07x04 - Status Quo, aka The Mess We're in

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Chicago Med". Aired: November 2015 to present.*
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"Chicago Med" follows the day-to-day chaos of the city's most expl*sive hospital and its staff as they tackle unique new cases inspired by topical events. Intertwines with "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago PD".
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07x04 - Status Quo, aka The Mess We're in

Post by bunniefuu »

Any chance you'd want to be my advisor?

Yeah, I'd like that.

We need to be deliberate and tactical

in our approach to medicine.

We can't just do
a three-minute evaluation.

Gotta spend more time with the patients.

Maybe psychiatry
just doesn't belong here.

I'm Jessa Rinaldi.

We at Vasic want to make the Vas-COM

the new standard of care.

Doctor cooper said that
you could be a real asset.


I am definitely interested.

So is anything jumping out?

No.

Each of these patients,

I think Dr. Cooper's choice
to use the Vas-COM

- was appropriate.
- Yeah, I did too.

But that's good.
It's a relief, actually.

Mm, there he is.

And the rep, Jessa Rinaldi?

Do you think she's in on it with him?

As far as device reps go,
she's as green as they come.

Hasn't even graduated from the backpack

- to the roller board.
- [CHUCKLES]

You should know,
she and Dr. Cooper asked me

to pitch the Vas-COM at Grand Rounds.

We're having a practice round today.

Well, that's good.
Show them you're onboard.

Just don't agree

to actually go through
with Grand Rounds.

- Yeah, I won't.
- [PHONE DINGS]

Oh, I gotta go.

Hey, break a leg.

Thanks.

Oh! Hi, Dr. Halstead. Good morning.

I didn't even see you sitting here.

Hiding in plain sight, I guess.

I am so excited for today.

If everything goes well,

you can start pitching
the Vas-COM for real.

Maybe! One step at a time.

Can't wait to get you

in front of those department heads.

Go team!

Well, here, take my table.

I, uh, gotta get to my shift.

Looking forward to later.

[INQUISITIVE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- Morning, Dr. Scott.
- Morning, Maggie.

So I was wondering...

No thanks, not interested.

You don't even know what I
was gonna talk to you about.

You got a friend you think I'd like.

No, uh, a cousin.

- Mm.
- You're sharp.

Once a cop, always a cop, huh?

Yeah, I made you as soon as you started

- walking my way.
- Right.

You know, the cop thing,
it doesn't mean that

you can't have some fun.

- [PHONE BUZZES]
- [CHUCKLES] Right.

Hey, Pam. Yeah, what's up?

Whoa, whoa, slow down.

Uh-huh, yeah. I'm on my way.

- Hey, Maggie, I gotta jet.
- What's going on?

Family I look after, there's an issue

with the son, Roland. He's in trouble.

Want me to call the paramedics?

- The police?
- No, don't call anybody.

Wha...

[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]

Mom! Mom, where are you?

I'm right here, baby.

- [SIREN WAILING]
- Get back! You're too close.

- I... I can't...
- I'm right here, baby.

No! Get away from me! Leave me alone.

Dylan, thank God.

[YELLS]

Hey, Roland. It's D.

Roland?

It's all right. I'm here.

- You all right?
- [SOBS]

Dylan. Dylan.

Yeah, man, it's me. You hear me?

Huh? Roland?

Hey, sir, step back.

Step back.

Hey, this man is in the midst

- of a psycho...
- Sir, he said step back.

Let us do our jobs.

Get away from me!

Show me your hands!

- [g*n CLICKS]
- Hey...

Look, I'm a doctor, all right?

Look, you see my badge?

This man is experiencing
a psychiatric episode.

[SOBS]

Please, just let me work with him.

♪ ♪

Hey, Roland. I'm stepping back, okay?

I don't see you.

- Where are you?
- Hey, I'm right here.

I'm right here. Just focus on my voice.

All right?

- D... don't hurt me.
- I would never hurt you.

I'm your friend.

Hey, Roland?

I just need you to breathe
deep for me, okay?

- [BREATHES DEEPLY]
- Uh-huh.

- [INHALES DEEPLY]
- Come on, don't stop.

Come on.

D.

- There you are.
- I'm here.

I'm right here.

Please, help me.

I got you.

♪ ♪

Breathe, Roland. Come on.

Come here, come here. Come here.

- It's all right.
- Help me.

It's all right.

Help me! [SOBS]

I got you. I got you.

[SOBBING]

You all right? You're safe.

Hey, morning, Dr. Taylor.

Hi, Dr. Marcel.

I've got three patients in process.

- Oh.
- First, a -year-old female.

Ankle injury, said she
wore heels on the "L"

instead of sneakers
and changing at the office.

X-ray's negative. It's just a sprain.

Other two are a father
and his teenage daughter.

Single vehicle crash.
Driving lesson gone wrong.

Exams were unremarkable,
cleared their c-spines.

Both were amnestic to the event
so I'm getting CT Heads.

Wow, well done.

My only confusion...

I'm minutes early for our shift,

and you're already
tripled up on patients?

I like getting here a little early.

- Uh-huh.
- Or a lot early.

I have a lot of energy
it needs to go somewhere.

Okay, look, Vanessa,
I'm all for the gung-ho spirit,

but it's important to pace yourself.

These days, residents
getting rest is a good thing

And required.

That's what they say,
not what they mean.

All right, then.

[SIGHS]

What's this?

Your prescription.

Every now and then, take a break.

[CHUCKLES]

Did you catch that?
Vanessa and Crockett?

Yup.

First-year resident falling
for their mentor?

That's not good.

Doesn't usually end well
for the resident.

- [ALARM BLARES]
- Nope.

[SIREN WAILING]

Ambo's coming in. We're in Treatment .

On it.

Vanessa, got time for another case?

Definitely.

Ashley Bardsley, ,
in line at Starbucks

when she had a seizure.

Witnesses said she fell pretty hard,

hit her head.

Gross deformity of the left arm.

She was groggy when we arrived,

but protecting her airway.

BP over , heart rate ,

sats % on oxygen.

Couldn't get an IV.

Okay, let's transfer on three.

One, two, three.

[GROANS]

- Thank you, Courtney.
- Yep.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

Hey.

Good breath sounds. Ashley?

Can you hear me?

Ashley. Still out of it.

Post-ictal phase is a wildcard.

Fuzziness could last a while.

Get a good IV, CBC, BMP,
chest X-ray, and a head CT.

You got it.

What about the arm?

Life over limb.

We'll deal with it after the CT.

[MACHINERY BEEPING]

Mr. Channing, I'm Dr. Halstead.

Oh, call me Pete.

I'm not going to be Mr. Channing

until at least .

You got it.

Tell me, what's going on?

I've been puking up a storm.

How fun.

Vitals are normal.
Temp's elevated, . .

Not for nothing, Pete,
but you smell like a keg.

Yeah, sorry.

Back on campus
after a year and a half online.

Been making up for lost time
on the party front.

Aha.

- [GROANS]
- That hurt?

Everything kind of hurts.

I thought it was just
another bad hangover,

but the elixir that
usually knocks them out, isn't.

May I?

That coconut water?

With some electrolyte powder and ice.

I've been drinking it nonstop
all morning,

but I'm not feeling any better.

Okay, all right, well,
let's run some labs,

and we'll go from there, okay?

CBC, BMP, amylase, lipase,
and a chest X-ray.

I'll be back in a bit.

Saw you in the café this morning

with that device rep.

Was gonna say hi, but I didn't want

to be a third wheel.

- Just business, Dean.
- Hey, my mistake.

Must be one hell of a device.

It's all right, come on. It's okay.

- Maggie, what's open?
- Treatment .

- Okay.
- You need a psych tech?

On standby. Dr. Charles?

- On his way down.
- All right.

[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Hey, you need anything?

- Water? Something to eat?
- No. No, thank you.

Hey, you call for a psych tech?

Yeah, just stay close.

- Restraints?
- No.

It's okay. It's all right.

Hey, Dr. Charles.

How's he doing?

Roland is ... he was diagnosed
with schizophrenia,

like, three months ago.

These are his meds.

Fluphenazine. First
generation antipsychotic.

milligrams a day? Heavy dose.

His mom, Pam Baxter,
says he never misses a dose,

yet today he still had a break.

How you doing?

Nothing I haven't
dealt with before, man.

Ms. Baxter?

How are you doing? I'm Dr. Charles.

It's great to meet you.

- You'll help my son?
- That's why I'm here.

Uh, you mind if I say hello to him?

Roland, how you doing? I'm Dr. Charles.

It's all right. It's okay.

Pam, let me show you
to the waiting room, okay?

Cardiac output and index.

Pulse pressure and stroke volumes.

Central venous pressure,
mean arterial pressure,

and calculated values
like oxygen delivery.

The Vas-COM is the all-in-one
cardiac monitoring device.

It almost makes us unnecessary. Almost.

[GIGGLES] I love that.

Dr. Cooper.

So with Covid cases, it can be useful

to quantify pulmonary edema.

Is that something the Vas-COM
is capable of?

Lung water volume? Absolutely.

Oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to interrupt.

Uh, I just... I left
my water bottle there

from the budget meeting.

Gotta stay hydrated, right? [CHUCKLES]

Sorry, just forget I'm not here.

Uh, actually, speaking of water,

what were you saying
about lung water volume or...

Right. Yes.

It can be calculated in seconds.

The reason:

the Vas-COM's sophisticated
neural network AI.

This, in combination with
a thermistor at the tip

of the central venous line
and the waveform analysis

from the arterial side
ensures the device delivers

consistent and accurate measurements.

And it's minimally invasive.

Well, not when it comes to your wallet.

I mean, those catheters
are pretty pricey, right?

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to say that out loud.

No, I mean, it's a fair point.

What do you think, Dr. Halstead?

Well, yes and no.

I mean, the Vas-COM is more expensive

than other devices, but it's certainly

not overpriced considering
the multitude of functions

- it's capable of.
- Oh, yeah, I mean, it is

a Swiss army Kn*fe,
there's no doubt about that.

Dr. Archer, that's not a bad thing.

Uh, no, but it's not necessary, either.

At the end of the day,
the Vas-COM just seems

like a high-tech repackaging
of all the hemodynamic devices

already out there.

I mean, why complicate things

when info from central venous
pressure's been working

perfectly well for decades?

At least, that's, you know,
that's how I see it, so.

Well, I disagree.

I'd liken the CVP you're
describing to a flip phone.

The Vas-COM though, is the smart phone

we all want in our pockets.

Yeah, well, not all of us.

Some of us just want
to make a phone call, right?

And this has been working excellent

for me, still does.

Anyway, I'm old school.

All right, I got my water,
and I'll leave you to it.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

X-rays on Ashley's arm.
Distal radius fracture.

I paged Ortho... they're gonna
come down and cast it.

- Is that her CT?
- Take a look.

Oh, man. Lesions.

- Four.
- Yeah.

And this area here
is a resection cavity.

Surrounding tissue shows
evidence of radiation necrosis.

So there was a tumor that was removed.

It must have been cancerous
given the dead tissue.

Anaplastic astrocytoma.

I was able to pull up
Ashley's medical records

dating back to .

That's when everything
started going digital.

Diagnosis was made sometime before that.

Yes, since ,

there have been three recurrences.

Appears biopsies
on those lesions, though,

were all negative.

So all benign,
but only three recurrences?

I'm counting four here on her CT.

Yeah, there's a new lesion.
The cancer may be back.

So I'm thinking an
adverse reaction to his meds

definitely had a lot to do
with his episode this morning.

Yeah, I was leaning that way too.

I noticed some
spastic muscle contractions

- when I brought him in.
- Yeah, he's also having a hard time

controlling his tongue inside his mouth.

Both of those things, you know,
symptoms of overmedication.

I just think his dose is too high.

- He's coming down now, though.
- Oh, yeah.

Gave him some Ativan and some
Benadryl so he can rest.

I'm gonna reassess in a bit.

[EXHALES HEAVILY]

You know, I've known the family
since I was a rookie cop.

Roland's always been a bright kid

but shy, sensitive.

Doesn't help that
his neighborhood's a w*r zone.

Yeah.

I'm sorry that you had to
go it alone out there,

but, look, thank God
you were there, right?

So a good job.

I'll check back.

Hey, Mr. Kumar. I'm Dr. Marcel.

I'm the E.D. surgeon on call today.

Oh, man, I've been upgraded?

That's... that's not a good sign.

Well, the resident you saw
when you came in

asked me to consult because
of your chest X-ray results.

It's protocol, not necessarily an omen.

All right, the X-ray. Lay it on me.

So it showed a widened mediastinum,

partition between your lungs.

So given your symptoms,
fatigue, back pain,

trouble swallowing, hypertension.

The widened mediastinum
could by symptomatic

of a lot of things,
or it could be nothing.

Nothing. Let's...
Yeah, let's go with that.

Right.

Well, you know, I'm gonna send you

for a CT of your chest and abdomen.

Get a better look at what's doing,

and then we'll go from there, okay?

I'd be on my bike by now.

I'm sorry?

I had to pull out
of a Half-Ironman triathlon.

- Oh.
- . mile saltwater swim,

mile bike ride.

Now it tires me out
just watching the race online.

Well, I'm sorry to hear that, man.

Yeah, well, listen, hang in there.

Tech'll be by soon,
get you that scan, okay?

- Okay.
- All right.

[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]

It started with migraines
when I was in the th grade,

and they found the tumor a year later.

The day after I graduated
from high school,

they took it out,
and I felt much better.

No speech issues,
no more balance problems.

I was healed, or so I thought.

Turns out the tumor was cancerous.

Anaplastic astrocytoma
has been my life since .

The previous recurrences were benign.

It's possible that this one is too.

- But we can't be sure without...
- A biopsy.

Digging out a little more of my brain.

No, thank you.

Do you not want to know what it is?

The original chemo and radiation,

they were brutal.

And the biopsies?

Each one has left me
a little worse for wear.

My eyesight's bad, my hearing's going,

my hormones are out of whack,

my bones are brittle.

I just don't want
to risk anymore damage.

So, okay, you can treat my arm.

But after that, I want to go home.

♪ ♪

Okay.

Ortho will be by soon.

I feel so bad for her.

She's been through hell,
there's no question.

But her diagnosis,
Anaplastic astrocytoma,

it doesn't add up.

What do you mean?

A.A. is fatal.

Life expectancy post-diagnosis
is a few years at best.

Ashley has survived .

You don't think she has it.

I don't know what's going on.

But whatever's happening,
it started in

with that original tumor.

years.

I mean, any chance
a tissue sample still exists?

Oh, no, I doubt it.

But maybe the pathology report
still does.

Pre-dates , so it won't be
in her electronic file,

but it has to be on paper somewhere.

Yep.

- Let's start looking.
- Okay.

Roland's sleeping now.

When he wakes up, Dr. Charles
will come do another exam.

We were on the bus
when the break happened.

To visit Harold Washington.

Hmm. City College?

Since the diagnosis,

Roland hasn't left the apartment.

But yesterday,

he said he wanted
to try again at school.

I was so hopeful it was...

The beginning of something for him.

[VOICE BREAKING]
But the bus was crowded.

And there was traffic.

If you hadn't come,

it was almost my family today.

[SIGHS]

Roland is a sweet boy. Kind.

He is.

I wish we weren't
the only ones who knew that.

Labs are back on Pete,
your belly patient.

White count's , .

That's high. Let me see the chest X-ray?

Motion artifact. Tough to read.

He vomited just before
the image was taken.

- He had a hard time staying still.
- All right.

Oh, Doc, thank God you're back.

My stomach is k*lling me.

Yeah, your labs show you're fighting

more than just a hangover.

- Let me take another look.
- Ahh!

That hurts way worse than before.

Okay, Trini, grab Mike.

- Sorry, I gotta keep checking.
- [YELLS]

Oh, this is bad isn't it?

Oh, God, okay, no more crap food.

Just give me salads and vegetables.

No, no, full vegan from now on.
I promise.

Let's get another X-ray before you make

any huge life decisions.

Upright chest, degrees.

And Pete, I know you're
in a lot of pain,

but you gotta stay really still, okay?

- [GROANS]
- Clear.

Yep, free air under the right diaphragm.

Trini, find me Dr. Archer.

[GRUNTS] What's going on?

So you need surgery.

Your stomach pain is
from a tear in your GI tract.

Air is leaking into your belly.

Leaking? How does that happen?

Well, around here, typically I see it

from penetrative trauma, uh,
b*ll*ts, s*ab wounds...

g*ns and knives?

But I'm keg stands and peer pong.

[RETCHES]

I think I'm gonna puke again.

I need my drink.

Sorry, man, no liquids before surgery.

Hey, your elixir. I saw you eating ice.

Is that always part of the process?

Yeah, chewing on a cold cube
is just satisfying.

Well, I think one might
have caused the tear.

Yeah, it's likely been getting bigger

with each cube you've swallowed since.

Seriously? An ice cube?

- It's looking that way.
- What's up?

Hey, so this is the surgeon.
I'm gonna fill him in,

then he's gonna take over, okay?

[GROANS]

Pneumoperitoneum.

I suspect the tear's somewhere near

the gastro-esophageal junction.

Yeah, there's no blood.

Ah, wasn't sh*t or stabbed.

I think an ice cube
went down the wrong way.

Get out, really? All right, cool.

All right, I'll take it from here.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]

You know, Dean, kid's a nervous wreck.

Not in the greatest shape, either.

Post-surgery, I think cardiac monitoring

would be appropriate.

Uh, let me guess, uh, use the Vas-COM?

I know you like your old-school CVP,

but I do think the Vas-COM
might be better suited

for this patient.

Well, I'll consider it.

Thank you.

Okay, I've considered it.

No. I'll stick with my device.

Archer's a real ball buster, huh?

Yeah, he enjoys it, too.

But still, part of me hoped

he would at least consider the Vas-COM.

You mind if I offer you a little advice?

Please.

Look, you nailed highlighting

the Vas-COM's positives. You nailed it.

But you whiffed on pointing out
the CVP's negatives.

That monitor has to be
leveled and calibrated

- before each use.
- Right.

But what if that's not
done appropriately?

All the numbers are off.

None of that data can be trusted.

A bad calibration in the moment.

That's happened before?

Not to me. Because I use a Vas-COM.

- [CHUCKLES]
- Anyway, food for thought.

You know, as we move
toward Grand Rounds.

See? Right there.

CT shows the wall
of the aorta has thickened.

I think it's an aortic tumor.

No way.

Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

I don't know, the walls
are abnormally shaped.

Aneurysms are symmetrical.

It isn't a classic presentation,

I'll give you that, but aortic tumors

are super rare, aortic
aneurysms are not.

Okay, look, I get it, Dr. Bickman.

Common things are common,
but that doesn't rule out a curveball.

No, but your point is moot
'cause that's a fast ball.

Thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

I'm not comfortable with that diagnosis.

It's an IR case now, Dr. Marcel.

Send him up to the cath lab.

I'll put in a stent, and
he'll be good as new.

How's it going?

I've only come across
four cases in which

patients outlived a diagnosis
of anaplastic astrocytoma,

and two of them were determined
to be misdiagnoses.

So odds are Ashley likely
isn't another medical miracle.

No. But can we prove it?

Maggie and I have been trying to dig up

her original files and path reports.

Slow go.

Sweet. She's got something.

Your research, good stuff.

Hey, Dr. Hammer.

How many cases you working?

Just one.

That's an improvement. You had any food?

I'll take that as a no.

I'll grab something later,

but this is just
more important than lunch.

Yeah, I disagree.

You can't help your patients
if you run out of gas.

Dolmeh, koufteh ghelgheli.
Made them last night.

Take five. Recharge.

[KNOCK AT DOOR]

Roland. How you feeling?

I'm Dr. Charles. We met earlier.

I remember. Kind of.

I'm sorry about
my behavior earlier, sir.

You have absolutely nothing
to apologize for.

You mind if I come in?
We can chat a bit?

Sure.

Last time the doctor
just stayed in the doorway,

wrote me a prescription.

So, um, I understand
that you and Dr. Scott

go way back.

Long as I can remember.

We not as tight
as we used to be, though.


No?

I mean, he doesn't send the calls

to voicemail or nothing, it's just...

He's a doc now, so, you know,

he's not around as much anymore.

I miss him.

I can understand that. I would too.

Yeah.

I wish I was more like D.

Guy's not afraid of nothing.

Shadow doesn't even mess with him.

Shadow?

It's outside.

Waits for me to leave the apartment.

Always feels like it's gonna att*ck me.

So do you ever see the shadow inside

when you're at home?

No. Except when I don't sleep.

What does the shadow look like?

I mean, is it a person?
Does it have a specific shape?

I don't know. It's just a thing.

A blur.

I see it, but when I turn around,

it's someplace else.

Shadow ever speak to you?

I mean, does it have a voice?

No. It don't make any noises.

It's just always there.

Watching.

You know what, I really appreciate

you sharing all this stuff with me.

Really, I do.

I'm just going to
get back with Dr. Scott,

and then come check in
on you in a bit, okay?

That's it? That's all the questions?

For now, yeah.

Last time, the doctor had a checklist.

I'd answer yes or no.

Guess we do things a little
bit differently around here.

I'll see you in a bit.

[APPREHENSIVE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

How'd it go? He talk about the shadow?

He did. He did.

You know, there's no doubt in my mind

that it's very real to him,

but it could be related
to irregular sleep cycles.

Hmm.

Also, you know, he only
sees the shadow, right?

It doesn't talk to him,
and with schizophrenia,

you'd think there'd be an
auditory hallucination as well.

Also, there's this extreme
level of agoraphobia,

and I don't know,
it's just not tracking.

So you don't think it's schizophrenia.

You know, I'm not ruling it out,

but I honestly have my doubts.

Let's go ahead and order
the labs and imaging.

Hopefully it will point us
one way or the other.

- Yeah.
- This one.

♪ ♪

Oh, hey, Dr. Halstead.

Hey, hi, Trish.

What's new?

Same old, same old.

But who knows what tomorrow may bring.

Powerball's up to million.

Nice.

Might need to get myself a few tickets.

Oh, were you in here waiting for me?

Did you need anything?

No, no, I was just checking
on the patient, Pete.

But I guess he's, uh...

This is what I like to see.
Hero's welcome.

Hold your applause, please.

Okay, so, I placed a line
during surgery.

Connect him to the CVP, grab a baseline.

I am going to change my scrubs

and, uh, please page me
when he wakes up, all right?

So as you suspected,
esophageal tear at the GEJ.

That's a hell of an ice cube.

Guess he needs a new hangover cure.

Yeah, I got one. Drink less.

College senior, Dean.

Not sure moderation is realistic.

Yeah, well, you know,
what do I know, right?

Dr. Archer, there's an issue
with the CVP.

Vitals are normal, but a CVP of is...

Yeah, way too high.
Way high, I see that.

I see that.

Yes. Yes.

I can't zero it out.

Here, let me try.
Maybe I can recalibrate...

No, no, just hold on a second.

Let me just check something,
let me just check something.

Ah. Look at this.

Cable's got a kink in it. See that?

- Can I have a new one, please?
- Yeah.

Yeah, must have snagged
on the bed railings

on the trip from the O.R.

- [MACHINE BEEPS]
- Oh, yeah.

CVP of . And problem solved.

That was a close shave, yeah?

[CHUCKLES] Yeah. Glad it worked out.

Yeah. See you back in the E.D.

- Yeah.
- All right.

♪ ♪

[GROANS] Help me!

Please. Help me, please.

Hey, Mr. Kumar, I'm here.
What's going on?

My back. My back is on fire.

- Okay.
- Radiologist said

that the stent would ease the pain,

but it's worse, it's worse.

And my legs are numb.

- They're numb.
- Okay.

- I can't move them.
- Okay, we're gonna

figure this out.

- No way this is an aneurysm.
- [GRUNTS]

- I need an MRI.
- Ow!

[SOBS]

Damn it. I knew it.

Tumor in the inner layer of the aorta.

It's occluding several
perforating vessels

to the spine. It's not
getting enough blood.

Explains why his legs went numb.

Looks like blood's leaking
into the wall of the aorta.

If it keeps compressing the vessels...

His legs will go from numb to paralyzed.

That tumor's gotta come out.

Roland doesn't have schizophrenia?

I don't believe he does.

After talking with him,
looking at his test results,

getting more medical history
from Dr. Scott,

it's my belief that
the more appropriate diagnosis

would be bipolar disorder.

- But the other psychiatrist...
- Was wrong.

But he was so sure.
Said he'd seen it before.

Psychiatry is far from an exact science.

And unfortunately, research does show

that African Americans,
particularly males,

are misdiagnosed with schizophrenia

far more than whites.

We're perceived as dangerous,

and so we get a diagnosis
to match that perception.

This why the dosage on Roland's meds

was so high also?

Because he was assumed to be a thr*at?

It's very likely.

And that high dose
also probably contributed

to exacerbating the
condition that I think

that he actually has.

Today could have been avoided.

I'm so sorry.

Is there a way to make things right?

We do a complete reassessment, okay?

New meds. The right doses. Therapy.

I know of an outpatient clinic

that I think that Roland
would really respond to.

Okay?

I'm gonna leave you two for a minute.

- Thank you.
- Of course.

[SOLEMN MUSIC]

What do you think?

I think he sees the same thing in Roland

that we see.

What do you say?
Follow Dr. Charles' advice?

An anomaly? I don't understand.

According to your medical records,

we have reason to question
whether your original tumor

was in fact anaplastic astrocytoma.

We came across a pathology report

that suggests it might be
pilocytic astrocytoma.

Well, what's the difference?

Anaplastic is malignant.
Pilocytic is benign.

So I might not have cancer?

We don't know.

There's no tissue left
from that original tumor

to examine.

In order to make an updated diagnosis,

we'd need to test a new sample.

Biopsy the latest recurrence.

In , technology only allowed us

to analyze the tumor's tissue.

Today, we're able to dissect
its molecular structure.

Identification will be exact.

Even so, I might still have cancer.

More and more I'm suspecting that

- that is not the case.
- Why?

Because you're alive.

People with anaplastic astrocytoma

simply don't live as long as you have.

[SIGHS] Okay.

Okay, do the biopsy.

♪ ♪

- Dr. Marcel, I presume.
- Yeah.

Dr. Simms, cardiothoracic surgery.

Pleasure.

Radiology filled me in on the patient.

- Aortic tumor.
- Mm-hmm.

Nice call.

From the get go and
despite the cath lab, I hear.

Yeah, it wasn't
a straight line, but, uh,

we're back on track now.

I appreciate the head start,
but I'll take it from here.

Uh, I assumed I would
perform the surgery.

I understand,

but this is a cardiovascular procedure.

Not a trauma. Little out of your lane.

I'm aware of what it is,
and I have the skills.

Maybe, but you don't have
the credentials.

You're a general surgeon,
not a specialist.

I just want to make
something very clear,

Mr. Kumar is my patient.

Dr. Marcel.

Do you really want to waste time

fighting an argument
you're not going to win?

You're free to watch
from the observation room.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Wow. What a view.

You can almost see the entire city.

And yet, it's the best spot
in the hospital to be alone.

Rehearsal didn't go well this morning.

Okay...

So I flirted with the subtle suggestion

from Dr. Cooper to sabotage
Dr. Archer's CVP monitor.

- Sabotage?
- Yeah.

So that the Vas-COM could save the day.

And I came this close to doing it.

But you didn't.

But I'm afraid I could've.

Look, in the past,

every time you've acted injudiciously,

you've always kept
your patient's best interest

at heart, and I know you always will.

[PENSIVE MUSIC]

Thanks.

And Dr. Halstead...

If this ever gets to be
too much for you,

tell me, and I'll put
a stop to the whole thing.

♪ ♪

Benign?

So all this time, I never had cancer?

No.

There are two pathologists
listed in your medical records.

The first who examined your tumor

thought that it was benign.

But he was a young attending.
Inexperienced.

Wanted a second opinion.

So he sent a sample
to a renowned cancer center,

and the pathologist there

diagnosed anaplastic astrocytoma.

years.

Every headache, every seizure.

Just feeling off,
I thought it was the end.

Three decades of facing death
every single day,

and my family and my friends,
they suffer too.

Ashley.

I'm so sorry for what
you've been through.

But at least

you are no longer living
on borrowed time.

Your future can be anything
that you want it to be.

[KNOCK AT DOOR]

Heard your door is always open.

Literally, right? Come on in.

Am I sensing that it might be time

for a little drink?

Oh, pour it up.

- Have a seat.
- Thanks.

Oh, man.

Had I not beaten the cops
to the scene today,

Roland could be
in the system now, or worse.

Seems like happy endings are
hard to come by these days.

Seems that way, huh?

Situation like today,

there's nobody else to call
for help but the police.

But they're not equipped

to handle mental illness, you know.

I mean, don't get me wrong,
there are a few bad cops,

but the rest, most, are just
doing the best they can

with the tools they've been given.

- It's a tough job.
- Huh.

And in need of some updates.

So, uh, so what are you thinking?

CPD is developing
a crisis intervention program.

A unit trained specifically
for de-escalation.

Sounds like a solid first
step in police reform to me.

Agreed.

I mean, it's what I did
today on the street.

Which proves that it works.

Was hoping you'd say that.

So the thing is,
the program, it's on the table,

but it's stuck there.

Lots of training needed for police,

but not enough training resources.

I don't know the time commitment,

and I can only imagine
that the bureaucracy

- will be infuriating...
- I'm in.

[LAUGHS] That was easy.

Oh, excuse me. Just grabbing a snack.

Taking five, I hope?

More like a -second breather.

But, since I've been caught,

I guess I have four and
a half minutes to go.

You okay?

Yeah.

No.

My aortic patient.

His procedure was a success, I just...

I wasn't able to see it
all the way through.

Got benched by the powers that be.

It's frustrating, you know?

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

Sorry. I, um...

I didn't mean to, uh...

you know what, that was inappropriate.

I don't know what I was thinking.

It's okay. We're good.

- Don't worry.
- Okay. Cool.

I have to go, uh, check
on some test results, so, uh.

Uh, Dr. Hammer, Maggie,
I just... I need a minute.

Sure.

That's gonna sting for a bit.
She'll be okay.

♪ ♪

- Heavy day.
- Yep.

And not just the case.

I, um...

I made a fool of myself for Dr. Marcel.

The doctors' lounge?

I'm so embarrassed.
I'm crushing on my advisor?

Seriously, I'm a cliché.

Kind of. Welcome to the club.

- For real? You?
- Yeah.

My Crockett was Dr. Andrew Jacobson.

Well, I'm sure you handled it

better than I did.

If only.

Would have spared me a lot of heartache.

Instead I married him.

Oh, I didn't even know
that you were married.

I'm not, no. Didn't work out.

- [SIREN BLARES]
- That's our cue.

- Get back to it?
- Let's go.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[WOLF HOWLS]
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