Previously on "New Amsterdam"
You should know that I have always found you to be insufferable.
And I've seen 80-year-old stroke victims improve their range of motion faster than you.
The board's calling a vote to terminate Fulton's contract.
It's done.
I'm out.
Max.
There was a brain bleed.
Georgia's in surgery with Hartman.
[MACHINE BEEPS]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
[BITTERSWEET MUSIC]
Let's keep dreaming.
I'd love to.
You could call in sick.
We could stay in bed all day.
I remember those days.
We were so bad.
It was so good.
I thought we'd have more of those days.
I thought we'd have so much time.
I would've done everything different.
If I knew.
Start now.
Stay here with me.
I gotta go to work.
Maybe I'll come with you.
It gets so lonely.
All your love is All your love is blind I'll sleep until the day you're mine Excuse me.
Helen, hey.
I happened to get you a cappuccino dry.
Thanks.
Another $3 knocked off your debt.
How much do I have left?
For the insanely expensive non-refundable cleaning service that I graciously sent to your home and you rejected?
- That's the one.
- About 112 cappuccinos more.
Well, what if I make it a double or a triple?
I'm sorry, okay.
It was such a thoughtful gesture.
- Yes, it was.
- I appreciate it.
I'm very sorry, and will you please accept my apology?
Oh, God.
- Accepted.
- Good.
Are you ever gonna tell me why you threw my wildly generous gift to the curb?
Oh, uh I just don't want strangers in my house right now.
All your love is All your love is blind She's tachy.
70/30, 130.
Ms.
Trombley, we've been expecting you.
I'm scared, Mama.
I know.
It's okay, baby.
Septal Q waves in the lateral leads.
On my count.
One, two, three.
Kayla, I'm Dr.
Reynolds.
I'm gonna take care of you.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
We gotta get her into surgery.
But now?
What kind of surgery?
Mrs. Trombley, Kayla's got an overgrowth of muscle tissue in her heart, and we need to fix this now, or her heart could stop again.
- [WHIMPERS]
- It's often genetic, so we should get you checked, too.
If you need to contact anyone, family, her father No, he's passed on.
Okay, she's all set.
- She's all I have.
- We've got her.
She's in good hands.
That's my baby.
Stay strong, okay?
You need to stay strong.
It has been my honor to assist you in managing your physical issues, Nathan.
But for your emotional needs, I can think of no one better than Dr.
Iggy Frome.
Hi, there.
How you doing?
You must be Nate.
- - Sir.
- Yeah, nice to meet you.
So Dr.
Kapoor tells me you would like to join our merry band.
Well, he thinks it might be a good idea.
Nathan has done two tours in Afghanistan.
I believe your PTSD support group can be the perfect medicine for him now.
I agree.
So when did you get back?
A year ago July.
You know, a lot of our folks were in Afghanistan.
Iraq, as well.
We have a colonel in there who began his service in the first Gulf w*r.
We have a captain from the second Sir, I'm not really clear why I mean, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but You're not alone here, Nathan.
No, not by a long sh*t.
We're all about support.
It's just a safe space for you to share your truth with folks who lead with love.
You call yourself a Marine?
Everything, everything you're saying, complete betrayal of leadership.
My leadership betrayed me.
All I ever wanted was to be a Marine like my dad.
I was a true believer, but we were betrayed in Iraq, sir!
The purpose of our mission It wasn't your job to question the purpose.
It was your job to accomplish the mission.
The only reason, only reason I came to this crap show is 'cause my wife insisted, but I don't have to stand here and listen to this sad sack Monday morning quarterback.
Okay, Quinn, take a breath.
Take a deep one.
Okay?
We've talked about this, haven't we?
- Yeah.
- Yes.
Amalia has a different experience than you.
That's it.
But you two fought for the same country.
That is what binds you.
[SCOFFS]
That is such a load of crap.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Is it?
You don't know what you're talking about.
Oh.
You don't know our experience.
You don't know.
You don't know the pain of losing a part of you while so many of your friends never No, there's no words.
Actually, there are.
And to give us those words we are gonna try something new, and yet something that is thousands of years old.
We're gonna put on a play.
Elizabeth, sorry to keep you.
No problem.
I was just running laps.
Meet Dr.
Juan Questa.
Juan, meet Elizabeth Archer, my long-time patient and office Olympian.
- [LAUGHS]
- Hello, Elizabeth.
Never a great sign when a new doctor shows up.
Today is an exception.
Juan isn't an oncologist.
He's an orthopedic surgeon.
The back pain you're experiencing is from where your osteosarcoma was removed.
But this isn't a recurrence.
We've examined your PET scan, and you are cancer-free.
[EXHALES]
Wow.
That's great.
So why two doctors?
Now when the tumor was taken out, a metal plate was installed for stability.
Unfortunately, it's moved.
That's what's causing your discomfort.
Fixing it will require another surgery.
But you are in great hands with Dr.
Questa.
Is this my fault?
Not at all.
Did I move in some way that I shouldn't have?
I do a lot of stretching.
No, it's been 10 years.
Over time, the body shifts, and hardware can shift with it.
But if I'd gone to the doctor sooner, I might never have needed the plate at all, and maybe the tumor wouldn't have grown so big.
Liz nothing that's happened is your fault.
We've talked about this.
And why ask why, and, man, it's hard to stop.
[SIGHS]
Okay.
Let's do some surgery.
Ordering six units of FFP to augment hemostasis.
Plate removed.
Diagrammatic exclusion normal.
Where is the scar tissue?
Excuse me?
Look.
Trish, number four should be right on the tray.
Page Max.
This is the site of her previous surgery.
- Not a lot of damage.
- Exactly.
If a sizeable tumor had been removed from this area, a large chunk of spinal cord would've been taken with it.
You'd see a ton of irregular scar tissue.
Instead, there's just one clean cut.
Cancer didn't put her in a wheelchair, Max.
It looks like her surgeon did.
She must've had multiple scans since then.
- Surely, someone would've seen - No, not with the plate.
The plate made it impossible to give her an MRI and created too much artifact on a CT scan to see the area clearly.
But there was a structural reason for the plate to be there, right?
None that I can see.
So we did this.
A New Amsterdam doctor cut her spinal cord.
And put a plate inside her to cover it up.
She did have cancer.
That was real.
Yeah, but that's not Buswhat put her in the chair.
We did, and she deserves to know that.
She will.
We are absolutely gonna tell her.
- Now.
- Max, we need to see the op report.
We need to speak with the original surgeon.
There's no reason that we can't tell her right now.
We don't have all the facts.
And if we're wrong about any of this, if we give her more misinformation let's take the day.
24 hours to get at the truth, and then we will talk to her together.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
All right.
Septal wall muscular overgrowth isolated and resected.
Ready for pathological confirmation.
Heart should be repaired now, Dr.
Duke.
It's closing time.
5-0 Prolene on a stick?
That's right.
Got an IV of normal saline going.
Floyd, this is not cardiomyopathy.
But Makayla's heart was hypertrophied.
Absolutely, and you were right to operate, but it's because of an infiltration of abnormal blood cells.
I'm afraid this girl has leukemia.
[SIGHS]
Leukemia.
Fortunately, we caught it early.
But she will need a bone marrow transplant.
And I can't help her?
Well, your blood type isn't a match.
AB positive is pretty rare.
I did put Makayla on the marrow donor registry, but I gotta be honest with you.
It could take months.
So you need a blood relative?
If we can find someone that is a match, the odds will be much stronger than waiting.
You know, I've never been the type of woman to beg a man to be in his child's life.
Makayla's father is alive.
She doesn't know, and I don't want her to.
If you need me to call him I'll find the strength.
Or I can do it.
I mean, yeah, if it if it helps.
[WHISPERING]
Okay.
This is a play by Sophocles.
Phillock tatas?
[LAUGHTER]
No.
Close.
"Philoctetes.
" It was written during the Peloponnesian w*r, and it focuses heavily on themes of disability, loyalty, and forgiveness all within the m*llitary.
It is considered an ethical tragedy.
It was aimed to incite a certain sense of duty within the Greeks during a time of w*r.
Is it in English?
As a matter of fact, we are using one of my favorite translations of all time.
Mine.
Hold your applause.
Amalia, you will be playing the role of Neoptolemus.
Neo what?
That's good.
I like that.
We'll shorten it to Neo.
Neo was a once-dutiful soldier who has a disagreement with a ranking officer and decides to finally stand up and say something.
Colonel, you will be playing Odysseus, our commander.
But for ease of use, why don't we call you Otis?
Otis wants to march his warriors onto victory, but he is confronted with the fallout of a choice he's made to abandon one of his best soldiers after he's been badly injured.
Never abandoned anyone.
I didn't say you did.
Now, finally Nathan, you will be playing our title role of Philoctetes.
Okay, and your character, after being badly injured, is ejected from the m*llitary and left on an island alone.
The rest of you will be my Greek chorus.
Hey!
I can't sing.
Oh, I highly doubt that, but you won't have to.
How is this therapy?
That's a good question.
As Nathan wisely stated, he does not have the words to communicate how you feel.
This play can give them to you.
Okay?
One last thing.
Curtain goes up at four.
Wait, we're doing this in front of people?
Yes.
At the tone, please record your message.
[VOICEMAIL BEEPS]
Mr.
Bell, this is Dr.
Reynolds from New Amsterdam Hospital.
I'm sorry to report that your daughter has been diagnosed with leukemia.
Now she needs a bone marrow transplant, and we are calling relatives to see if we can find a match.
I know that you are estranged from your daughter and have been for a while, but she needs you right now.
You could save her life.
Be a hero.
Just by showing up which is something [VOICEMAIL BEEPS]
I wish my father had done.
Pre-op labs, pathology.
Surgical report.
Dr.
was Gerald Tollman.
You know him?
Nope.
He left in 2011.
That was before my time.
"During procedure, I discovered a tumor "strangling the patient's spinal cord.
"It was impossible to remove without transecting the spine.
Plate was necessary to maintain stability.
" That's a complete lie.
Based on what Questa said.
Based on what we saw.
Do you know who else was in the room?
Yes.
We have Maxine West, anesthesia.
Joe McGrain, scrub nurse.
Easha Bashar, circulating nurse.
What?
Intern was Clint Hartman.
Max, Max please, whatever you're gonna do He deserves.
So I said watch it.
Jets tickets are what you get your doctor - when you don't like him.
- Give us the room, please.
Max.
What is it?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
You lied.
[SIGHS]
Max.
I've told you again and again that there was nothing that I could do.
- Georgia - I'm not here to talk about her.
Okay, then, what?
Elizabeth Archer.
Gerald Tollman.
You stood there while he put her in a wheelchair for life.
Deny it?
I can't.
Dr.
Tollman was the department chair.
It was my third surgery.
- He made a mistake.
- A mistake?
And you kept his secret.
He kept insisting that I forget what I'd seen.
That's what doctors do.
That's how we take care of each other.
I tried to believe him.
Wanted to believe him.
But I knew I'd never be able to live with myself, and so, unlike everybody else in that room, I reported him.
You reported him?
The next day.
There's no record of that.
I am not surprised.
Sorry.
You reported a doctor who covered up a botched surgery, and there is no record of an investigation?
Who the hell did you report him to?
The dean of medicine.
Peter Fulton.
I told him everything.
Nothing happened.
Oh, whoa, whoa, Otis.
I want you coming from stage left, remember?
Why do we have to move at all?
"Suit the action to the word, and the word to the action.
" It's "Hamlet.
" Anybody?
Never mind.
From the same spot.
Go ahead.
Up ahead, my lord.
Yonder is the cave we doth seek.
Do you I really have to say "doth?
" Yes, you "doth.
" [TAPS DOOR]
Just, uh carry on, guys.
I'll be back in a sec, okay?
I'm coming.
What do you think you're doing?
- Theater.
- A Greek tragedy?
"Philoctetes?
" Yeah.
I think it'll be healing.
I think it's madness.
Why?
Iggy, Nathan cannot play a soldier injured in the w*r and cast off by the army.
- Why not?
- Because he is a soldier injured in the w*r cast off by the army.
He was not cast off.
He lost his leg.
But you cannot make him relive that experience.
It's too painful.
What about some other play?
Something lighter?
Such as?
"Mamma Mia.
" That's a musical.
Okay.
"Mricchakatika.
" [STAMMERS]
I'm not familiar.
It's a Sanskrit play written in 4th century B. C. by Bhasa.
It's a comedy, a joyful romp.
Okay, I'm not interested.
I want to stick with Sophocles.
I think it's a big mistake.
Why do you care so much?
I picked "Philoctetes" for a reason.
The text gives words to these soldiers' deepest and most vulnerable thoughts and feelings.
That is why I chose it, because that's what they need right now, all right?
Did Nathan say that he doesn't want to do this?
No.
But he's my patient.
Yeah, but he's my patient, too.
[SPEAKING HINDI]
Oh.
I understand it took quite a while for you to get back on your feet after your first surgery.
Yes, but that's because I wasn't taking pain meds.
Yes, I spoke with your former physical therapist, Dr.
Ligon.
He's the worst, right?
Uh I don't really know him that well.
Well, you don't want to.
Well, he agreed that you were ready for a second procedure.
Really?
So I'm cleared?
Yes, but before we schedule, we need to discuss your post-op care.
You may have opted out of the meds before No, you know what?
I really don't need them.
Trust me.
I've actually been working on some mental exercises No.
No?
Dr.
Bloom, I respect your commitment to sobriety, but won't be able to psych your way through this.
But I've done it before.
I mean, it was tough This recovery will be far more painful.
And certainly more important.
If drawn out, your mobility could be permanently impaired.
There's no way you can get through this without painkillers.
So the question isn't whether you will be taking medication, but if you can find a way to take it responsibly.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
He's been waiting for you.
Can I help you?
Yeah, are you Dr.
Reynolds?
Yes.
Um I'm Makayla's dad.
We'll need to keep the incision dry for at least 48 hours.
- Yeah, of course.
- And when she wakes up I'm awake.
How'd it go?
Is the plate fixed?
It was removed.
I don't understand.
Dr.
Questa took it out.
But if it's out, how will I sit up?
Well, as it turns out, you may not actually need it.
This doesn't make sense.
I can't sit in my chair without the plate.
I have to be able to sit, because if I can't do that, I can't do anything.
We'll have answers soon, Elizabeth, I promise, but but for now, that's all I'm at liberty to say.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Ah.
Right.
Come on in.
Uh, forgive the mess.
Had I known that this was inquisition day, I'd have tidied.
A woman's in a wheelchair.
And you think that I put her there.
The man you should talk to is Dr.
Gerald Tollman.
This isn't about a rogue doctor.
This was a cover-up.
You put the integrity of this hospital The word I'm thinking about isn't integrity, it's litigation.
Cases like this get hospitals shuttered.
So as I only have a few minutes before I have to address our board, let me get ahead of the 5,000 lawyers who'll be coming for your scalp by asking one question.
What the hell were you thinking?
Are you smiling, Peter?
I'm sorry.
I was trying to dredge up my ashamed face, but it just wouldn't come.
Maybe you'd like to visit Elizabeth's recovery room.
Okay.
I'll put aside my pique at your moralizing and just focus on New Amsterdam.
You're worried about lawsuits.
So if I had gone after Tollman's license, not only would he have sued, he'd have won.
Clint Hartman was ready to testify.
And who do you think a jury would've believed, hmm?
Gerald Tollman, chair of neurosurgery with a list of accolades longer than your arm, or his 28-year-old intern Clint?
So your answer was to do nothing?
Oh, no, my answer was pulling him from rotation and getting him the hell out of the hospital and making sure that he doesn't hurt anyone else.
No lawsuits.
No headlines.
The only trace is the grief for Elizabeth Archer, which by the way, I share.
And the knowledge that because of my choices, New Amsterdam has a neurosurgery department for you two to screw up.
You should've gone to the board.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Dilettantes?
Billionaires?
They were your employers.
And not a doctor among the bunch.
Do you know any of these doctors, Madame Brantley?
Do you?
The doctors who, if all this came out, would've lost their jobs, their professions?
I protected them.
I take care of my own, and that is my legacy.
And man, I am proud of it.
Your legacy is a profound error in judgment, which I can relate to as I made one myself when I didn't fire your ass sooner.
Ah.
The wrong end of the Goodwin high horse.
Oh, how I missed it.
I looked up to you.
I know.
As a leader The only question worth asking Is if the cost of protecting New Amsterdam is your conscience, will you pay?
And if the answer is no You're not the leader you think you are.
St.
Francis in Philadelphia, Rose Hill in Portland, County Children's in Chicago, all hospitals Tollman has worked at since he crippled Elizabeth Archer.
It makes you wonder why he moves around so much, doesn't it?
Makes you wonder, how many more Elizabeth Archers are there?
We do what we have to to survive.
You do.
I'm gonna make sure that man never lifts another scalpel.
Max.
Leaders makes choices that keep them up at night.
If you're sleeping well you're not doing your job.
Never really done anything like this before.
It's actually a fairly simple procedure.
We'll give you regional anesthesia.
That way, you won't feel the needle.
Is that her?
She got so big.
I think we should keep it moving.
She was just a tiny little thing the last time I saw her.
How long has it been?
I don't know.
11 - 12 years.
- 12 years.
You you still think about her?
I mean, even though Your old man around?
No.
Maybe sometimes that's not a bad thing.
Hey.
Hey.
So, uh I got approved for my second surgery.
Gosh, that's that's great, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah, it's great.
But Dr.
Handler says that I need to take pain meds.
It's my only chance of a full recovery.
Being in the ED means being quick on my feet.
I can't I can't risk my mobility.
But if I try to do this without meds I don't know.
If if the pain is as extreme as Handler says it is, then Then I might relapse.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know because, you know, my pee tests and everything Lauren, we can modify your workplace monitoring agreement to allow for prescribed meds.
But more importantly, right now, I think you need someone who you can trust and who can dole out your medication responsibly and only when needed.
You're right.
I'll call my mother.
I would like to be that person.
Trust me.
You wouldn't.
Your friend.
[HEARTFELT MUSIC]
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER]
We're doing it out here in front of all the visitors?
Um, yeah, not just in front of visitors.
I invited staff, too.
Yes.
Breaking out the uniform.
Nice.
My wife brought it for me.
Um, okay, players, please.
Come into the round.
So when you are not up here standing, delivering your lines, I'd like you seated on the bench.
But most importantly, remember that you need to stay open, present, and let Sophocles be your voice, okay?
Where's Nate?
Over there.
Oh.
Okay, why don't you guys play in the space, okay?
Feel it out.
Nate.
Hey, we're about to get started.
I can't do this, Dr.
Frome.
Sure you can.
You just gotta read.
No, I tried.
I can't.
It's too much.
Well, we can't do this without you, buddy.
I know, I know.
But the play is me.
Yeah.
It's my experience.
It's my words.
I don't think I can say them.
I I could say them for you.
Vijay?
What are you If you will have me I will assume Nathan's role.
In his honor.
That's that's a real nice offer, Vijay, but this is kind of for the soldiers.
You know what I mean?
Vijay oh, okay.
Hang on.
My friends.
I am Vijay Kapoor.
I was in the 4th Indian infantry.
With your permission I would like to join your company.
[SIGHS HEAVILY]
Why are you telling me this now?
Because I've seen you question yourself so many times.
And blame yourself.
Now you know that none of this was your fault.
It was ours.
So everything that happened to me was a lie.
The tumor was real, but you didn't need to end up in a wheelchair because of it.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Every six months when I come to see you, you'd check on me, do a scan, tell me I was doing better.
And there's no way that she could've seen this without removing the plate.
So you want a gold star for finally telling me the truth?
No.
No, we want I don't care what you want.
Here's what's gonna happen.
- Elizabeth - No.
I'm gonna get the most blood-thirsty malpractice attorney I can find, and I'm gonna sue this hospital back to the Stone Age.
Where's Mr.
Bell?
Finished his donation and left.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Hey, Dr.
Reynolds.
Thanks for fixing my heart.
Anytime.
Was it hard to find a donor?
You know, sometimes it is, but today, we got lucky.
Can I meet them?
They want to remain anonymous.
You know, some people just figure that they're better at a distance.
I'll be right back.
Okay, babe?
- Okay.
- Right back.
So getting the marrow is the first step.
Now we have to use it, all right?
To do that, I'm going to have to wipe out her system with chemo, and then rebuild it with her father's stem cells.
Long road.
But she's got great odds.
Thank you for making that call to her dad.
You were right about him.
I guess I just wish that he cared more.
You know?
That he'd hang around, you know, and just do the right thing.
Well, he did.
He showed up.
We can all be grateful for that, right?
Hm.
Aww.
I knew you'd come limping Hose it down, and listen up.
After my surgery, I'm gonna have to take pain pills.
And because I don't trust myself, I need someone else to be in charge of them, someone who is gonna give me hell if I ask for more than I'm prescribed.
Someone who understands that for addicts, pain is safer than pleasure.
Someone who has a high threshold for verbal abuse, is unaffected by human suffering, and who might sadistically enjoy controlling my daily will to live.
What I don't need is a friend.
Am I crazy, or are you my guy?
Both, it seems.
- Good, so - Stop talking, Lauren.
Let me be clear.
I've been down the road you're on several times, so I know all the tricks, all the excuses, and all the lies.
You're not gonna get away with anything.
As the world's most pathologically honorable doctor, I assume you've already told Elizabeth Archer the truth.
You assume correctly.
Probably smart.
Too many people know.
It's bound to get out.
Better to get ahead of it.
It's a big number.
Big enough to convince her to settle?
Probably, but I hope she doesn't.
You want her to sue us?
You and Fulton fought like you're on opposite sides, but you're not.
You're both advocating for a cover-up.
The only difference is you're writing a check.
Better than gaslighting the woman.
But not as good as going public.
I'm writing a new policy.
Total transparency.
I want to tell the world about Tollman, and let the chips fall where they may.
It's the only way to prevent another Tollman from happening.
Well, he'll sue us, too.
So let him.
You're not thinking this through, Max.
If we broadcast every subpar doctor and corner-cutting nurse to the world, our image will be in tatters.
We'll be the hospital where you go to get k*lled.
No, we'll be the hospital that holds doctors accountable.
And we'll be the hospital that sides with their patients no matter the price.
I know it's not a perfect solution, and I know there will be consequences, but this is the only way.
I hope so.
Our careers will be riding on it.
Soldier, do you dare defy me?
Do you not see my hand upon my sword?
I fear it not, sir.
Long have I marched under your standard, but today you turned your back on one of our own.
Thus, you turned your back on us all.
My actions must consider the many, soldier, even at the expense of the few.
[FORTALEZA'S "HANGING VALLEYS"]
I stand by my choice, for it is my charge and duty to do so.
Then I shall obey your command no longer.
And for your soul, I will pray.
And never our strength Shall falter I had grown accustomed to my station here.
Enduring it as if lost in a dream.
Your medical records.
But today, my eyes have been opened.
Today, I awake.
Too long have I suffered adversity.
Pain from the actions of those entrusted with protecting me.
Forging on, my past shall not define me, even as I stand afeard a resurgence of my true vulnerabilities.
The time has come at last to abandon this isle.
To depart, never to return.
Fare thee well, O home.
Wait for my return no longer.
Onward I must proceed with strength in each footfall Evermore haunted with the memories of the man I used to be.
For my old home is now behind me.
Faith is my new home.
[APPLAUSE]
Guys, my players, everybody.
What a performance.
Wow.
I never knew.
This wasn't something I wish to speak about.
Until now.
Come here.
[KNOCKING AT DOOR]
Who's there?
I'll be right back.
[OVERLAPPING CHATTER]
What are you guys doing here?
It was her idea.
I know that you said you don't want strangers in your house, but we're not strangers.
And I am fairly certain that you have a sink full of dirty dishes.
Just FYI, I don't do windows.
Lauren, you can barely stand.
True, but I'm good at giving orders.
It's okay to let people in.