You actually
voted for Trump?
Once.
And then what? You...
You suddenly discovered he
was exactly who he said he was?
I don't feel like you want an
answer. I feel you want an apology.
Wow, this kind of changes
how I feel about you.
What does that mean? Are
you saying you don't respect me?
We can't be friends
because of a vote?
It is more than a vote.
Yeah. It's a fundamental
right that I exercised.
This changes how I feel about
you. If I can't have a political opinion
about the best way to
improve all our lives...
- Do you think anybody's life got better?
- That's enough.
Are you okay?
Your repairs are almost finished.
We could be done in two or three hours.
We have just enough blood.
That's if we want to.
Mrs. Bardo?
What is it?
Uh, we fixed two holes
in your son's ventricles,
we've removed his spleen
and repaired his liver,
but he's still in surgery.
Well, your son has lost a lot of
blood. We're giving him transfusions,
but the blood loss may have
caused damage to his brain.
If his brain is fine,
then we should push on.
But if his brain
isn't fine, then...
continuing the
surgery could kill him.
Unfortunately, we
can't accurately assess
for brain function in the OR,
so we would have to wake him
up and do a traditional neuro exam.
You need her to decide that?
Why put that on her?
- You guys are the doctors. It's a...
- Wake him up.
If you wake him up,
I can be there, right?
You can.
But he will be
confused and stressed.
His belly will still
have to be open.
My husband died in a
car accident two years ago.
I didn't get to say goodbye.
This is not goodbye. This
decision should not be based on...
Please.
Wake him up.
Okay. Come with us.
Why haven't I heard anything?
The brain looks
more relaxed now.
[Audrey] Well, there
are a lot of clots.
[lightly sighs]
Kellan play soccer?
I'm fine.
Two kids shot? We all are.
[knocking on glass]
- You're not supposed to be here.
- I know. I am so sorry.
Is the baby okay? Did
you get your test results?
No, but I'm fine, the
baby's fine. How's the boy?
You can't be here
and we can't tell you.
I'm sitting in a waiting
room with a terrified mother.
Somebody needs to tell
her he's being taken care of.
- Ms. Wilkie? I'm Dr. Shaun Murphy.
- Is my son okay?
Okay. We have successfully
removed half of your son's skull
to reduce brain pressure.
We've removed blood clots,
bone chips, and bullet fragments,
but we are still trying to
find the less accessible
and deeper chunks of
the bullet in his brain.
Can I see him?
Of course not. He's in surgery.
We...
just needed to let
you know his status.
I'm sorry.
[sobbing]
[Claire] Hey, Mason.
I need you to follow
my finger, okay?
[monitor beeping]
Can you wiggle your toes
for me, your little piggies?
You're acing this test, Mason.
Now, can you squeeze my fingers?
Just, why don't you
try to make a fist?
It doesn't have to be
hard, just a little squeeze.
Okay. No, that's okay.
Hey, Mason. Look at me.
Now...
You're going to be okay, pumpkin.
Everything's going to be okay.
Hey.
There's an indentation on a
right M3 segment branch artery.
That suggests the presence
of a deeper fragment.
Nice catch.
Yes, but I'm not sure
how we get it out.
When was Ethan's birthday?
Um...
October.
It was just the three of us.
And we have a
Goldendoodle named Derber.
Ethan wanted to invite
a couple of friends over,
but I said no, it wasn't safe.
He wanted two friends. He
has like a hundred of them,
and I said no. To two.
It feels like all Ethan
and I ever do now is fight.
Children don't need their
parents to be buddies.
They need limits, structure.
You don't have kids, do you?
He'll die hating me.
Taryn, you cannot
think like that.
We found the last
bullet fragment.
It's deep, but stable,
so it is very unlikely to cause further
brain damage, bleeds, or seizures.
We should leave it where it is.
You want to leave a
bullet in my son's brain?
Removing it comes with a high
risk of lacerating key brain vessels.
You can trust them. They're
the best doctors I've ever known.
Okay.
Leave it in.
Did you get to see Mason?
They're doing more tests.
But I know he'll be fine.
He will.
Does Mason play any sports?
Uh...
Basketball.
Team captain.
Likes to be in charge.
So mature for his age.
When my husband died, it
was Mason who kept me going.
Brought me coffee every morning.
Opened my curtains.
Helped me get out of bed.
I'm a single mom too.
Hell of a day to
be one, isn't it?
Mm.
When did you lose your husband?
We divorced two
years ago. Not amicably.
Divorced.
I know it's not the same, but...
I buried my husband.
You lost him in the
worst possible way, yes.
But I doubt you also
lost half of your friends,
your self-respect, and...
the love of your son.
I doubt you ever
had to tell your son
that Daddy was never
coming home again.
- Look, I didn't mean to...
- You figured you know me.
You've experienced pain,
so you understand all the pain
everybody else has ever felt.
- I understand pain. We're...
- Shut up.
[Taryn] Right. Someone disagrees
with you and you shut them up.
You couldn't let us wave
our little signs in peace.
You had to come shout us down,
and when that didn't
work, you had to shoot us!
- Yes?
- Yes?
You can go first.
Why?
Well, I'm being polite.
It won't make any difference
who hears their news first.
We don't think there
is any brain damage.
We're going to take him back
to the OR to finish the repairs.
Wonderful. Thank you so much.
Of course.
We have to leave
Ethan's skull off
until his brain swelling
has gone down,
which could be a couple of
days from now. Or months.
We've moved him to intensive
care. You can see him now.
[monitor beeping]
When he was a baby, I used
to love watching him sleep.
It was the only time he
wasn't bouncing off the walls.
The only time I
could just look at him.
When he was older,
if he caught me watching him,
he would say I was weird, and...
I just told him how
beautiful he was,
and that... and that
made me weirder.
But he is...
so beautiful.
His eyes moved. They
moved. He's looking at me.
- That's good, right?
- Yes.
No. He's not looking at you.
His eyes are deviating to the right.
What does that...?
He's squeezing my hand.
Ethan, honey, Mommy's here.
- How hard? Is it getting firmer?
- Yeah.
Ativan. Increase propofol,
and we need a CT and an EEG.
He is having a focal seizure
which is originating in
the left side of the brain,
which wasn't the damaged
side, which is... very strange.
The bullet fragment must have
migrated. It was a mistake to leave it in.
[sobbing]
He's seizing.
This is exactly what he said
wouldn't happen if we left the bullet in.
Exactly.
I'm sure he'll figure
out what to do in...
Who do you have news for?
Ms. Dilallo?
Good news?
Oh... it's nothing.
It's okay for
someone to be happy.
I'm expecting. And all's good.
I gave birth on Christmas Eve.
All the nurses
were singing carols.
Kenny joked that the only thing
missing were the three wise men.
It was hokey and ridiculous...
but it was magical.
Ethan was three weeks premature.
We were having just one
last fun weekend, the two of us,
and I guess Ethan didn't
like that idea, so I gave birth...
in a motel room 300
miles from my OB.
Left a really good
tip for housekeeping.
It's very strange.
I was wrong. It's...
very, very strange.
No, you weren't.
The fragment's still
stable in location,
no severe compression
on MCA, no new bleeds.
That just means we
missed something else.
There. Deep in
the left thalamus.
I wasn't wrong.
I wasn't wrong. You were.
You missed it.
No. No, I wasn't wrong. I would
have noticed another fragment.
There. There was nothing
there eight hours ago.
Okay, so...
it's just new to this location,
which means it's moving.
And based on its trajectory, it's
going to cause a lot more damage...
It's much deeper than the other.
So we can't get to it.
We can't go through the water
drainage system of the boy's brain.
That would mean
puncturing the ventricular wall
at the thalamus. We can't follow
the injury pathway using MRI guidance
because the metal in the
bullet rules out the MRI.
- And we can't...
- Shaun, Shaun, just...
You are a neurosurgeon, okay?
You will know what I have missed.
You don't think you
missed anything?
No.
Then you didn't.
Okay, then...
Ethan is probably going to die.
Okay.
This one's different, huh?
Because he is a child?
Yeah, yeah.
Because he's a child.
No. I...
I've lost children before.
Shaun, every parent has one
job, and that's to keep their kid alive,
to keep them from all
the horrors in the world...
and maybe...
because you can't
protect Ethan, you think...
That's... not rational.
No. [chuckles]
It's not rational.
The price of parenthood.
But you know
what? It's worth it.
If it makes me upset and irrational,
it doesn't sound like it's worth it.
You don't mean that.
I came here to ask for your
surgical advice about Ethan
and all you've given me is
emotional advice about me.
Yeah. Because that's all I got.
When Kellan started
playing soccer when he was 7,
he loved that jersey so much.
Wore it to bed every night.
Wouldn't let us wash it.
Then he spilled
grape juice on it.
A big purple stain.
And I got angry at him.
I always get a little
like this with kids.
And I think maybe Shaun and
Lim can handle it fine without me.
If it was Kellan in that ICU,
how would you feel if
his doctor bailed on him
because his kid had spilled
grape juice ten years earlier?
Yeah, it's brutal on you.
About a hundredth as
brutal as it is on them.
So you agree with Biden
on every single issue?
No, of course not. But I agree
with him on more than one.
How many? Where's the line?
I mean, every vote
is a compromise.
We support the things we
think are important and...
rationalize the
things that aren't.
Unfortunately, compromise
has become a dirty word,
which is ironic since that's
the essence of democracy.
And the lack of compromise
is why I left home.
His left foot is cold.
It's pulseless.
I've got a pulse here. Something's
happening between here and you.
- Good.
- Nothing.
Good.
Nothing.
Nothing.
It's his popliteal artery.
He must've thrown a clot.
We have to fix this now
or he loses the leg at best.
Ethan's seizures were
caused by a different fragment
that migrated to the
left side of his brain.
We weren't wrong about
leaving the other fragment in.
So you weren't
incompetent about that,
just about completely
missing this other fragment?
Yes.
But the new
fragment isn't stable.
And will almost definitely
continue to cause damage.
So you'll remove it
as soon as possible.
It's too deep to remove.
Which means...
you'll do what?
We'll keep him on
anti-seizure meds.
And, uh, we'll monitor
him. Hope for the best.
Monitor?
An 8-year-old boy is dying
and you're going to monitor him?
If this was your child,
you could live with that?
- They're doing best...
- They're doing nothing!
- Lea.
- It's okay. It's okay, Shaun.
You're a couple?
I made a decision about my son's life
based on your opinion of your boyfriend?
Taryn, I'm so sorry.
[monitor beeping]
Isolating popliteal
artery. Next?
[Asher] Incise
vessel transversely,
use Fogarty catheter to
complete the embolectomy.
Confirm flow with angiogram.
How's our blood?
Maxing out on procoagulants,
antihemophiliacs,
and recycling every last
drop of cell saver suction.
- We're still down to our last 100ccs.
- What about other hospitals?
There was a multi-vehicle crash on
the 280. Nobody has anything to spare.
We'll just have to work a
little faster. Removing catheter.
- [monitor alarm beeping]
- BP's falling.
Damn it.
Catheter tore the artery.
Clamp and suction.
[Claire] There's
not enough blood.
His hematocrit is on
the floor. He's dying.
You got your test results
hours ago. You need to go home.
I can't.
Mason is hanging on,
but we have used up all
the O neg and A neg blood.
- We're having some medevac'd from L.A.
- How long will that take?
Another couple of hours.
You don't think
he'll last that long.
We're hoping.
I'm A-negative.
Sometimes we can't.
Every parent has an overwhelming
need to protect their child from horrors.
It's the price of parenthood.
Taryn donated twice the
typical amount of blood,
and Mason needed
every drop of it.
It's going to be a long night.
Where are you going?
Yeah, you should come with.
- Where?
- You ever read Hansel and Gretel?
That's what you were reading? I
thought you were doing research.
The scans show no sign that the
fragment tore major brain tissue
and there were no significant
bleeds or clots as it migrated,
which means it didn't cut a new route.
It took a trail that was already there.
Okay. How is that helpful?
It weaved through CSF spaces or
sulci in between the brain parenchyma.
If so, it left us some
breadcrumbs...
Heme products staining.
Along the way, and we can
use a rigid 3-mm endoscope,
find the trail, and take that
trail all the way to the bullet,
without damaging the brain.
It's okay. It's decaf.
You shouldn't feel
guilty about being happy.
I didn't feel happy.
Not right then.
I felt...
scared.
For us?
And for me.
You two, you're so
different, and so...
angry.
Hmm.
But you are so
strong. And I'm just...
You don't think you're strong?
No. Not strong enough for this.
This doesn't usually happen.
This isn't supposed to happen.
And... the way we've
been coping with it
has nothing to do with
whether we're good parents.
Strength doesn't
matter. It's compassion.
And the way you've treated us...
You're going to
be a great mother.
Mason made it.
Thanks to Taryn.
Ethan made it.
Thanks to Park.
They're in the ICU.
They want to see their moms.
["Small Leaf" playing]
♪ Take ♪
♪ My hand ♪
♪ Breathe small leaf ♪
♪ Short is the sting of this ♪
♪ Now push the
folds of life to dust ♪
♪ Put eager hands
to sleep tonight... ♪
Buy you a cheeseburger?
It's 6 a.m.
Mm.
Well...
I figure we should talk.
I'd like that.
You saved Ethan's
life. Nice job.
I was ready to walk.
And most people would've felt
for me, supported that decision.
You saved his life.
Thank you for that nice, albeit
completely inaccurate, thought.
You just needed
some encouragement.
You want to come back to
my place for a little more?
It's been a long day. And night.
I think we should
stop seeing each other.
You're good for me, but...
just sleeping with you...
isn't.
I want to give Heather a chance.
Good for you.
She's such a wimp, she'll
make you very happy.
♪ All on your own... ♪
You know how I feel right now?
No.
I don't know how
I feel right now.
Lucky.
I think I feel...
tired.
- And lucky.
- Mm.
♪ Grace the days,
the night, the now... ♪
[gasps]
Lea?
- Lea?
- Shaun...
- Shaun, Shaun, Shaun.
- Lea. Okay.
- No.
- Okay. Help!
Help! I need help!
Please, help!
Help!
Okay.
[theme music playing]
Two-six-six! Two-six-six!
It's just an hour.
Which really means
an hour and a half,
which means by the time we get
to Jason's, the party will be over.
It's not a party, it's four boys
arguing over who's going to
play Call Of Duty's Warfare.
You're learning how to exercise
your First Amendment rights.
By waving signs at cars?
And it's Call Of Duty:
Modern Warfare.
[Taryn] Everyone who sees our
signs knows that they're not alone,
and when we have numbers
we have a voice, we are heard.
At least someone's being heard.
This is democracy,
Ethan, making a difference.
- This is how change happens.
- Yeah, well, change sucks.
It's 10:30. I will have you
at Jason's by 11:45, okay?
Ooh, I see a spot.
- Really?
- Why'd you let her in?
Because the idiot
would've smashed our car.
How about we go get
milkshakes instead? Hmm?
But I spent three
hours making signs.
Oh! There! There's a spot!
[crowd chanting]
Two-six-six! Two-six-six!
Sweet.
Two-six-six! Two-six-six!
Any hint of trouble,
we are leaving, got it?
Inspiring speech, Mom.
Very Vince Lombardi.
I saw his hologram.
Oh. Here's your
very own wristband.
Solidarity!
Yeah!
Yes, they already did the finger
prick and gave me the gloop.
It's a 50 gram glucose solution.
It was gloop and
it tasted awful.
Gloop wouldn't tell us if
you have gestational diabetes
which is associated with
hypertension, preeclampsia,
preterm labor, and for the baby,
respiratory issues and obesity.
Before we buy jumbo baby clothes,
let's get the test results, okay?
- Okay. Will you text me when you...
- Whoa.
What's this?
We know at least two
people have been shot,
but we have no
information on their status.
By all reports, the
rally in support...
- That is less than a mile from here.
- Was quite peaceful,
despite the presence of
some counter-protesters.
[pager beeping]
But just about 20 minutes
ago, what witnesses describe...
I have to go to the E.R. STAT.
As a late-model, white
panel van sped by,
the passenger opening fire...
[dramatic music playing]
[siren wailing nearby]
Nine-year-old boy with multiple
gunshots to chest and abdomen.
- He took three rounds of epi, still PEA.
- Trauma phase six. Checking ABCs.
Asher, take compressions.
Claire, assess wounds.
- You're the mom? What's his name?
- Mm-hm.
- Mason.
- Mason, got it.
[monitor alarm beeping]
- Entry wound, left chest.
- [Marcus] Right over his heart.
- Emergency thoracotomy?
- [Claire] Twenty blade.
We'll take good care of Mason,
- but right now you need to go.
- I can't.
- Now.
- Rib spreader.
- We got a pumper!
- Oh!
I can't see a thing. Suction.
Hole in right ventricle,
I got my finger on it.
That stopped the bleed,
but we've gotta get the
heart pumping normally.
Urinary catheter.
Stick it in the hole, inflate the
balloon inside the ventricle...
and occlude the hole.
- And we've got a regular heartbeat.
- Red cells, platelet transfusions.
Let's get him to the OR.
Very good, Dr. Browne.
[siren wailing]
Kid took one gunshot to the head.
Became unresponsive en route.
Intubated him. He's bradycardic.
[monitor alarm beeping]
- Pupils are blown.
- No response to sternal rub.
- And the kid's leaking brain.
- [Shaun] Glasgow Coma Scale: 3T.
[Audrey] One gram per kilo
Mannitol, 50 milligrams per kilo Keppra.
Elevating head 30 degrees
and bagging down his CO2.
Let's take him. OR 2.
[theme music playing]
[reporter on TV] And
we can now confirm
that the shooting
victims were young boys,
witnesses describing them
as both under 10 years of age.
According to accounts,
one was shot several times
in the chest and abdomen,
the other shot at
least once in the head.
The fact it was children who
were shot is devastating news.
And so, we have yet another day
in an otherwise peaceful community
erupting in violence,
the kind of atrocity that has
sadly become all too commonplace.
And that only makes this attack
even more tragic and senseless.
We are awaiting updates and will let
you know as soon as we have any...
[Claire] Fixed the
liver laceration.
Let's get this
spleen out of there.
[Marcus] Suturing the right
ventricle. Next up is left ventriculotomy.
All that'll leave is the bronchial
injury, the diaphragm tear, the VSD,
and the hollow
viscus bowel injury.
[Marcus] BP's dropping fast.
We're going to need every unit
of O neg or compatible blood.
Do you have someone in surgery?
No. I'm just here for a test.
- Mrs. Wilkie?
- What is it?
- And Mrs. Bardo?
- What happened?
Nothing. I just need
you to fill out these forms.
- Forms?
- Necessary evil.
Do you have copies of
your insurance cards?
Uh, no. I must have left mine...
I work here. In I.T. I'll
help them with the forms.
[Audrey] This is not a happy brain.
Let's clean out as much as we can.
Scalp, hair, skull fragments,
and let's not forget
bullet shrapnel.
Ultrasound.
I'm looking for any
deeper bullet fragments.
- [Alex] Brain's herniating.
- CO2 is normal.
[monitor alarm beeping]
- Is he storming?
- Heart rate's way too low.
We need to take off
his entire right skull.
[Audrey] Drill with B1 bit.
Initial there.
And sign here.
Thank you...
- Lea.
- Lea.
I... I think that's
the other mom.
I'm Carina.
Were you... at the rally?
Yeah. I'm Taryn.
Mason's 9.
[sobbing] Ethan's 8 and a half.
They'll be fine.
I know it.
You're one of them.
Them?
Get away from me.
[Claire] It is so sad that people
can't express their views peacefully.
The right is so intolerant
of political differences,
of any differences.
I think there are some
intolerances on both sides.
Well... like there are
good people on both sides?
What if I told you I
belong to the NRA?
[chuckles] I'd think you were
saying that to make a point.
About five years ago, my wife and
I went to a very trendy restaurant
in a very shady part of town,
and on our way back to the
car, we were mugged at gunpoint.
The next day, I bought us both
handguns. I'm a card-carrying member.
- I voted for Trump.
- Too soon.
I'm serious.
I liked his stand on Israel.
But I've never told anyone
because I'd be absolutely vilified.
- As you should be...
- Pooling up.
- [alarm beeping]
- He's hypotensive. Lactate's rising.
- Okay. Crit's down to 17.
- Could put him into deep hypothermia.
No, the low temp would
only worsen his coagulopathy.
He needs more blood.
We've used most of the
O and A neg from the bank.
Start calling other
hospitals. Now.
[Claire] You actually
voted for Trump?
Once.
And then what? You...
You suddenly discovered he
was exactly who he said he was?
I don't feel like you want an
answer. I feel you want an apology.
Wow, this kind of changes
how I feel about you.
What does that mean? Are
you saying you don't respect me?
We can't be friends
because of a vote?
It is more than a vote.
Yeah. It's a fundamental
right that I exercised.
This changes how I feel about
you. If I can't have a political opinion
about the best way to
improve all our lives...
- Do you think anybody's life got better?
- That's enough.
Are you okay?
Your repairs are almost finished.
We could be done in two or three hours.
We have just enough blood.
That's if we want to.
Mrs. Bardo?
What is it?
Uh, we fixed two holes
in your son's ventricles,
we've removed his spleen
and repaired his liver,
but he's still in surgery.
Well, your son has lost a lot of
blood. We're giving him transfusions,
but the blood loss may have
caused damage to his brain.
If his brain is fine,
then we should push on.
But if his brain
isn't fine, then...
continuing the
surgery could kill him.
Unfortunately, we
can't accurately assess
for brain function in the OR,
so we would have to wake him
up and do a traditional neuro exam.
You need her to decide that?
Why put that on her?
- You guys are the doctors. It's a...
- Wake him up.
If you wake him up,
I can be there, right?
You can.
But he will be
confused and stressed.
His belly will still
have to be open.
My husband died in a
car accident two years ago.
I didn't get to say goodbye.
This is not goodbye. This
decision should not be based on...
Please.
Wake him up.
Okay. Come with us.
Why haven't I heard anything?
The brain looks
more relaxed now.
[Audrey] Well, there
are a lot of clots.
[lightly sighs]
Kellan play soccer?
I'm fine.
Two kids shot? We all are.
[knocking on glass]
- You're not supposed to be here.
- I know. I am so sorry.
Is the baby okay? Did
you get your test results?
No, but I'm fine, the
baby's fine. How's the boy?
You can't be here
and we can't tell you.
I'm sitting in a waiting
room with a terrified mother.
Somebody needs to tell
her he's being taken care of.
- Ms. Wilkie? I'm Dr. Shaun Murphy.
- Is my son okay?
Okay. We have successfully
removed half of your son's skull
to reduce brain pressure.
We've removed blood clots,
bone chips, and bullet fragments,
but we are still trying to
find the less accessible
and deeper chunks of
the bullet in his brain.
Can I see him?
Of course not. He's in surgery.
We...
just needed to let
you know his status.
I'm sorry.
[sobbing]
[Claire] Hey, Mason.
I need you to follow
my finger, okay?
[monitor beeping]
Can you wiggle your toes
for me, your little piggies?
You're acing this test, Mason.
Now, can you squeeze my fingers?
Just, why don't you
try to make a fist?
It doesn't have to be
hard, just a little squeeze.
Okay. No, that's okay.
Hey, Mason. Look at me.
Now...
You're going to be okay, pumpkin.
Everything's going to be okay.
Hey.
There's an indentation on a
right M3 segment branch artery.
That suggests the presence
of a deeper fragment.
Nice catch.
Yes, but I'm not sure
how we get it out.
When was Ethan's birthday?
Um...
October.
It was just the three of us.
And we have a
Goldendoodle named Derber.
Ethan wanted to invite
a couple of friends over,
but I said no, it wasn't safe.
He wanted two friends. He
has like a hundred of them,
and I said no. To two.
It feels like all Ethan
and I ever do now is fight.
Children don't need their
parents to be buddies.
They need limits, structure.
You don't have kids, do you?
He'll die hating me.
Taryn, you cannot
think like that.
We found the last
bullet fragment.
It's deep, but stable,
so it is very unlikely to cause further
brain damage, bleeds, or seizures.
We should leave it where it is.
You want to leave a
bullet in my son's brain?
Removing it comes with a high
risk of lacerating key brain vessels.
You can trust them. They're
the best doctors I've ever known.
Okay.
Leave it in.
Did you get to see Mason?
They're doing more tests.
But I know he'll be fine.
He will.
Does Mason play any sports?
Uh...
Basketball.
Team captain.
Likes to be in charge.
So mature for his age.
When my husband died, it
was Mason who kept me going.
Brought me coffee every morning.
Opened my curtains.
Helped me get out of bed.
I'm a single mom too.
Hell of a day to
be one, isn't it?
Mm.
When did you lose your husband?
We divorced two
years ago. Not amicably.
Divorced.
I know it's not the same, but...
I buried my husband.
You lost him in the
worst possible way, yes.
But I doubt you also
lost half of your friends,
your self-respect, and...
the love of your son.
I doubt you ever
had to tell your son
that Daddy was never
coming home again.
- Look, I didn't mean to...
- You figured you know me.
You've experienced pain,
so you understand all the pain
everybody else has ever felt.
- I understand pain. We're...
- Shut up.
[Taryn] Right. Someone disagrees
with you and you shut them up.
You couldn't let us wave
our little signs in peace.
You had to come shout us down,
and when that didn't
work, you had to shoot us!
- Yes?
- Yes?
You can go first.
Why?
Well, I'm being polite.
It won't make any difference
who hears their news first.
We don't think there
is any brain damage.
We're going to take him back
to the OR to finish the repairs.
Wonderful. Thank you so much.
Of course.
We have to leave
Ethan's skull off
until his brain swelling
has gone down,
which could be a couple of
days from now. Or months.
We've moved him to intensive
care. You can see him now.
[monitor beeping]
When he was a baby, I used
to love watching him sleep.
It was the only time he
wasn't bouncing off the walls.
The only time I
could just look at him.
When he was older,
if he caught me watching him,
he would say I was weird, and...
I just told him how
beautiful he was,
and that... and that
made me weirder.
But he is...
so beautiful.
His eyes moved. They
moved. He's looking at me.
- That's good, right?
- Yes.
No. He's not looking at you.
His eyes are deviating to the right.
What does that...?
He's squeezing my hand.
Ethan, honey, Mommy's here.
- How hard? Is it getting firmer?
- Yeah.
Ativan. Increase propofol,
and we need a CT and an EEG.
He is having a focal seizure
which is originating in
the left side of the brain,
which wasn't the damaged
side, which is... very strange.
The bullet fragment must have
migrated. It was a mistake to leave it in.
[sobbing]
He's seizing.
This is exactly what he said
wouldn't happen if we left the bullet in.
Exactly.
I'm sure he'll figure
out what to do in...
Who do you have news for?
Ms. Dilallo?
Good news?
Oh... it's nothing.
It's okay for
someone to be happy.
I'm expecting. And all's good.
I gave birth on Christmas Eve.
All the nurses
were singing carols.
Kenny joked that the only thing
missing were the three wise men.
It was hokey and ridiculous...
but it was magical.
Ethan was three weeks premature.
We were having just one
last fun weekend, the two of us,
and I guess Ethan didn't
like that idea, so I gave birth...
in a motel room 300
miles from my OB.
Left a really good
tip for housekeeping.
It's very strange.
I was wrong. It's...
very, very strange.
No, you weren't.
The fragment's still
stable in location,
no severe compression
on MCA, no new bleeds.
That just means we
missed something else.
There. Deep in
the left thalamus.
I wasn't wrong.
I wasn't wrong. You were.
You missed it.
No. No, I wasn't wrong. I would
have noticed another fragment.
There. There was nothing
there eight hours ago.
Okay, so...
it's just new to this location,
which means it's moving.
And based on its trajectory, it's
going to cause a lot more damage...
It's much deeper than the other.
So we can't get to it.
We can't go through the water
drainage system of the boy's brain.
That would mean
puncturing the ventricular wall
at the thalamus. We can't follow
the injury pathway using MRI guidance
because the metal in the
bullet rules out the MRI.
- And we can't...
- Shaun, Shaun, just...
You are a neurosurgeon, okay?
You will know what I have missed.
You don't think you
missed anything?
No.
Then you didn't.
Okay, then...
Ethan is probably going to die.
Okay.
This one's different, huh?
Because he is a child?
Yeah, yeah.
Because he's a child.
No. I...
I've lost children before.
Shaun, every parent has one
job, and that's to keep their kid alive,
to keep them from all
the horrors in the world...
and maybe...
because you can't
protect Ethan, you think...
That's... not rational.
No. [chuckles]
It's not rational.
The price of parenthood.
But you know
what? It's worth it.
If it makes me upset and irrational,
it doesn't sound like it's worth it.
You don't mean that.
I came here to ask for your
surgical advice about Ethan
and all you've given me is
emotional advice about me.
Yeah. Because that's all I got.
When Kellan started
playing soccer when he was 7,
he loved that jersey so much.
Wore it to bed every night.
Wouldn't let us wash it.
Then he spilled
grape juice on it.
A big purple stain.
And I got angry at him.
I always get a little
like this with kids.
And I think maybe Shaun and
Lim can handle it fine without me.
If it was Kellan in that ICU,
how would you feel if
his doctor bailed on him
because his kid had spilled
grape juice ten years earlier?
Yeah, it's brutal on you.
About a hundredth as
brutal as it is on them.
So you agree with Biden
on every single issue?
No, of course not. But I agree
with him on more than one.
How many? Where's the line?
I mean, every vote
is a compromise.
We support the things we
think are important and...
rationalize the
things that aren't.
Unfortunately, compromise
has become a dirty word,
which is ironic since that's
the essence of democracy.
And the lack of compromise
is why I left home.
His left foot is cold.
It's pulseless.
I've got a pulse here. Something's
happening between here and you.
- Good.
- Nothing.
Good.
Nothing.
Nothing.
It's his popliteal artery.
He must've thrown a clot.
We have to fix this now
or he loses the leg at best.
Ethan's seizures were
caused by a different fragment
that migrated to the
left side of his brain.
We weren't wrong about
leaving the other fragment in.
So you weren't
incompetent about that,
just about completely
missing this other fragment?
Yes.
But the new
fragment isn't stable.
And will almost definitely
continue to cause damage.
So you'll remove it
as soon as possible.
It's too deep to remove.
Which means...
you'll do what?
We'll keep him on
anti-seizure meds.
And, uh, we'll monitor
him. Hope for the best.
Monitor?
An 8-year-old boy is dying
and you're going to monitor him?
If this was your child,
you could live with that?
- They're doing best...
- They're doing nothing!
- Lea.
- It's okay. It's okay, Shaun.
You're a couple?
I made a decision about my son's life
based on your opinion of your boyfriend?
Taryn, I'm so sorry.
[monitor beeping]
Isolating popliteal
artery. Next?
[Asher] Incise
vessel transversely,
use Fogarty catheter to
complete the embolectomy.
Confirm flow with angiogram.
How's our blood?
Maxing out on procoagulants,
antihemophiliacs,
and recycling every last
drop of cell saver suction.
- We're still down to our last 100ccs.
- What about other hospitals?
There was a multi-vehicle crash on
the 280. Nobody has anything to spare.
We'll just have to work a
little faster. Removing catheter.
- [monitor alarm beeping]
- BP's falling.
Damn it.
Catheter tore the artery.
Clamp and suction.
[Claire] There's
not enough blood.
His hematocrit is on
the floor. He's dying.
You got your test results
hours ago. You need to go home.
I can't.
Mason is hanging on,
but we have used up all
the O neg and A neg blood.
- We're having some medevac'd from L.A.
- How long will that take?
Another couple of hours.
You don't think
he'll last that long.
We're hoping.
I'm A-negative.
Sometimes we can't.
Every parent has an overwhelming
need to protect their child from horrors.
It's the price of parenthood.
Taryn donated twice the
typical amount of blood,
and Mason needed
every drop of it.
It's going to be a long night.
Where are you going?
Yeah, you should come with.
- Where?
- You ever read Hansel and Gretel?
That's what you were reading? I
thought you were doing research.
The scans show no sign that the
fragment tore major brain tissue
and there were no significant
bleeds or clots as it migrated,
which means it didn't cut a new route.
It took a trail that was already there.
Okay. How is that helpful?
It weaved through CSF spaces or
sulci in between the brain parenchyma.
If so, it left us some
breadcrumbs...
Heme products staining.
Along the way, and we can
use a rigid 3-mm endoscope,
find the trail, and take that
trail all the way to the bullet,
without damaging the brain.
It's okay. It's decaf.
You shouldn't feel
guilty about being happy.
I didn't feel happy.
Not right then.
I felt...
scared.
For us?
And for me.
You two, you're so
different, and so...
angry.
Hmm.
But you are so
strong. And I'm just...
You don't think you're strong?
No. Not strong enough for this.
This doesn't usually happen.
This isn't supposed to happen.
And... the way we've
been coping with it
has nothing to do with
whether we're good parents.
Strength doesn't
matter. It's compassion.
And the way you've treated us...
You're going to
be a great mother.
Mason made it.
Thanks to Taryn.
Ethan made it.
Thanks to Park.
They're in the ICU.
They want to see their moms.
["Small Leaf" playing]
♪ Take ♪
♪ My hand ♪
♪ Breathe small leaf ♪
♪ Short is the sting of this ♪
♪ Now push the
folds of life to dust ♪
♪ Put eager hands
to sleep tonight... ♪
Buy you a cheeseburger?
It's 6 a.m.
Mm.
Well...
I figure we should talk.
I'd like that.
You saved Ethan's
life. Nice job.
I was ready to walk.
And most people would've felt
for me, supported that decision.
You saved his life.
Thank you for that nice, albeit
completely inaccurate, thought.
You just needed
some encouragement.
You want to come back to
my place for a little more?
It's been a long day. And night.
I think we should
stop seeing each other.
You're good for me, but...
just sleeping with you...
isn't.
I want to give Heather a chance.
Good for you.
She's such a wimp, she'll
make you very happy.
♪ All on your own... ♪
You know how I feel right now?
No.
I don't know how
I feel right now.
Lucky.
I think I feel...
tired.
- And lucky.
- Mm.
♪ Grace the days,
the night, the now... ♪
[gasps]
Lea?
- Lea?
- Shaun...
- Shaun, Shaun, Shaun.
- Lea. Okay.
- No.
- Okay. Help!
Help! I need help!
Please, help!
Help!
Okay.
[theme music playing]