02x01 - Recovery

[bunniefuu]

Chopper's on its way!

Rescue says they're about 20 minutes out!

He doesn't have 20 minutes! We got to get him now!

Okay, I'll rig up and join you!

[Breathing heavily]

[Speaking Spanish] Huh?

Yo soy un doctor. Me llamo T.C.

[Exhales]

[Groans]

Okay. He's in shock. He's got an open wound.

Tib-Fib fracture. He needs to get out of here ASAP.

I'll give you a signal to pull us up.

And tell the chopper to get his ass here.

All right, uh, use this cream three times a day, and the rash will clear right up, okay?

Okay.

Hey, and thank you for your service to this country.

Thank you.

Yeah. [Alert chimes]

Woman on P.A.: Telephone for Dr. Cummings.

Paging Dr. Cummings.

Hello, this is Dr. C... oh, gross!

[Laughter]

Kenny!

Wherever you are, you're dead!

I wouldn't take that crap if I were you.

Okay, give him another 15 minutes rest then send him home with the antibiotics.

Thanks, Mollie.

You're welcome.

Hey, how'd it go?

Check this out. Night shift special.

Two guys fought a duel with nail g*ns outside of the Alamo.

[Beep]

And the first guy missed, second guy didn't.

Well, I hope he already had kids.

Mm-hmm.

Right.

No, please, stop! I...

I-I don't know how you handled all this paperwork when you were in charge.

I do not miss that part of the job.

Jordan, I need you! Male and female, both 40s.

Status post-penetrating rebar injury while riding a motorcycle.

Okay. Trauma 1.

Uh... rebar? What... flew off the back of a truck on 410.

Male with a through-and-through skull injury.

G.C.S. of 4-6-5, somehow.

Female with a penetrating throat injury.

She's tachy. B.P. of 90 systolic.

So far her sats are holding.

What's with the splint?

Gross abnormality of the distal radius from the fall. It's closed.

Okay, this is gonna need sutures!

All right, I'm on it. All right, let's get trauma down here for a consult ASAP.

Dr. Cummings is in surgery.

I got to call in Dr. Chavez, the new night surgeon.

Hell of a first shift for him.

Thank you. Really could've used T.C. on this one.

He never should have been suspended.

You don't take a doc like that out of the E.R. agreed.

But you know T.C. can't stop him from working.

Ah... hold on! He's choking.

[Gasping, raspy breathing]

Okay, I got you. Come on.

You got something in there. Cough. Hmm?

[Speaking Spanish] Hey! What's going on?

He's got partial airway occlusion!

If we take him up any further, his airway's gonna block!

I need you! He's completely obstructed!

[Gasping]

[Gasping]

Coming down with your med kit!

[Spits]

[Grunting]

Son of a bitch.

He's got cotton balls stuck down his throat.

Hand me a j-wire.

Cotton balls?

Yeah. Some coyotes across the borders, they soak cotton balls in juice to feed the kids instead of food.

But they don't digest, so they choke easy.

Come on, get in there. Get in there.

[Choking]

He's turning blue.

You got this?

Yeah.

I need to clear his airway with the retrograde j-wire.

[Coughing]

Ah, there we go. There we go.

Hang in there. Hang in there.

There we go. Yes!

You're all good. Good job, buddy, come on.

Yeah, welcome back.

Okay, let's make our way back up.

[Heavy breathing] Nice and slowly.

Okay. Up...

[Labored breathing]

[Beeping]

Sir, hold still! Don't even move an inch, okay?

Your wife's being sedated on pain medicine.

We need to keep you lucid to follow your neuro exams, so we can't give you any pain meds right now.

I don't feel any pain.

None? What about your wrist?

I don't care about my wrists!

This is all my fault! She hates the motorcycle.

I talked her...

Sir, you need to be calm.

You keep moving around, you're gonna endanger both of you, okay?

[Breathing heavily] Okay.

Okay, I'm done here. Let's get some... dressing on it.

Topher: Dr. Chavez, I presume.

Joey.

I can take that, Doctor.

Scott will be down as soon as he can.

He's still elbows deep in a splenectomy case.

Everybody, huddle up. Let's get some information here.

We need to get this helmet off. Are they both medicated?

The wife is. The husband is conscious but reporting no pain.

Really?

But he is pretty freaked out.

All right, I'm gonna work on getting the helmet off.

You guys complete the secondary survey on the wife.

All right? Let's roll.

You guys okay here? I'm getting paged.

Yeah, we got this.

Uh, what's the patient's name?

Craig.

Craig.

Mind if I borrow this? Thanks.

All right, Craig. You do yoga?

Uh, n-no.

No?

All right. Well, you're going to learn right now.

How's that sound?

Uh... Mm...

All right, just follow my pen here.

Good job, Craig.

Now, I want you to focus on your breathing.

Sound of the saw can be a bit unnerving, and breath is the bridge between the mind and the body.

The longer you exhale, the more relaxed you're going to be.

Can you do that?

I'll try.

Drill, please. Thank you.

Namaste, everybody.

[Drill whirring]

So, the new night surgeon... Chavez... what's he like?

Very Dr. Granola.

A little too touchy-feely for my taste.

[Singsongy] Oh, God, I forgot it's Ragosa's first night back.

That's just what I need. Another pain in my ass.

Evening, Gentlemen.

Mollie. Topher!

Ha ha! [Inhales sharply]

Mm! Good to have you back!

Hmm. How's the wife and kids?

Good. They're good.

Good.

[Clears throat] Good, good. Drew.

How's Rick?

I hear you guys moved in together, right?

He's doing as well as could be expected.

Should get his prosthetic leg any week.

You tell him to never give up hope.

I didn't, and this guy right here didn't, either.

Isn't that right, Topher?

Yeah.

Everything good with you?

Yeah. Couldn't be better.

You survive a tumor, cheat death, everything else seems like small potatoes.

[Chuckles]

We dodged a b*llet, Topher.

Mm. Well, you didn't, but you get my metaphor, right?

Yeah.

We're survivors.

I get it.

[Siren wailing in distance]

Anyway...

[Sighs] First day back, lots to do.

See you boys around.

Okay.

Okay, that was weird, right?

I don't know who that was.

Uh... hey! Hey! I need a trauma room.

Oh... trauma 3!

Okay.

Found this little guy in the wild, probably abandoned by a coyote, with an open tibia fracture, an infected leg wound, and severe dehydration.

He's gotten 40cc per kilogram bolus through a sterile I.O. line.

Oh, come on. Send off a C.B.C., a C.M.P., and get Ortho here ASAP.

Here we go, here we go...

Tee, I hate to break it to you...

All right, I'll draw the blood.

But technically you're still suspended.

Right. Sorry. Kenny, Dr. Zia is gonna ask you to start Ancef and Gent prophylaxis for the open fracture and the wound infection.

Got it.

Dr. Zia's also gonna tell you that Dr. Callahan, although a brilliant doctor, has been a pain in his ass since the day they met.

Yeah, but you still love me, huh? [Kisses]

I'm gonna slowly take this off of you.

Okay, the bar is stable for now.

All right.

How you doing, Craig? You feeling any pain?

It's fine. Mary, how are you doing?

She's good. She's resting.

Can I hold her hand?

Of course.

[Sighs]

Surgery took a lot longer than expected.

What do we got here, Krista?

A reduced wrist fracture on the man, a sutured knee lac on the woman, and a large piece of rebar causing all types of problems.

So what we need to do is separate the two without k*lling them.

I don't want to cut them apart without seeing what structures may be damaged.

There's no way we can fit them in the C.T. like that.

Well, what if we cut it at both ends? Maybe...

We'll handle it from here, Jordan.

This a surgical case now. You can go back to the E.R.

Okay.

Let me know if you need anything.

All right, we're gonna clear the bottom half of this helmet.

Let's be ready to stabilize his head.

Joey: On my count, all right?

[Alert chimes]

Woman on P.A: Dr. Zia to trauma 1.

Hey. Jordy, check this out...

Hey.

For throwback Thursday.

What you got? Oh, wow!

Right?

Sophomore year?

Mm-hmm.

Man, we were so into the Spice Girls.

Uh, uh, still into the Spice Girls.

That's right.

So, uh, Scott still being a d*ck to you?

Yeah. He's acting like...

Like he moved down here and you dumped him to get back with T.C.?

Mm?

Okay, I am not back together with T.C. and it is way more complicated than that.

Complicated, T.C. [Chuckles] No way.

Well, it's better that he's complicated than...

What, boring?

Our safest option without a scan is to cut the rebar as close to you as possible, and that will keep the weight of the bar from shifting toward your side.

So does that mean it shifts to her side?

Wait... is it gonna be bad for Mary?

There's potential respiratory distress and some damage to her vocal chords, but better that than damage to your brain tissue, which can't be repaired.

That can't happen. She's a schoolteacher.

She needs her voice!

Craig, we respect your concern, sir, but you need to know the stakes here.

If you have significant brain damage, you may not come out of this.

Craig, you need to hear me.

There are no great options here.

There are going to be risks no matter what we do.

Now, you need to let go and trust us.

We have more ways to help her if she gets into trouble than if you do.

I'll take that risk.

No, Mary!

If something happens to you, I don't care if I live.

I won't let them cut if it hurts you!

[Monitor beeping rapidly]

Hey, you need to stop moving!

Sats are down to 90!

What's going on? What's beeping?

The airway's filling with blood!

Give me the...

[Speaks indistinctly]

Joey: His moving dislodged the blood clot!

Tell me what's going on!

They need to be separated! I'm cutting the rebar.

No, Mary!

Hand me the bone saw, please.

Tell me what's happening!

Discussion over. She needs a trach now.

Krista, prep the neck.

[Sobbing] No...

I need steriles.

[Rapid beeping continues]

Topher, we're shorthanded out here.

I need you to see an acute stoke patient.

When it rains, it pours, right?

Krista, you're up.

Okay, I'm on it.

Okay, suction.

Help her! Help her! Mary!

All right, stabilize him.

Oh, my God, help her, please!

Here we go.

Mary!

[Whirring]

Aah!

[Whirring fades]

[Phone rings]

[Ringing continues]

[Clatters]

[Rings]

Michael Ragosa.

Yes, yes, Mr. Clark. I was just, uh, working on those numbers for you.

And the new insurance mandate.

And the medicare and medicaid reimbursement projections.

I'm all over it.

Okay.

Okay. Thank you. Bye-bye.

Well, I don't want to be a bother.

It's just a sore neck thing, but I've been waiting for, like, three months for an appointment from the V.A.

All right, Tricia, stop. Just... it's done.

Go hang in the waiting room, and I'll set it up.

Hey, T?

Yeah?

Kid's doing better.

Oh, great.

Listen, could you make sure to see my friend Tricia tonight?

She's a big help to me in therapy group.

I want to help her out.

Yeah, of course, but we got to be careful now.

Ragosa's back. He finds out we're doing this off-book, we're done.

Yeah.

Okay? [Laughs] It's not...

Sure!

No, it's exactly how...

T.C.

Gwen.

May I have a word, Dr. Alexander?

Sure.

Mm-hmm.

I like it when you stop by.

Well, actually, I have to bring in a patient.

Mm.

But I could go out and come back in and pretend like I came here to see you, if you like.

[Laughs] Yeah, okay.

Hey, T.C. What's up, man?

Hey, Paul. Hey.

Hey. Okay. Good to see you, man.

Yeah.

So, working on the vets.

Uh, mum's the word on that one.

Um, it's a bit busy, but I got it, so... Cool.

That's great. Can you make sure to see my friend Tricia?

Yeah.

See you around, buddy.

So, uh, what do you think of the new break room, right?

You wanna... you wanna maybe play some pool after the shift?

I'm pretty good.

You know what, Paul?

Maybe you should get a start on those vets.

Yeah, like now, even.

Topher: Hey, uh, Jordan?

A little help, s'il vous plaît, with the doctors' schedule.

Not so good with the paperwork.

Right.

He's been doing this for weeks. Okay. Don't leave.

No.

So, just so you know, T.C., if you hurt her again, you're gonna have to deal with me.

Ah, easy, Gwennie. I'm not gonna hurt her.

Mm-hmm.

No.

It's not like last time when I came back from the w*r.

You know it's different now.

I'm taking it... slow.

Like I said, hurt her, and you're dealing with me.

Hey, Topher, I just got a call from the courthouse.

Some type of major crush injury?

They said they can't move him and he's critical and needs a doctor.

Jordan, you take this.

On it.

All right, Gwen, we're up.

Catch you later?

Hey, Mollie.

Um, where exactly was that crash injury?

Guy got stuck in the elevator, panicked about being late for something, and tried to squeeze out.

That's when the elevator moved and... somebody save him! Help, please!

You've got to...

Okay, okay, I'm gonna do my best.

He's my dad!

[Crying]

[Thud, all gasp] Oh! Whoa!

Paramedic: Let's go! We need more support!

Shore it up! Shore it up!

You better work fast.

Yeah.

[Sobbing]

Man: Block the cable so it doesn't move!

How's she doing?

Looking good. I'm incising the trachea.

I'm ready with the trach tube.

Okay.

Tube's in.

Inflating the balloon.

All right. The bleeding has stopped.

Virtual fist bumps all around.

Thank you, Doctors.

Now that we've got her airway secured, we can safely remove the rebar from both of you.

There's a neurosurgeon waiting for you up in O.R. 1, and we're gonna take care of your wife in O.R. 2 right next door.

Thank you, Doctor.

You should stretch in between surgeries.

Be good for you.

All right.

You should try it.

You ready, Mr. Woo?

Yeah.

All right.

There's a loud friction rub.

He's bleeding around his heart.

Okay.

What are you doing here?

She was sent out on a major crush case alone.

I thought Jordan could use the help of a good samaritan.

More like a good adrenaline junkie.

I could definitely use the help.

Okay, look, this poor man is having labored breathing.

He needs his airway stabilized, but I can't intubate him in this position.

We have to go nasotracheal.

I've done it a dozen times before on the b*ttlefield when a soldier can't be moved. Best way to intubate.

Gwen, can you hand me a 6.0 endotracheal tube?

I'll place a nasal airway for dilation.

Can I also get some blankets here to prop him up?

[Groaning] We're gonna take care of you, sir.

It's gonna be okay.

[Sirens wailing]

Hey! Oh!

How's it going tonight?

Well, you know what they say... a third of the time boring, a third of the time regular, a third of the time crazy.

Ah, I see Jordan's got the crush injury on site, you just saw a stroke patient, and Drew is taking care of a sore throat.

There something I can help you with, Michael?

No. Carry on.

[Pats back]

Well, actually, actually, uh, if it's all right with you, I thought I'd hang out down here tonight.

Here?

Yeah. You know, I learned a lot about being a patient myself.

I realized I spent too much time silo'd up in my office.

I need to be in the ebb and flow.

Get my hands dirty, you know?

I need to be more involved.

All night, every night?

I'll stay out of your way.

I promise.

I...

[Pats back]

How's it going?

Okay. All right, all the Jacks are in place.

Okay, listen up. Nobody does a thing until Dr. Alexander gives the signal, okay?

Mm-hmm.

You only look at and listen to her, got it?

All right.

Yeah, okay.

Okay, guys, on my count, one crank at a time, okay? Understood?

Tee, are you ready?

Yeah, let's do it.

Okay, good. On my count.

1, 2, 3.

[Jack whirs]

Again.

1, 2, 3.

[Jack whirs]

He's bleeding out. We're losing him.

His temperature's crashing.

Lower the jack now!

[All screaming]

No! Daddy! Get it down! Now!

♪ ♪ ♪

It's crazy, but the elevator is keeping him alive.

Its weight is stopping him from bleeding internally.

He most definitely has severe injuries to his heart and aorta.

Exactly. So if we move him, he dies.

But if he stays, he dies.

What he needs is E.C.M.O.

We can't do that.

E.C.M.O.'s never done outside of a hospital.

Just because it hasn't been done doesn't mean that it shouldn't be.

Okay, look, if he has no blood in his body, then he cannot bleed out when we move the elevator.

We got at least 30 minutes to get him to the O.R., repair his injuries.

I mean, E.C.M.O.'s his only chance, right?

Even if we get approval, and that is a huge...

It's still better than if we don't try.

[Exhales sharply]

Let's do it.

Okay.

Make the call.

Look at that. Heart rate's coming down.

He's got color in his cheeks. Looking good.

You got Ancef and Gent for the open fracture?

Uh, yeah. That's right.

Ah.

Mira...

[Speaking Spanish]

[Continues in Spanish]

Excuse me. Topher?

Yeah?

It's Jordan calling from the scene.

She needs to speak with you right away.

Thank you, Ken.

Yeah.

All right, later.

[Siren wailing]

What's up, Jordan?

E.C.M.O.? In the field? Are you nuts?

Ragosa will never approve that.

Just pass me through to Ragosa.

Well, he's... he's right here.

Hey, Michael, it's Jordan.

What's going on?

Okay, before you say no, I need you to listen.

Michael, you know that I lost my father at a young age.

Your kids almost lost you.

Scott, would you mind if I put on some music?

I like it when I suture. I, uh, find it activate sensory pathways that compete with pain pathways, reduces anxiety, all sorts of good things.

Ah, I'm not really a music guy in the O.R.

Some other time.

All right, let's get this rebar out of here right now.

And... It's...

Out.

Beautiful.

No bleeding.

Needle driver and 5.0 Vicryl to me, please.

Close her out...

Dr. Clemens, sorry to interrupt.

Jordan needs to speak with you.

I'm a little busy right now.

They're taking an E.C.M.O. unit out in the field and they need a surgeon.

What?

Never heard of that before.

Ragosa approve this?

It's already being loaded.

Go ahead, Scott. I just gotta close.

Krista can be my second set of hands.

If they're going to do that, you need to be out there.

Son of a bitch.

Jocelyn, could you please page Dr. Bell-Hart for me?

Sure.

And, uh, go ahead and turn on the music, please?

Thanks.

[Beep]

[Soul music playing]

Man: ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ listen ♪

[Suction whooshing]

No, you get two pills four times a day, that's it.

Rick, you can't take any more. It's not good for you.

I know... I'll see you in the morning.

Sorry it's taking so long, but I swear you're gonna be next.

Oh, I've waited for months to see a doc, so a couple hours is nothing.

Plus I never had a doc get me soda and chips before.

Oh, hey. Where... where you going with that?

Oh, uh, Paul needed some extra supplies for the vets.

So... Yeah. Oh, nice, good.

Um, hey, I've been meaning to ask you a question.

What's up?

How long have you been sleeping with Krista?

[Laughing] What are you talking...

I'm not sleeping...

Dude, I've been in the closet for 20 years.

What are you talking...

I know when someone's keeping a secret.

Plus, I saw you two at the Riverwalk on Friday.

Okay. Okay.

[Lowered voice] But you can't tell anybody.

Just a hookup, or...

You can't... well, it started off like that, man, but I don't know.

I mean, it feels like... feels like it's turning into something else now, man.

[Air horn blows]

[Snorts] And you said Paul sent you in here?

Oh... That young'un's gonna pay.

[Chuckles] Paul better watch out.

[Sneezes]

[Siren wailing in distance]

Where are they?

Let me deal with him. You'll just piss him off.

[Police radio chatter]

What the hell are you doing?

And what is T.C. doing here? He's still under suspension.

Okay, let's just focus on this man, all right?

Pressure is tamponading severe mediastinal injuries.

Yes. The E.C.M.O. is a hail mary, but we have to try. We can't just let him die here.

I don't want him to die here, but you just said it.

It is a hail mary, and if you try it and it doesn't work, you're putting yourself and the hospital in the cross-hair for a lawsuit.

Still doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.

It's cardiac bypass in an elevator shaft!

[Clattering]

Hey, hold... hold, hold, hold, hold.

Jordan, listen to me, okay?

Because you didn't listen to me last time with Milo, and he ended up dead, and you were under investigation.

No, this has nothing to do with Milo.

No, it has everything to do with it.

It has to do with your judgment, and the bad decisions that... hey, hey, hey! What the hell is going on?

Okay, look. You need... you need to listen.

To you? Last time I saw you, you were having a nervous breakdown in my O.R.

It was so bad they had to suspend you, so I don't even know what you're doing here right now.

Scott...

No, no, no. No. No. Go ahead, let it out.

Say whatever you want, 'cause I don't care what you think of me.

Okay? But just 'cause you're pissed off at Jordan 'cause you got your feelings hurt, you're gonna let that man die?

No, I'm not letting anyone die.

I am pointing out that if you move that guy...

Point it out later!

Okay, look. I hate saying this, but right now you are the only one who can save that man.

They need you.

Okay, but if we do this, we do it my way.

You understand? You do everything that I say, because that is his only chance. You got it?

Sure. Whatever you need.

Everybody listen up.

We're going to do a veno-arterial bypass.

I don't have access to his heart or groin, so I'm going in through the neck.

We need cooled saline and bags of ice... lots of them.

I need the venous and the arterial circuits flushed and ready to go.

Let's get started.

Okay. Come on.

Scott: All right, let's save this guy.

It's working. We need to slow down his brain metabolism.

More ice.

Looks like that's it.

Blood is drained.

Core temp's holding at 16.5.

We got 30 minutes to get him through the O.R.

Or tissue starts to die.

He's not gonna make it, is he?

We don't know that.

No, you're just saying that to make me feel better.

But he wouldn't have even been here if it wasn't for me.

I got this stupid speeding ticket, and...

I can't lose my father. [Breath quavers]

He's all that I have.

Alicia, I promise you that we are going to do everything that we can.

Dr. Clemens is our top surgeon.

So right now, I-I just need you to be strong.

[Exhales]

That's what they said when my mom d*ed.

I'm so tired of being strong.

Scott: All right, people, got to move. Let's go!

Okay, honey, we got to go now, all right?

[Alicia sighs]

You were a captain? I was just a grunt.

Nah, there's no such thing as a grunt.

Give me your hands. Anyway, T.C. told me how kick-ass you were out in the field, so we're gonna give you the A-plus treatment.

Push. Pull.

Now how long you been on the Vicodin?

Months. It's the only thing that helps.

Truth is, I need them to block the pain so I can train.

I want to re-enlist. I want to learn to fly choppers.

I want to kick some I.S.I.S. ass like that woman fighter pilot from the U.A.E.

I like the sound of it.

Yeah, but the pain keeps me from training.

I won't pass the physical. I can barely do three push-ups.

Can you put your chin to your chest?

So I just need to pass the test...

Head up.

Save the money, and get a chiropractor to fix my neck.

All right.

[Coughing deeply]

All right.

[Coughing, wheezing]

Okay. Yep. Ma'am.

Do you need some water, or...

[Coughing]

Uh, has this happened before?

A couple times.

Okay. Relax.

Paul, we're gonna need a chest C.T.

Remember, it's off-book.

Okay.

Uh...

We'll get to the bottom of this.

Joey: Let's get her to recovery.

Check a neuro exam on arrival then "Q" two hours overnight.

So I take it that was your first rebar in the neck, too?

Yeah. Seen fence posts, broken hockey sticks, swords, knives, R.P.G.

Grenade? You were in the m*llitary?

Yes, ma'am. Air Force academy, class of 1999.

No offense, but you don't seem like that type.

[Scoffs] And what type is that?

You're just more of a yoga-quoting, Enya-listening, meditating type.

[Chuckles]

Did you see any action?

Yeah. A couple of tours in Iraq.

Yeah, Drew was in Iraq, too, as a medic.

I think half our shift served in the m*llitary.

So, I mean, were you just stationed here and you decided to stay like most everyone else?

No, I'm a local boy.

Just came back from Florida to take care of my parents.

God, that is sweet. You must really love them.

[Siren wailing] Not really.

Everybody move! Let's make some room!

We have to start the rewarming right away, or his brain will die!

You have to stay out of it now!

We're back in the hospital. Tell the O.R.

We're cracking his chest the second we get up there!

Make sure they know I'm doing a median sternotomy.

I got it!

Let's go, let's go, let's go. Steady.

Have Dr. Chavez meet me there.

[Exhales deeply]

Gotta say, when I first saw the elevator on this guy's chest, I didn't expect him to make it this far.

Yeah. That was a good call by Jordan.

Ballsy. This guy had no other option.

So, dual rebar operation and an E.C.M.O.

That's a hell of a first night for you.

Piece of cake compared to my first night in Al-Anbar province.

su1c1de bomber walked into a market.

We heard the blast from 5 miles out.

Just... Never seen so many body parts.

Just everywhere. Stuck to the walls.

Sorry, man. I had no idea.

No, don't be sorry. I mean, how could you know?

I hadn't thought about that in years.

So, no music in the O.R.

I find it too much of a distraction.

That's cool.

[Humming]

[Laughs] Just messin' with you.

[Chuckles]

[Tricia coughing]

Oh, Tricia. Just a few more minutes, darling.

Hang in there, okay?

Oh. That's not good.

[Coughing]

Hey. I just got word Tricia needed a scan.

What's going on?

Son of a bitch. [Sighs]

A tumor?

It's a stage 2 pancoast tumor at the top of your lung. That's what's been causing your neck pain, not a pulled muscle.

No way. I don't smoke.

I swear, I've never smoked.

If someone's smoking, I walk away.

I saw one of your duties in Afghanistan was working in the trash pits.

You were exposed to all sorts of chemicals for hours every day.

They said it was safe.

I'm sorry.

What do I do?

We get it out of there.

Don't B.S. me, T.C.

You know I'm a straight sh**t.

So am I.

We're gonna take care of you, okay?

Promise.

I shouldn't have to take 15 phone calls in the middle of the night because you approve an E.C.M.O. in the field!

Wait. It needed to be done.

I don't even know what to say.

Do you have any idea how much that costs?

Yes.

And yet you did it anyway!

What the hell is wrong with you?

Why the hell would you do that?

I'm waiting.

I did it because, um...

I wanted to do... [Exhales] .. one decent thing on this job before I quit.

You're quitting?

Yeah.

I quit.

I don't want to do this job anymore.

I had a piece of my brain removed to get to my tumor.

Most people can barely recite the alphabet after that, but I have all of my faculties, and I refuse to push paper at a place where everybody hates me!

Ahh! God, this feels so good.

[Inhales sharply]

You have no idea how good it feels to finally do what you want to do.

So, yes.

Yes. I quit.

And I could not be happier.

Have your desk cleaned out by morning.

I already started.

[Staff murmuring]

Man: Ragosa's quitting.

Man: Oh, that's crazy.

Hey, you.

The nurses said that I would find you here.

My dad always hated this stuff.

But he never said anything.

He just let me be me.

Well, I have some good news.

I just spoke with the O.R., and so far your dad's holding up.

Thank you. [Exhales]

I called my aunt from Dallas. She's coming down.

Good. That's good.

Yeah.

Alicia, I want to apologize to you for what I said earlier.

About being strong.

Oh, I...

No, I don't even know why I said that to you, because I always hated it when adults said that to me.

No, I never understood why I had to be strong, why I couldn't cry, why I couldn't have feelings.

Feelings are good, Alicia.

Don't ever let anyone tell you how to feel.

I don't know how I feel.

I'm just numb.

Well, uh, do you mind if I...

Stay with you until your aunt gets here?

You know, maybe we could be numb together.

[Laughing, crying]

Or cry. I'm... [sighs] I'm cool with whatever.

[Laughs] Uh...

[Olivia Broadfield's "Gone" playing]

[Sighs]

♪ and I'm leaving ♪

[Sniffles]

♪ And your storm ♪

It's gonna be all right.

♪ Keeps on raging ♪

[Mouths word]

Okay.

So she can't get into the V.A. for months because of the backlog.

At which time her cancer will be stage 3 or 4, too late for her survive.

Pentagon buys $200 million planes that nobody wants, but a soldier can't get a doctor.

Topher: Yeah, I hear that.

And she has no insurance and no savings, so she can't get a surgeon to do it.

Why don't we just check her in here like everybody else?

I mean, get her tests done on-book and just do it here.

We have a great thoracic surgeon on staff.

Yeah, and we have to treat everybody who comes through those doors. Surgeons don't.

They just treat emergencies.

This is an emergency.

Not technically.

I mean, it... it will become one.

Okay, let's at least do what Paul says.

Let's check her in. Get it... get it started.

Let's present the case to the surgeon.

Who knows? Maybe he'll do it.

Are you planning your escape?

Ha. Yeah, Topher thought it was better if I wasn't hanging out inside the hospital.

Suspension and all. [Chuckles]

Ah, yeah. That little thing.

Mm-hmm.

[Sighs] It's a weird shift, huh?

You know, E.C.M.O. and the motorcycle accident.

That is why I never let you on my bike.

Well, it was a pretty amazing thing to witness, you know?

I mean, this guy has a piece of rebar through his brain, and the only thing he can think about is his wife.

Well, guess if you find the right woman, you'll do anything for her.

[Cell phone vibrates]

[Sighs and groans]

Topher wants me back inside. It's about Tricia.

Yeah, I heard about that.

I'm sorry, T, that's... that's really sad.

You know, I never... Told you how great she was for me.

I didn't wanna burden you with my therapy.

You're not a burden.

Yeah, just... I need to get there myself, you know?

But, uh, she's a real ball buster for me.

She was the first one to call me out.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah.

How?

Well, she was like, "your brother got himself k*lled," and that Thad dying was his fault, not mine, but... That he was reckless and he had no business sending a doc in there first... that was an N.C.O.'s job... and that he put the entire platoon at risk by putting the medical officer in jeopardy. [Exhales]

Wow.

The entire group completely agreed with her.

But did you agree with her?

[Flaps lips] You know, if it wasn't me, I probably would have, but, uh...

You know, it's hard to look at it that way.

You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, T.

Yeah. And...

And you've changed.

I've seen it.

When I had my breakdown... breakthrough.

Yeah. Uh...

You know, you said you would always be there for me, and... and you have.

I just wanted to say that that meant a lot to me.

[Cell phone vibrates]

Gotta...

Guess we should go back inside.

Yeah.

Don't make any plans for two weeks from Friday.

Why?

Tee, why?

[Sighs]

Hey, I spoke to the thoracic surgeon about Tricia.

It's a no-go.

He can't do one pro Bono surgery?

Actually, he does several each month.

He can only do so many.

He did say he'd cut his fee in half, so all we need is 15 grand. You got that?

What do you think?

That was a rhetorical question.

I'd be surprised if you had 15 bucks.

[Sighs]

I'm sorry, brother.

Yeah.

Excuse me, ma'am?

We thought you might wanna share the room with your husband?

He should just be coming, too.

[Mouths words]

Don't even try.

[Under breath] Talk about b*ating the odds.

Ma'am, we needed to sedate your husband to pull the last of the rebar out.

It had shifted, and the pain was just too intense.

Mr. Woo, can you hear us?

Remember me? I'm Dr. Zia.

I worked on you when you came in. Mr. Woo?

You're here with your wife. She's right next to you, sir.

Mr. Woo? Do you wanna say anything to your wife?

[Speaks Asian language]

Mr. Woo? I need you to speak to me in English.

[Continues speaking Asian language]

I don't think he can.

She says her husband grew up in a bilingual family.

That explains it.

I was able to preserve his speech, but the rebar must have injured the English language centers of his brain.

He's gonna have to completely relearn it.

Well, considering that a pole went through his brain at 70 miles per hour, I think things can be a hell of a lot worse.

Okay. Here we go. I downloaded a Mandarin-to-English app, and I figured... that way you could talk, and we could explain.

That's a great idea, Krista.

Mandarin-to-English. Who knew?

I'm gonna send the Cantonese version to my parents.

[Dizzy X's "Walking in the sun (Acoustic)" Playing]

[Chuckles]

I'm in shock. I don't understand.

I thought you said the surgeon couldn't.

I know, but he got an opening in his schedule.

There's a certain amount of pro bono cases per month, and one fell through, and it's just lucky timing.

[Laughs] Oh, my God!

You were up next.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Thank you.

[Kisses]

Huh? Oh.

Did you hear?

What?

The surgeon agreed to do it. I'm gonna live.

I'm gonna live!

♪ I'm gonna walk in the sun tomorrow ♪
♪ I'm gonna get me to ♪
♪ All my... ♪

Core temp's back up to 98 degrees.

So far, so good.

How's it going? How's our E.C.M.O. patient?

You're just in time for the moment of truth.

Let's come off bypass.

Coming off bypass.

[Whoosh, monitor emits continuous tone]

[Beeping rapidly]

It's not b*ating.

It just needs to wake up. Give me the paddles.

[Beeping continues]

Clear.

[Defibrillator whines, thump, monitor emits continuous tone]

[Whispers] Come on, come on. Increase the joules to 20.

Clear.

[Defibrillator whines, thump]

[Beeping steadily]

Okay, sats are rising.

Come on, take it to the rack, baby.

[Steady beeping continues]

All right. You did it, Scott.

That was amazing. Really amazing.

Okay, I'm gonna disconnect the tube.

Scott?

I'm really sorry about how things turned out between us.

Yeah. Well, you got what you wanted.

Okay, let's close.

♪ All my sorrow ♪

Hey, Drew, honey, come here.

Will you help me with this, please?

I gotta get it straight, and I can't get it up.

Just, will you hold that?

Yeah, yeah.

Just put it up a little bit higher.

Right there. That's... you know what?

That's perfect right there.

You need to...

[Laughs] That's perfect.

Okay, come on, come on.

Finally got you.

[Speaks indistinctly] Sucker. Huh? Where you at? [Laughs]

Dr. Chavez, come here. You've got to see this.

What the hell, guys?

[Laughter]

Excuse me? Ken?

[Laughter] Let me help you breathe here.

That's amazing. That is amazing.

We're just one big happy family, right, Drew?

Yeah, I can see that.

I think I'm gonna like working here. You guys are crazy.

Welcome to the night shift, Dr. Chavez.

Don't touch me.

He said, "don't touch me."

Are you serious?

[Singsongy] Sandwiches.

[Laughter]

[Head thudding]

Uh, you... you okay?

No, I am not okay. I made a huge, massive mistake.

You see these... these big speeches in the movies, and it looks cool, and the guy gets the girl and the job, and the music plays?

Well... That ain't happening. There is no music.

I am so, so screwed! What the hell was I thinking?

Clearly, you had some things to get off your chest.

I-I-I couldn't have waited, huh?

He was... he was 30 seconds away from f*ring me.

I would have had a-a severance package, I would have had C.O.B.R.A. insurance.

Do you have any idea how much insurance costs for a year for a family?

Absolutely. About 20 grand.

You know we don't get insurance here.

So what are you gonna do?

Actually, I'm gonna...

I've been studying to take the boards and get my M.D.

That is why you knew how to treat the open fracture.

[Chuckles] I was gonna say...

Well, good for you. You know, I was in residency with a 50-year-old lawyer who changed careers.

It's never too late.

You know one thing I learned from almost dying?

You have to live in the moment.

That is the best that we can do.

I hope I didn't make a huge mistake tonight.

Because right now it really feels like I did.

Hmm. You got a second?

I wanna show you something.

Come on.

See what's going on in that room?

That's because of you.

That girl has her father back because of you.

[Sighs]

Doesn't feel like a huge mistake to me.

Thanks, Topher.

Y-you know, um...

It's about an 80% pay cut, uh, but we have an opening for a physician's assistant.

Now you know what it is.

It's a lot of scut work, lot of paperwork, lot of... ego humbling, but if you really wanna pass your boards and be a doctor, there's no better way to learn.

[Laughs] A physician's assistant?

Yeah, and with your med school, you more than qualify.

So... just... just think about it, and if you hate it, you can always quit.

Right?

God knows you already got the speech down.

I can't believe you guys saved him.

I talked to the surgeon.

He said you gave him the $15k to pay for Tricia's operation.

Oh, yeah?

And then Kenny said he saw your bookie riding off on your old Harley.

Selling Thad's old bike.

[Clicks Tth] That was an unbelievably amazing thing you did for her, T.

Of course, now if you wanna pay me back the $800 that you owe me...

[Chuckles] Yeah.

I don't know, man.

I learned I need to let some of that go.

You know? Figure out what's me and what's me trying to be like him.

You know?

Yeah. I do know.

I thought maybe this could help both of us move on from a bad hand.

I hope it does. I love you, brother.

I love you, too.

But you are never getting that $800 back. [Groans]

Why... why does that not surprise me?

Hey, Topher. T.C.? Hey, you guys need to see this.

Hey.

Gracias, T.C.

[Whispers] De nada.

What's going on?

Gwen uploaded a video of you and Jordan from back in the day.

Halloween at our apartment, 2007. Remember?

Oh. Oh, God. [Laughter]

Topher: I just found my new screen saver.

Nice legs, Hermione. Nice legs.

Oh, okay, okay.

Not Hermione. Her-man-ee. You know?

And Jordan is Harry Paw-ter. Like the paws on the tie.

The costume shop was very specific about that.

[Laughter] I think he looks younger than I do, maybe.

All right, one more time from the top.

No. All right, revenge is swift.

How in the hell did T.C. score those tickets?

What tickets? What are you talking about?

The Spice Girls, front row, two weeks from Friday, you and me?

Are you serious?

[Whispers] Yes!

Unbelievable.

[Laughter]

So how did you score those tickets?

They were sold out months ago.

Yeah? I got 'em months ago. I knew you liked them.

What are you doing?

[Button clacks]

♪ ♪ ♪

I thought you wanted to take it slow.

I lied.

♪ ♪ ♪