01x09 - Grace

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Pure Genius...

When I opened Bunker Hill, I made a promise that I would do everything humanly possible to save everyone who came through these doors.

I want to be part of this.

Your family? I'll make it work.

Brockett: You kissed me.

Verlaine: Really?

How's the Malik sitch?

Verlaine: I like you.

And I want to make a go of this.

Okay.

Okay.

Did a charter a yacht and booze my way across Europe 'cause a girl I like said no to a date?

It's very possible.

♪ ♪

(panting)

(indistinct conversations)

Oh, Dr. Wallace, I need your e-authorization.

Can't talk. Page me if it's an emergency.

(video chat chiming, then ringing)

(video chat beeps, Wallace sighs)

(phone clicks)

Jess (pre-recorded): Hey, you've reached Jess. Just leave me a message.

(breathlessly): Hey, sweetheart, um... yeah, my rounds took longer than I expected.

I'm logged on now, but, uh... yeah, I don't know if you went back to sleep or whatever, but I'll stay on for a few minutes, um, just in case.

Um, but call me back.

I'm sorry, am I interrupting?

No, no, it's just I was supposed to have a Skype date with my daughter, but...

Are you okay?

You seem out of breath.

Oh, yeah, well, I was running in the hallway.

You're sweating.

Yeah, well, it's... a long hallway.

So I'm guessing the 7:00 a.m. Skype call was your idea.

Yeah, well, it was the only time I had, but even that, I'm late, so...

You can't be everywhere at once.

I know, it's just...

I guess I was really looking forward to seeing her.

How's she doing?

With your move?

Good, I think.

I just... hate feeling so far away from her.

♪ ♪

Valet: Dr. Verlaine.

(car powering down)

Valet: Turn around, make a left.

Brockett: Thank you.

You know what?

Think I might've left my phone at your place.

James.

James.

Good.

Good... morning.

Morning.

So... (door closes) ...carpooling.

Excellent.

Hey, is... is that live?

♪ ♪

Choir: ♪ Do not pass me by ♪
♪ Pass me not ♪
♪ O gentle savior ♪
♪ Hear my humble cry ♪
♪ While on others ♪
♪ Thou art calling ♪
♪ Do... ♪

We are Grace Church.

And we've come to Bunker Hill for a miracle.

Two months ago I met a young man living on the streets.

This man was clearly sick, so we took him to the clinic where he was diagnosed with AIDS.

The young man was given medication.

But the dr*gs haven't worked.

And he's been told he has little time left.

(choir continues vocalizing)

Mr. Bell, my name is Franklin Garcia.

I'm asking you to save my life.

Choir: ♪ Do not pass ♪
♪ Me by ♪
♪ Savior ♪
♪ Savior ♪
♪ Hear my ♪
♪ Humble cry... ♪

Wallace: Hey, Jess, sorry I missed you this morning.

Jess (over phone): Hi, Dad.

I've actually been in the ER all night.

I'm fine.

My friend Ali cut her foot last night and it's starting to look pretty bad.

We've been waiting three hours. Could you take a look?

Yeah, of course. Um, why don't you send me a picture?

(indistinct conversations, people coughing, baby crying)

(phone chimes)

Jess, have you touched the wound?

Ew, no.

Good, make sure Ali doesn't either.

I'm arranging a medevac to bring you both to Bunker Hill.

Dad, what are you saying? Why?

We don't have time to discuss this.

Your friend may have contracted a very aggressive bacterial infection.

We're at a good hospital.

It's deadly.

We're working on a new surgery here that can target this bacteria, but we're the only hospital that has it.

And we need to move fast.

Stay with Ali and keep her calm.

I'll see you soon, okay?

Thank you for taking me.

How could I say no to a pitch like that?

(chuckles) I do like to put on a show.

Franklin, we believe you've contracted a drug-resistant form of the HIV virus.

That would explain why you didn't respond to treatment at the clinic.

Uh, drug resistance can arise when someone's been infected more than once.

I, um... have to ask you a personal question.

If you prefer that we do this in private...

There's no secrets from Gloria.

She accepts me for who I am.

To understand how you have this drug-resistant form of HIV, it would help us to know how many sexual partners you've been with.

For four years, I was a prost*tute in San Francisco.

It's possible I've been infected many times.

Does this mean dr*gs can't treat me?

It means we're gonna find the specific combination of antiretrovirals that will work.

Franklin, here at Bunker Hill, we pioneered a brand-new approach called “cryo-electron tomography.”

By freezing a sample of your blood and sh**ting it with an electron beam, we're able to capture a 3-D image down to the molecular level of your specific HIV virus.

And we use that to determine a targeted treatment plan.

The HIV virus doesn't k*ll you, it kills your immune cells, namely CD4 cells.

And, uh, that poor immunity is what makes you susceptible to other deadly infections.

So, if we can raise your CD4 count from 40 to 200, we can fundamentally change your diagnosis.

You'll no longer be dying of AIDS, you'll be living with HIV.

Well, amen to that.

(helicopter blades whirring)

Hey, Ali, how you feeling?

Awesome.

Best Wednesday ever.

All right, well, we're gonna take good care of you, okay?

Can't risk the infection spreading to the rest of her body.

Let's get her inside.

What happens if the bacteria spreads?

Just tell me, please.

It probably won't come to this, but if the bacteria breaches that line, we may have no choice but to... take the leg.

Oh, my God, Dad, you have to make sure she's okay.

(softly): Yeah, yeah.

Come on.

Wallace: Have you spoken to your parents?

Ali: They're still in the Philippines.

My mom's in hospice care, my dad's taking care of her.

Last thing he needs is someone else to worry about.

Besides, everything should be fine, right?

I don't see any further sites of infection.

See?

Told you. Everything's cool.

(electricity powers down)

Okay, now, well, that felt like an omen.

Wallace: Dr. Channarayapatra's creating a map of your wound.

Everywhere we see red on the map, that's where the bacteria is in your body.

Channarayapatra: I'm very encouraged by what I am seeing, Ali.

The Staph aureus bacteria has not yet gone beyond the flesh into the bone Wallace: Meaning there's a very good chance we can avoid long-term damage to your leg.

Yeah, well... who was worried?

Bell: We've identified a precise cocktail of six antiretrovirals that could raise your CD4 count to 200, and should save your life.

The clinic gave me pills.

Strauss: Oh, we're administering a larger dose than you've ever received.

Your body would never tolerate this treatment orally.

It would wreak havoc on your digestive tract and cause liver damage and failure.

Bell: IV should help with the side effects.

It can moonlight you for the treatment to work.

Oh, it will work.

Franklin: Gloria's convinced that God has some great plan for me.

I have to confess, after my last treatment failed...

(whispering): I've had my doubts.

Mm...

Strauss: God doesn't always reveal his plan to us right away.

You're very soulful for a doctor.

Oh, he's also a priest.

Is that right?

Mm.

Inside the walls of this hospital, I am principally a doctor.

And you don't think there's a plan at work.

Child, come on, a doctor and a priest?

That's the hand of God that brought us together.

(soft chuckle)

♪ ♪

(device beeps)

♪ ♪
♪ ♪

Wallace: We were able to remove more than 90% of the bacteria.

The antibiotics should take care of the rest.

The next 24 hours will be critical, but there's reasons to be optimistic.

So, for now, you should go to my apartment, get some sleep.

Dad, this is all my fault.

We've been pulling all-nighters to cram for this midterm, and when it was over, I insisted we celebrate.

Ali didn't want to.

I basically dragged her to this party and we...

...we both drank too much and stumbled home barefoot, which must have been when she cut her foot.

Jess, none of this is your fault.

And now, her life is at stake.

And it is my fault.

Dad... she's the nicest person I've ever met.

Just... promise me she's gonna be okay.

I promise.

(elevator bell dings)

Man: We can have your surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Oh, hey.

Hey, James.

Can I talk to you for a minute?

Yes, of course.

Here, James.

Thanks.

Yes?

So, Malik and I are in a relationship.

Okay.

And I know that Bunker Hill doesn't have a policy against employees dating, but I wanted you to know that it won't interfere with my work.

Great.

And I know that you asked me out, but, you know, when you went to Ibiza with, like, a dozen supermodels, I figured you were over me.

Yeah, I am.

Obviously, so... oh, good.

Yeah. Yeah.

And I'm happy you're dating Malik.

Great.

Taking team building to a whole new level.

Yay. (chuckles)

Wow.

No, honestly. Honestly.

Okay, James.

Malik's a good guy.

And, uh, I've moved on, so...

...if we're done here, I got to... go check on Franklin.

Yeah, of course.

Okay.

Okay, well, I...

I'm just glad that we're okay.

Better than okay. Great.

(chuckles)

You're looking better.

How you feeling?

So far, so good.

(chuckles)

Does that mean the treatment's working?

It's still early, but that there hasn't been any setbacks is an encouraging sign.

(chuckles)

I... it sounds like I'm gonna get an “I told you so” from Gloria tomorrow.

(chuckles)

Did she...

Went home, to get her beauty rest.

Or as she says, “You don't look this fabulous by sleeping on a couch.”

(chuckling): She's quite a force, isn't she?

Mm-hmm.

Can I be honest with you?

Yeah.

Her faith scares me.

Ah.

You know, before I met her, I...

I didn't believe in God.

There was no reason to.

Even as I was dying, people walked by me like I was garbage.

But Gloria... stopped.

She sat with me.

I told her that she was wasting her time, that I was filthy.

So she reached into her purse, removed a cloth, and washed my face.

(voice breaking): And... it was a miracle. (sniffles)

To be touched when... you feel so untouchable.

It was the first time in my life I wanted to live.

And now, thanks to you...

I just might.

(sniffles)

I know you don't believe what Gloria's saying, that this is all part of God's plan.

But I see in you the same light that I see in her.

Thank you.

(chuckles softly) (sniffles)

Thank you.

(mouthing)

(monitor beeping rapidly)

Franklin?

Help!

Something's really wrong.

Oxygen, right away.

Yes, Doctor.

(door opens)

(sighs) He's stable now, but that's his fourth unit of blood.

Is there a chance if we try the treatment again...

His body rejected the IV medication.

A high dose of the protease inhibitor caused decreased clotting and hemorrhage.

I mean, I replenished his platelets to stop the bleeding, but... he can't handle another round of treatment.

We need another option, James.

Then we'll find one.

(motorized bed whirring)

You're new.

I've been assigned to Mr. Keating.

Hello.

Hi.

How are you doing, Louis?

(shakily): Okay, James.

Please take special care of Mr. Keating.

There are no VIPs here, everyone is equal, but just between us, Mr. Keating is a VIP.

I'll take care of him. (chuckles)

Okay.

I'm Nina.

Cooper.

James.

Bell.

Yeah.

I know.

(chuckles)

(door opens)

(door closes)

Couldn't sleep.

How's Ali?

Um, still stable.

But resting.

You really need sleep, too.

Especially if you've been pulling all-nighters.

Says the guy coming home from work at 4:00 a.m.

Well...

Here. Thank you.

I made some improvements to your omelet recipe.

Yeah?

Mm.

How do you improve on perfection?

It looks good.

Yeah, I know.

All right.

Well, I guess Mom doesn't have to worry about another woman.

I'm sorry?

Well, this place clearly lacks a female touch.

(coffee pouring)

So, Dad...

Hmm?

What's happening?

I think it's good that you took this job.

You needed to do this.

But what's the long-term plan?

You can't just keep living on opposite sides of the country from Mom and Luke.

Honey, life, um... life gets complicated.

Yeah, but... you still love Mom, right?

Yeah, I love Mom. Of course, I mean...

Of course I love her, honey.

So, how are you doing?

How are, um, how are your classes?

Classes are good.

Very indescriptive.

You, um, you seeing anybody?

(chuckling): That took long.

Well, I just want to know.

You know, if there's someone who makes you happy.

There is.

Really?

What's his name?

Ali.

We won't give up, Franklin, but until we find a way to raise your CD4 count, we can't prevent you from getting other types of infections.

So, we want to keep you here at Bunker Hill longer.

We'll be able to monitor you every day, every hour, every minute, keep you as safe as possible.

(grunting)

If there is a God, he ain't listening.

Baby, you're being tested.

Or maybe, there's just no plan for me, after all.

Maybe there's just a whole bunch of people in the world and... most of 'em are bad and a few of them are good like you.

And I have to decide who I'm gonna be.

(scoffs) The past two months, I've been trying to save my own life.

Whatever time I have left, I want to spend back on the streets.

Helping people, the way that you helped me.

If you go out there with a CD4 count of 40, you may not live past a few weeks.

And if I stay here?

I could die in a hospital room alone.

But your odds of survival are exponentially higher...

Mr. Bell, forgive me.

But you have no idea what my life has been.

The things that I've done.

The things that've been done to me.

And for once in my life, I want to do something good.

Why do you want to take that away from me?

(grunts) You came here with several other infections due to your low immunity.

At least allow us to finish treating them.

How long will that take?

24 hours.

Then in 24 hours, I'm checking out of Bunker Hill.

You have to talk with him. You have to buy us more time.

You've got time. You've been graced with 24 hours to figure this out.

It's not, uh... it's not that simple.

Then turn to God and he'll make it simple.

For he shines his light in the darkness.

I think that the solution here is gonna be found in science, not scripture, don't you...

Wait, what did you just say?

For God made his light to shine in our hearts.

That's it. That's brilliant.

We shine a light on it.

James?

With me. Now.

Excuse me.

White counts coming down, and your elevated lactate is resolving. Blood pressure, body temperature and heart rate have all returned to normal levels.

(sighs) Angie wanted me to call my father and upset him for no reason.

(chuckles)

Huh.

Do need to scan your leg, just to make certain you're clear.

What we need is a laser-guided precision m*ssile strike, here.

You want to inject the medication inside the infected lymph node cells themselves.

We target and strike the surface of the cells with a laser light.

The cell would then open momentarily.

Well, just long enough for the cell to absorb the medicine, and inhibit the virus.

Before resealing, intact.

(sighs)

Logic holds, right?

In theory, but you still need some way to administer the treatment.

Well, what if we design a probe that can perform multiple tasks simultaneously?

One probe head could target the cell membrane with the laser...

While a second probe head deploys the drug, bathing the lymph node cells.

And if we use the near-infrared part of the light spectrum...

We could perforate the cell membrane without damaging it.

(exhales)

Uh...

Oh, we're on a roll here, come on.

All right, do your doctor thingy.

Okay, there are lymph nodes throughout the entire body, there's not one surgery that can get to every one of them.

We're not trying to cure him, we're just trying to eliminate enough of the virus to give his immune system a fighting chance, so we target the target the largest nodes, in the neck and the pelvis.

Still, it's a massive operation.

I... Every one of these lymph node cells would need to be individually exposed.

That's a six-hour open surgery.

It'd be difficult enough for a perfectly healthy person to endure, but someone in Franklin's case?

There's a 50% chance he doesn't survive the operation.

(exhales)

(beeping)

Is it... Is it bad?

Looks exactly like we'd want it to.

We did have to remove muscle tissue, so there'll be a lot of rehab going forward, to restore leg function.

But there is no evidence of Staph aureus bacteria anywhere on your leg.

Yeah. You're clear.

(sighs) Thank God.

Okay. Truth be told, I may have been a little worried. (chuckles)

Well, you did great.

Hold... Hold still, please?

What is it?

Dad?

This wasn't here before.

♪ ♪

The Staph aureus bacteria has invaded the fascial planes at the base of her skull. Due to the infection's location, surgical debridement is no longer an option.

Even if we could cut it out without severing the underlying carotid artery or the spinal cord, we would spread the infection into her spinal fluid and bloodstream.

And either way, we k*ll her.

At the rate the infection is spreading, we believe that Ali has roughly 36 hours. Give or take.

(clears throat)

There's my girl.

Dad.

Hey.

Hey. So nice to hear from you.

Where are you?

Um, I'm in a hospital room.

Is everything okay?

Actually, no. Everything is not okay...

Ali, tell me what's going on.

So sorry this is happening...

And none of this ever would've happened if I had...

Jess... Jessica, none of this is your fault.

It's mine.

Ali must've transferred her infection and I somehow missed it when I examined her.

But I haven't forgotten what I promised you.

Dad...

I will save her life.

I googled this thing the second you told me what she had.

It's, like, the worst bacteria on the planet.

So, surgery's not an option.

There must be something we can do for her.

Verlaine: She's on antibiotics, right?

What if we up the dose? There's at least...

Wallace: No. We're gonna take her off antibiotics.

This... is Micavibrio aeruginosavorus, one of the nastiest bacterial species on the planet.

Microbiologists call it the “vampire.”

It can search and destroy at a rate 20 times faster than Staph aureus, but it doesn't go after human cells.

It targets other bacteria.

You're not suggesting that we...

Take her off antibiotics and inject her with Micavibrio.

You want to give this girl another infection?

With a predatory bacteria?

It will target and destroy the Staph aureus, and then it'll die naturally once it's run out of prey.

Or it will k*ll her faster than the infection she's already got.

(groans)

Not to mention we'll be introducing a superbug into the hospital.

Well, of course, we need to put Ali in an isolated containment.

We're already prepared for that.

The bacteria could still mutate and start going after the human cells.

There's a small but real chance we could start an outbreak.

Bell: Okay, maybe we should talk about upping the antibiotics first.

Channarayapatra: This wasn't your fault, Dr. Wallace.

I know that this case is personal to you.

But at the time of the inspection, that wound, if visible at all, would've been smaller than an eyelash.

And it was located at the hairline.

Impossible to detect.

We all would have missed it.

Is there anyone that sees another way to save her life?

Then we have our marching orders.

Let's get to work.

(beeps)

James. Do you have a second?

Brock, with everything that's going on...

Yeah. I know. That's exactly my point.

Uh... James, our work is too important for their to be any awkwardness between us, so I...

I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't any residual, you know... awkwardness.

I was trying to... uh...

Never mind. Eh...

No. James. Stop... (sighs) Just hold on.

Can you just...

Just tell me. Please.

When I said that I was over you...

...it may not have been entirely true.

You're saying it's 50/50.

At best.

Yes. But if this procedure works, it can give you years.

If it works.

Mr. Bell, I really do appreciate everything you've tried to do.

But everything I've been through tells me if I did that surgery, I would die on that table.

Franklin...

(exhales)

You were right.

When you said I didn't believe Gloria.

I don't think this is part of some larger plan, I think you have a virus because you contracted one.

Someone else, someone... else, might have a disease because they inherited it.

For me, if science can tell us how someone got a disease, maybe science can tell us how to fix it.

But what if I'm wrong?

What if this is God?

Then what?

He gave me this disease as some kind of punishment?

No. No, I was thinking the exact opposite.

What if this disease is a blessing?

What if after you're sick and because you got sick, you became a better person?

What if that's when you realize you wanted to spend the rest of your life helping others?

♪ Ooh ♪

What if that's when you found your community?

♪ Out in the stars again ♪
♪ Your heart burns to black, you're gonna fall ♪
♪ In a broken parallel ♪

All these people who work so hard, they sacrifice so much, for what?

♪ Dusty mind state ♪

Just to help someone else.

♪ Again ♪
♪ Lost in your mind, you got the bends ♪

'Cause if I believe that this disease is a blessing...

♪ Wasting away... ♪

...then I have to believe that you'd be given as much time as possible to help as many people as you can.

Wouldn't you?

I hope so.

Okay, I'll do it.

♪ You got the bends your time was spent ♪
♪ Wasting away... ♪

Ali, this treatment could save your life.

You are gonna be tested.

No matter how bad it feels, just know you can come through this, okay?

You need to trust me.

I do.

Lean forward, please.

♪ Ooh... ♪
♪ Ooh... ♪

(monitors beeping)

Ali, I know how bad you feel right now, but you stay with me, okay?

You just have to hang on a little longer.

I know that this is hard to fathom, but this is exactly what we'd expect to see if the treatment is working.

Her temperature would naturally rise as the Micavibrio invades her body and att*cks the Staph aureus bacteria.

And if the treatment isn't working, if the infection is getting worse, how would it look then?

It would also look like this.

Talaikha, time to scrub in.

Your dad is the most dedicated man I've ever met.

I've never seen him as determined as he is right now.

He won't give up.

I know.

What?

You were expecting me to wear black?

Thank you for being here.

The rest of the congregation wanted to join me, but we wouldn't all fit in the viewing room, so James brought the church to you.

Choir: ♪ Ooh ♪

(vocalizing continues)

♪ ♪

Thank you for believing I'm worth all this.

I'll see you when you wake up.

♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
♪ That saved a wretch ♪
♪ Like me ♪
♪ I once was lost ♪
♪ But now I'm found ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ I see ♪
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
♪ That saved a wretch ♪
♪ Like me ♪
♪ I once was lost ♪
♪ But now I'm found ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ I see ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ I see ♪

(monitors beeping)

I have something I want to show you.

Your CD4 count has risen from 40 to 70.

The doctor said it'll be at 200 in a couple of weeks.

Your body will be able to fight off the infections now.

You've been given a little more time on this earth.

I guess God had a plan for me after all.

♪ Silence ♪
♪ Restore my eyes to figure out... ♪

Remind me again where you got the idea for that tech... was it, uh, scripture?

Mm, I thought within the walls of this hospital you're supposed to be a doctor, not a priest.

If I'm being honest, the two go hand in hand.

I get to witness small miracles here every day.

(chuckles)

Does Mom know about you and Ali?

I told her when I came home for Christmas.

Don't be mad at her, okay?

I asked her to let me tell you in person.

I'm not mad at her.

It just hurts, uh, to be left out.

You were home for, like, a day.

Well, I had to work.

Yeah, I know.

You can't always be there for us when you're here for everyone else.

This job can be consuming, but...

“Can be”?

Dad, you gave me a hard time about pulling all-nighters, and then you did the exact same thing.

Oh, Jess...

And it was amazing to watch.

And... I just want you to know that no matter what happens between you and Mom, I'm very proud of the work you're doing.

You make it sound like, um...

Did she say anything to you over Christmas?

She didn't have to.

I could tell.

Like you said, distance is hard.

♪ Just try to survive ♪

Ali. You love her, don't you?

I'm just so happy you found someone that puts that big a smile on your face.

Thank you for saving her life.

Brockett, can I talk to you for a second?

I want to apologize for the way I've been acting.

It'll be better in the future, less... awkward around you and Malik.

I appreciate that.

Uh, there's something else.

I-I didn't hook up with any supermodels.

And if the truth be told, I was pretty miserable the entire time.

I just... I didn't want you to think that I could tell you that I like you, and then run off and...

I don't want you to think that I didn't mean it.

Thank you.

You're gonna find someone really special, James.

Keep your heart open, okay?

Okay.

♪ It's best left alone ♪
♪ Leave me alone ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪