06x10 - Back To The Suture

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "L.A. Law"...

Who are you?

Who else could it be, dear?

No deadbolt. Shame.

I'm shocked you didn't expect me.

I expected you.

You wouldn't dare sh**t if I stay passive.

Wrong.

[g*n clatters]


-How do I look?
-Fabulous.


-Come a long way in five weeks.
-You think so?

Definitely.

You have mastered the art of video foreplay.


-Two... one.
-♪♪ [theme starts]

We're back with legal eagle Arnold Becker.

You are not looking for an appropriate education, Mrs. Berg.


-You're looking for a miracle.
-Objection!

My son doesn't need a miracle, Mr. LaPorte.

All he needs is the help he was promised.

I am upholding the finding of the administrative hearing officer

in order that Ricky Berg be reenrolled

in the Logan Institute until a truly appropriate

public school program can be found or designed for him.

Hi, I'm Arnold Becker.

I'm Mr. Stulwicz's attorney.


-Good. Maybe he'll let you in.
-What's the problem?

The problem is he's got
-year
-old child in there, and he won't release him.

Benny! It's me! It's Arnie!


-Who are you?
-Sharon Barrett, Social Services.


-Come on.
-I came here to take custody of the child.

Mr. Stulwicz locked me out.

That's why I called the police.


-[knocking on door]
-Benny, come on, open up.

It's me, it's Arnie. Let me in.


-BENNY: Just you!
-All right! Just me and Roxanne.

Would you open up now?

You guys just wait out here.

Come on, Rox.


-Who are you?
-Sam Perry, who are you?

I'm Arnold Becker. I'm his attorney.

Would you put down the bats?

I told ya.


-Where do you live?
-He lives with me.

What do you mean? Since when does he live with you?

Since the week after Thanksgiving.

Sam is homeless.

Benny found him going through the trash,

and, well, he
-
- he moved in.

You've known about this?

He was afraid if he told people at the firm

you would intervene like you always do.


-I swore I wouldn't tell.
-This is illegal, Roxanne.

He can't just take in a kid. This is not legal.


-MAN: MR. Becker!
-I wanna live here.

Oh, Arnie, you gotta help us. Don't let them take him away.


-Please?
-I've been checking on him, Arnie.


-Benny's doing a great job.
-Doesn't matter.

He could be charged with kidnapping.

MAN: If you don't let us in, sir, we'll have to break it down.

All right!


-Arnie, don't!
-[door opens]

You'll have to come with us, Sam.


-Please. Please.
-Excuse me. Officer?

Hey! Take it easy!


-He is not going to hurt anybody!
-No! Hey!


-Where are you taking him?
-McClaren Hall.


-Go on.
-BENNY: Arnie, you gotta stop them!

He lives with
-
- No!

Hey!

Just
-
-

You said he'd help!


-Arnie!
-I will help.

We'll jump right on it tomorrow.

Benny!

You got a cop on me.


-Don't let them do this!
-Hey!

[engine starts]

♪♪ [theme]

DONALD: He's been there three months?

According to Roxanne, who knew about this,

Bennie's been a pretty good parent.

He even got the kid enrolled in school.

That's how social services caught up with him.


-Bennie couldn't show any proof of legal guardianship.
-Who are the real parents?

No father. Mother's an alcoholic who abandoned him.

Kid was living on the streets for two months.


-Oh, my God.
-MICHAEL: Look, I promised Benny

we'd try to help get him back.

Grace is gonna handle it, since I could be a witness.

Wait a second. We're gonna actually advocate

that Benny keep this kid?


-Why not?
-What's wrong with that?


-He's mentally Ret*rded.
-I pledged this firm's support,

and he gets it, Douglas.

All right. But please, people,

under no circumstances

is this firm to assume guardianship responsibilities.

On a more soothing note, I'm pleased to announce

that no charges will be filed against Tommy Mullaney

in the self
-defense sh**ting of John Harvey.


-That must be a relief.
-Yeah.

I am so surprised they even considered it.

Thanks. Thanks, guys.

DOUGLAS: Uh, where are we on Malone v. Westside Medical, et al?


-Depositions start today.
-DOUGLAS: Any settlement offer to our clients?


-Nothing worth mentioning.
-How much?


-Twenty
-five thousand.
-We should hope for more.


-Did you count?
-Client doesn't want to.

Well, don't you think she should?

We're more concerned with stopping this guy

from operating on anybody else.

It's only a matter of time before he kills someone.

But is that the client talking or you?

Besides, isn't this guy you're suing, like,

the top orthopedic surgeon in the universe?

I've got a client who came out of surgery paralyzed for life,

and a scrub nurse who says that something weird happened

to the universe's top orthopedic surgeon

in the operating room that day.


-I'm gonna find out what.
-Good for you.

Good for her? Mr. Settlement?

Mr. Take the Money And Run?

Excuse me. Believe it or not,

I happen to think there are certain things

more important than money.

Douglas, are you feeling okay?


-I'm on your side, Ann.
-Thank you, Douglas.

Now, if that concludes our business, we're adjourned.

I'll be right outside, Sam. I'll drive you back to McClaren when you're finished.

Great. I can't wait.

DOUGLAS: We can help you with this fight,

but you both have to realize this is your fight.

Which means, Benny, you will have to go to court and testify.

I know. I'm
-
- I'm ready.


-Are you guys sure that you wanna live together?
-PERRY: We're sure


-GRACE: Why?
-Why?

'Cause I hate sleeping in Dumpsters.

He hates being alone.

He's "ascared" to sleep in the dark
-
-


-I am not.
-Are too.

You know if you go to court, you have to take an oath?


-I've been to court five times.
-All right.

PERRY: Look, we both got nobody else.


-Benny has us.
-Yeah?

You let him pick up your laundry or get your mail.

If he gets lucky,

he gets to sit in your Porsche and sniff the leather.

You tell him that?

PERRY: You treat him good, he knows it.

But when was the last time you had him over to eat?


-You visit him much?
-Show some respect, young man.

Benny and me need each other, okay? So just tell us.

Yes or no.

Don't go getting my hopes up.

Will you help us?

I called Judge Robbins' clerk.

We're booked for : a.m.


-Seven
-thirty?
-It was the only time she had.

Put me on the stand, and we'll go from there.

Sure these guys know what they're doing?

Hey! Respect.


-Arnie, you got a minute?
-Sure.

What's up?

Arnie, let me ask you a very direct question.


-Go ahead.
-Are you happy in your life?

Yeah. Sure.

No complaints, no regrets?

Nothing serious.

Anything you'd change if you could?

Where is this going, Susan?

I had dinner last night with Ken Feldman.

Who's Ken Feldman?

Executive producer of theSun Up Show.

And he asked me to see if you might be interested

in becoming their full
-time legal segment reporter.


-Me?
-He looked at your tapes,

he's impressed by your Q
-Rating,

and he loves your demo.

Gee, Susan, I
-
- I don't know.


-Well, if you're not interested
-
-
-I didn't say that.

I mean, I just
-
-

It's like being jumped from Single "A"

right to the big leagues.

I don't even know if I'm ready.

Well, he thinks are. So do I.

I don't know what to say. What would it involve?

First of all, it involves money.

Now, I took the liberty of feeling him out

about a three
-year, $. million deal.

He didn't blink.

Now, I might even be able to do better than that.

Are you interested?

I don't know
-
- Yeah.

I mean, I'd be crazy not to be.

Now, it's a full
-time job.

Lots of travel.

You'd have to cut back on your law practice.

Would I have to live in New York?

That would be a deal
-breaker.

I don't know.

Let me think.

Okay.

They're doing the show in L.A. for a week.

Let me arrange a lunch date,

two of you can get to know each other.

I mean, you may hate each other.

Set it up.

All right, only don't tell anyone.

You know how the rumor mill loves this stuff.

I won't.

I promise.


-Good.
-[door closes]

Come here, you gotta hear this.


-[intercom beeps]
-Yes.

WOMAN [on speaker]: Veronica Berg to see you.

Send her in.

Veronica, come in.

Douglas, I can't accept this money.


-Of course you can.
-But $,
-
-

Veronica, you're gonna need it to live,

and I have it to give.


-What else is money for?
-But you've done so much already.

You and Grace convinced the school board not to appeal, and I
-
-

Please, please. This is my way of letting you know

that you and Ricky aren't alone,

that I'll always be there for both of you.

[sighs]


-I don't know what to say.
-There's nothing to say.


-Gonna make me cry.
-Oh, come on.

This is nothing. You'd do the same for me.

How's Ricky doing?

He's back at Logan, thanks to you.

Oh, he loves it.

And the teachers say they already see progress.

Have you found a place yet?

I rented a small house,

and I'll be moving up there next week.

I've always loved Santa Barbara,

so your being there gives me a good excuse for visiting.

Douglas...

How can I ever repay you?

Have dinner with me Wednesday.

I'd love to.

Good.

Okay, got it.

[sighs] Here goes.

You nervous?

There were only two things I wanted to avoid in life:

hospitals and lawsuits

I know.

You're doing the right thing.

Miss Whitcomb, you were a scrub nurse

for Doctors Baines and Patterson during the operation,

which is the subject of this lawsuit.

That's correct.

You filed an incident report

with the operating room supervisor,

which is, in large measure, the basis for the suit.

Yes, I did.

Please describe the circumstances which led you to file your report.

The operation was to remove the patient's second lumbar disc

and to fuse the vertebrae.

Dr. Baines was almost finished

The disc was out. The fusion was done.

There's a point where the surgeon checks

to see if there's any bleeding or any sharp pieces of bone

or any disc left.

Suddenly he stopped operating.

He started turning his head from side to side.

As he turned his head, he looked at the field

with first one eye and then the other.

Then finally he asked the circulating nurse

to wipe his glasses.

Is that exhausture chronicle of Dr. Baines

strange behavior, Miss Whitcomb?

He paused for a period of time

then asked to have his glasses wiped?

Is the sarcasm really necessary?

WHITCOMB: The part about the glasses was unusual.

There was no reason to wipe the glasses.

I mean, they weren't steamed up or bloody or anything.

Were you looking out of the doctor's glasses?

My point is, is that one minute, he was operating,

and the next minute, he turns and walks out.

So I'm sure I understand you,

you're not alleging you saw Dr. Baines

make any surgical errors,

as best as it's within your capacity

as a scrub nurse to know.

No.

I did not see him make any error.

You also didn't file an incident report

at the time of the operation, did you?


-No.
-Neither that day nor the next.

No, I filed the report a week later.

when I heard the patient was paralyzed.

Which happened to be the same date

you resigned from Westside Medical and left the nursing profession.

I was planning to leave nursing for some time.

Isn't it true that you were written up by two doctors for unprofessional conduct?

Unprofessional conduct means personality conflict.

Isn't there at least one surgeon at Westside who refused to have you assist him in the O.R.?


-Why are you talking to her like that?
-Rachel.

RACHEL: She didn't make the mistake that left me like this.

She had nothing to gain by coming forward.

Why do you make it sound as if she's lying?

As much as I may sympathize with your situation, Ms. Malone,

my job is to represent the interests of Dr. Baines and Dr. Patterson.

If that means exploring the motivations

of a scrub nurse, I am going to do that.

If it means when it comes time to depose you, I explore

the possibility your paralysis may have other causes,

rest assured, I am going to do that too.

Okay, here are the pros.

Money.

Not just short term.

But if I'm good at this, I could expand

from just doing legal segments

to doing in
-studio interviews

to who knows.

And then there's the prestige factor.

I mean, you're a celebrity, but it's not like your teeny
-bopper kind of fame.

It's classier. Plus which you got your travel.

You get to meet all sorts of interesting individuals.


-Women.
-With a forum like this,

you could reach literally millions of people.

Rox, this is an opportunity to make a real difference.

Okay. What about the cons?

For one thing, I'm giving up my legal practice,

which means a lot to me.

Giving up my relationship with McKenzie Brackman,

which also means a lot to me.

And I know I'd have to spend a lot of time in New York, and I hate New York.


-What about me?
-What do you mean?


-Aren't I a consideration?
-Of course you are.


-Pro or con?
-This is not about you, Roxanne.

The hell it isn't.

We live together.

If you take this job, it changes your life.

If your life changes, my life changes.


-This is incredibly selfish of you, Rox.
-Me?

You know, most men, their wives go along with whatever they decide to do.

Their wives? Are you asking me to marry you, Arnie?

Oh, thanks a lot. I'm trying to make one of the most important

career decisions of my life,

and all you can think about is how it's gonna affect you.

Do you have an opinion as to whether Benjamin Stulwicz

would make a good parent?

I think he would make an excellent parent.

He's extremely responsible.

He owns and maintains his own house.

He's a dependable worker who very ably manages the mailroom at our law firm.

He has exceptional organizational skills.

And he's a very caring and loving person.

I'm afraid sorting the mail is a little different than raising a child, Mr. Becker.

Yes, it is. But there are a lot of lawyers and teachers

and even judges who fail miserably at parenthood.

But I know this man.

He's moral, he's loving.

Given that and given the functional intelligence that that I know Benny has,

I'm telling you, he can for it.


-Thank you.
-I have nothing further.

Mr. Becker, you first met Mr. Stulwicz

when he was arrested for as*ault and robbery.


-He was acquitted.
-Yes.

Your defense was that this man lacked the mental capacity


-to form culpable intent, is that right?
-Right.

This man was also arrested for r*pe, was he not?

Objection. That was a case of mistaken identity.

He confessed the crime to the police.

ARNOLD: Because he didn't understand the charges.

That's right. Because he didn't understand.

He thought that he was being arrested

for going to a strip joint, right, Mr. Becker?


-Yes.
-And this would
-be parent

did in fact go to a nude strip joint

where he paid a woman to take off her clothes

and talk to him.

A lot of men go to strip joints, Mr. Weisberg.

Do you?

Certainly not a habit, but I've been.

Mr. Stulwicz was again arrested in December

for disorderly conduct and as*ault

after getting into a barroom brawl.

He went to the defense of a senior citizen

who was embroiled in the fight.

And he was arrested?

ARNOLD: He was sticking up for a friend.

He's not a criminal, Mr. Weisberg.

He's a responsible person.

Do you consider joining

a religious cult responsible behavior?

He made a mistake there.

He paid the Children of God a thousand dollars.

And what did you do, Mr. Becker?

You came running to court claiming that this man

didn't have the mental faculties to enter into a contract.

And the judge disagreed.

Yes, but you said he had diminished capacity, didn't you, Mr. Becker?

You argued that this man couldn't protect his own best interests.


-Yes, but I was trying
-
-
-Yes, and now you want to vest in him

the interests of a
-year
-old boy.


-Your Honor
-
-
-Benny would make a good parent.


-Have you ever been a parent, Mr. Becker?
-Objection!

What is that supposed to mean?

I mean that you're up here giving us an expert opinion

on his ability to be a good father.

I'd like to know if you've ever tried parenthood, Mr. Becker.


-GRACE: Objection.
-How'd you do?

JUDGE: All right, Mr. Weisberg.

This line of questioning is irrelevant here.

Sorry, Your Honor. I have nothing further.

ANN: Dr. Baines, why did Ms. Malone require surgery?

She had a ruptured disc in her mid
-back

which was causing a great deal of pain.

Was there anything atypical about her condition?

She was younger than most people with such advanced disc disease,

and the rupture was higher in the lumbar column than we usually see.

It was also quite large.

Before the operation, did you discuss with Ms. Malone

the possibility of complications?

There are alwaysinherent risks in this kind of surgery.

I explained to her that there was a chance of infection and bleeding,

also that her pain might not go away.

I also told her that there was a remote possibility

that she would experience post
-operative weakness in her legs.

By weakness, do you mean paralysis?

The chance of that happening is far less than one percent.


-But it did exist.
-And did you tell her that her weakness

might include an inability to control her bladder or bowels?

That she might need a catheter and a colostomy?

Yes, those are the signals of post
-operative paralysis in this sort of procedure.

As I say, they are extremely rare.

How did the operation go, Doctor?

Technically, it went fine.

Your scrub nurse described a time

at the end of the operation

when you appeared to become disoriented.

I was hardly disoriented.

My glasses became fogged.

Your nurse didn't see any fog on your glasses, Doctor.


-Was anything wrong with your vision?
-No.


-With your coordination?
-No.

Why were you turning your head from side to side?

BAINES: I told you, so we could see better.

We sweat during an operation.

We breathe behind surgical masks.

Sometimes our glasses fog.


-ANN: But you were fine.
-BAINES: Yes.


-And the operation was technically fine.
-Yes.

And Rachel Malone is paralyzed for life.

I'm afraid so.

It's going badly, isn't it?

I didn't expect he'd admit to botching the operation, Rachel.

We're just getting him on the record.

But even the scrub nurse only said Dr. Baines had behaved strangely.

She didn't say he'd done anything wrong.

Rachel, please trust me.

We're in the process of making our case.

We got a long way to go yet.

Do you really believe I have a chance, Ann?

Do you really believe that?

Yes. I really believe it.

Cap off, Sam.


-Cap off.
-Sorry.

What was it like living with Benny?

It was great. I had my own room.

I could sleep, I could eat, T.V.

Did you go to school? Yeah. Benny made me.

And he made me get braces.

GRACE: Did he ever yell at you or hit you?

SAM: He yells at me to take a bath...

mostly when I'm dirty, sometimes when I'm clean.

He never hits me.

Before you met Benny, where were you living?


-On the street.
-GRACE: And before that?

In my mom's car, but, uh, I don't know where she is now.


-Where's your dad?
-In Detroit.

He used to b*at on my mom and me,

so we left.

GRACE: And what happened when you got to L.A., Sam?

My mom...

She left me at a gas station.

If it were up to you, Sam,

would you like to go back and live with Benny Stulwicz?


-Yeah.
-Mrs. Barrett thinks

that you should be in McClaren Hall.

Tell Miss Barrett she could go live in McClaren Hall.

They give you food and a bed.

Benny gave me a place to live.

GRACE: Thank you, Sam.

Hi, Sam. My name's Ed Weisberg,

and I'm a lawyer for the county.

I just have a few questions for you.

When you lived with Mr. Stulwicz,


-did you get a lot of homework?
-SAM: Yeah.

I'll bet it was hard. You ever ask Benny to help you with it?


-Not if I wanted the right answers.
-Why is that?

He's Ret*rded. He doesn't think real fast at school stuff.


-Doesn't that bother you?
-No.

I mean, I'm supposed to be doing my own homework anyway, right?


-Do your parents do your homework?
-[woman chuckles]


-I bet you did your own.
-You're right.

Sam, what if your friends made fun of him?

I mean, how would that make you feel?

Well, if they made fun of Benny, I'd kick their butts.

WEISBERG: Sam you gotta level with me here.

Do you think you're really gonna listen to what Benny says, a Ret*rded man?

My father wasn't Ret*rded. He used to kick me in the head.

My mother was pretty smart, and all she ever did was drink.

Benny comes home every night.

We eat together seven days a week.

You know, we play cards, we talk.

It may not seem like a lot to you.

It's all I got.

Thank you, Sam.

JUDGE: All right.

We'll reconvene tomorrow at :.

Until then, we're adjourned.

♪♪

TAPMAN: I'll be real candid with you, Arnie.

I like you, and I like what you do.

ARNIE: Thank you.

You come across as credible, and in this business, it's very important.

You have that thing.


-What thing?
-The camera loves you.

I think with you on our team, theSun Up Show

could kick some serious ass.


-I'm very flattered.
-Oh, no. No, no.

I'm not trying to flatter you here.

I'm making you an offer, Arnie,

based on my own selfish interest

which I hope will be mutually beneficial to both of us.

Well, based on what Susan Bloom told me,

the money sounds more or less adequate,

but the part that troubles me the most is giving up my law practice.

Try looking at it this way.

Uh, I like to think that you wouldn't be giving it up,

so much as
-
- as expanding it to national proportions.

I like the sound of that.

Yeah.


-Are you married?
-No.


-Gay?
-Uh
-uh.

Well, Arn, all I can tell you is,

uh, as a single guy, the kind of national exposure

you're gonna be getting from theSun Up Show,

well, uh, let's just say, if you ever wanna take your love life public,

I'd buy stock.

Tell me about Brooks Tapman.

Brooks, huh? What can I tell you about Brooks?

Uh, you know, what you see is what you get.

He's a good anchor. He's got a good mind.

He's a man's man.

What does he feel about me?

First of all, Arnie, Brooks Tapman is not the boss

of theSun Up Show,I am.

Okay. And second of all, I gotta believe that you two guys

are gonna hit it off big time.

What's Louise Harper like?

She's smart, she's tough,

she gives great interview,

and she's got major breasts.


-Married?
-In the midst of a divorce.

Arnie, something to consider here.

Maybe you could give her the benefit of your input.

Come on, Jeff.

My client's worth five points.

Okay, okay, four.

But you are stealing her. [kisses]

No, a June start date is not a problem.

Great, I'll work the rest out with legal. Ciao, babe.


-How'd it go?
-I think he liked me.

"Liked you." [chuckles]

He just called me from his car.

He is seriously pregnant.


-All right!
-[chuckles]

There is only one hurdle left.


-Brooks Tapman?
-He wants to meet you.

Oh. I hear this guy's really tough on people.

Arnie, baby, I'd always heard exactly the same thing about you.

But the truth is that you are a sensitive, caring man

that people often misunderstand,

because they confuse who you are with what you do.

That's true.

I've set up lunch tomorrow at Nicky Blair's.

Now, if anyone can forge a bond with Brooks Tapman, it's you.

It's your testimony, Doctor Patterson,

that nothing unusual or untoward occured

while you and Dr. Baines Miss Malone's surgery.

That's right. There was no hematoma,

no bone fragment,

no cord infarct,

That's why her bad outcome was so disturbing.

"Bad outcome."

That's another one of those physician's euphuisms

that I'm gonna have to get used to.

Now I keep saying that you and Dr. Baines performed the surgery,

In fact, it was pretty much Dr. Baines' show.

I assisted him, that is correct.

During the part of the procedure

in which your scrub nurse described Dr. Baines

as becoming distracted or disoriented, would that have been the time

when Dr. Baines was examining Miss Malone's spinal cord for possible damage?

Well, I do not agree with her description of Dr. Baines' behavior,

but, yes, that would have been the time he was examining the cord.

You have enormous respect for Dr. Baines, don't you?

Yes, I do
-
- professionally and personally.

Dr. Baines pioneered the procedure we used that day.

He also established a fellowship program

for orthopedic and neurosurgical residents.

I couldn't have completed my training without his generosity.

So you respect him, and you're very grateful to him as well.


-That's right.
-So grateful, that if you had any doubts

about his capacity to perform as a physician,

you'd want to protect him or at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

I have no such concerns, Ms. Kelsey.

Doctor, would the way in which Nurse Whitcomb described Dr. Baines's behaving

be consistent with someone having a petit mal seizure?

Well, that description could fit a number of conditions.

Would it describe, say, a transient ischemic episode,

what a layperson would call a minor stroke?

Yes, but I do not agree with your predicate.

In either case, wouldn't it be possible that once the episode was concluded,

Dr. Baines might be unaware that it had occurred,

that he might believe he had done the spinal cord examination


-when in fact he hadn't?
-This is preposterous!

And that given your respect and admiration and esteem for your colleague,

you might assume that he had done the examination as well?


-That is not what happened.
-GRACE: How do you know?

How dare you! I've done that operation

more times than anyone else in the world.

I have trained other surgeons to do it.

People come from all over the world to train with me.

Jack. Jack!

Take it easy.

[groans]


-Are you all right?
-Yes.

Yes, I'm
-
- I'm fine.

So, Mr. Stulwicz,

you think you can be a good parent?


-Yes.
-Well, let's say that Sam got hurt,

say he fell down some stairs and was unconscious.


-What would you do?
-I'd take him to the doctor.


-Can you drive a car?
-No.

Then how would you get him to a doctor?

I'd call Arnie or Roxanne.

What if they weren't home?

You know, we can't always rely on our friends, Mr. Stulwicz.

What if they weren't home?


-Your Honor, this is badgering.
-PROSECUTOR: What would you do?

Um, I'd
-
- I'd
-
-

I'd call .

Mr. Stulwicz,

this is a bottle of aspirin.

Could you read the label, please?

Uh... "For temporary relief

of minor aches and pains."

What's the dosage for a
-year
-old?

Um, uh...

"Adults and children over "
-
-

I'm sorry, that's over .

I asked you for a
-year
-old.

Should you give any to a baby?

Um...

PROSECUTOR: How about to a child under six?

[Benny stammering]


-I don't know.
-GRACE: Objection.

We are not talking about babies or children under six,

and testing my client like this is unfair.

I'm afraid it's relevant, Miss Van Owen.

Overruled.

Would you read the part where it says "warning," please?

"Children and teenagers should not use this medicine

for chicken pox or flu sym
-
- symptoms."

What are the symptoms of chicken pox, Mr. Stulwicz?

I don'tknow.

Would you be able to tell

if Sam were under the influence of dr*gs?


-I think so.
-How would you tell?


-I don't know.
-You don't know.

I only have one more question, okay?

Who do you think is smarter, you or Sam?


-Objection.
-I'm sorry, Your Honor, but let's face it,

this man is supposed to be a guardian.

He's mentally Ret*rded. He can't even understand a bottle of aspirin.


-GRACE: Objection.
-All right, Mr. Weisberg,

you made your point.

I have nothing further.

JUDGE: All right.

You can step down now, Mr. Stulwicz.

I'll hear closing arguments from counsel at nine a.m. tomorrow.

And I'll make my decision by the end of the day.

BAILIFF: This court is now adjourned.

[engine stops]

Douglas, I had a lovely evening. Thank you.

The pleasure was mine, believe me.

[chuckles]

Oh.

You know, I don't know how to begin to
-
-

to thank you for all that you've done for me.

Veronica, I'm gonna say something here,

and I hope it doesn't offend you...

but I've grown quite fond of you.

Well, why would that offend me?

Well, I don't know, maybe fondness isn't a strong enough word

to describe what I'm feeling.

What are you feeling?

Actually, I find myself extremely attracted to you.

Well, what would you say if I told you the feeling was mutual?

So if I were to kiss you now?

Kiss and find out.

♪♪

Your Honor, what we have here

is parenting by default.

It was kind of Mr. Stulwicz to take care of Sam Perry.

That doesn't mean he qualifies as a good father.

Sam did fall temporarily through the cracks in the system,

but that doesn't mean that a mentally Ret*rded

single man with a history of v*olence

is his best sh*t at a family.

And while we're all impressed by the affection between Sam and Mr. Stulwicz,

that doesn't mean that Mr. Stulwicz would be able to deal with

the complex, frustrating job of raising an adolescent.

As much as I admire Mr. Stulwicz for trying,

and I do,

I must ask that court deny his petition for guardianship.

Benny Stulwicz found Sam Perry looking through his garbage for food.

Sam had one pair of torn sneakers

and a thin cotton jacket.

He'd been on the streets for two months.

And the Department of Social Services didn't know he existed.

It was Benny Stulwicz who gave Sam Perry a home.

He didn't ask questions.

He didn't ask to be compensated.

He saw a child in need, and he responded.

And Sam, maybe for the first time in his life,

had someone who cared.

Right now, Sam lives in McClaren Hall,

along with other kids.

He sees a social worker maybe twice a year.

He stands in line for food, he stands in line to go to the bathroom.

People are searched before they can visit him.

And the reality is, Sam Perry will probably spend the rest of his childhood

in institutions like McClaren,

because there aren't enough people out there

who are willing or able to take these kids

into their homes.

Benny Stulwicz is willing, Your Honor.

He loves this kid.

And over the past three months,

he has proven himself more than able to take care of him.

Mr. Stulwicz would not have to ask this court's permission

to raise a child of his own.

He is asking permission to raise a child

that nobody else wants.

Please.

Don't throw Sam back into a system

that already failed him once.

Give him a chance for a real home.

Thank you.

[intercom beeps]


-You son of a bitch!
-Sheila!

How could you do that?

I assume you're talking about me and Veronica?


-[door closes]
-How could you humiliate me like this?

Sheila, no one is trying to humiliate anyone.

All this is about is two people who've discovered a mutual need to be with one another.

You're schtupping my baby sister!

Well, you schtupped my baby brother.

So I was right. You're doing this just to get back at me.

I'm not doing anything to you.

I'm doing something for me.

I didn't set out to fall in love with your sister, it just happened.


-Pervert.
-Pervert?

This is incest!

But do you care? No!

Do you think for one single minute how this is gonna make

your sons feel?

No!

All you care about is

your own disgusting perverted sexual desires.

This is not perversion! This is not incest!

This is two single people who have every right to be with each other!

I hope your thing falls off, you son of a bitch!

Yours too, you son of a bitch!

They've made a settlement offer.

A lump sum of one million dollars,

plus payment of any medical bills to date not covered by your insurance,

plus $, a year to cover ongoing costs

of care and rehabilitation for as long as you live.

It's not as much as I'd hoped.


-But they're admitting he made a mistake.
-No.

You're being compensated for your medicals,

for your pain and suffering, for your loss of income.

Dr. Baines would admit no guilt.

There would be no sanctions against him.

We would have to agree never to discuss this settlement.

No one else will ever know, except his malpractice insurance carrier.

So they raise their rates...

and he raises his.

Let's talk about the alternatives, Rachel.

If we go to trial, it could be that the jury

would not find for our side, and we'd get nothing.

Or they could find for us, and the reward could be significantly less

than you're being offered,

and you'll have to take the witness stand.

That won't be fun.

Most people wind up feeling victimized a second time.

Are you saying I should settle?

My responsibility as your lawyer is to lay out all the options.

If you're asking what I think would happen in trial,

given what we saw in that conference room yesterday,

I think we'd take them to the cleaners.

And I want to.

I want to get the Kn*fe out of that man's hands.

And what if I do win, then what?


-They'll appeal.
-How long will that take?

It could take years.

The money they are offering...

is enough to pay for my kids' educations,

enough to make sure I'll never be a burden to them.

Is the rest of it

my obligation

to see that he can't practice medicine anymore,

to be some kind of social protector?

I can't answer that question for you, Rachel.

Ann...

I haven't got the strength

or the patience to go any further.

If Dr. Baines shouldn't be practicing,

the system is going to have to find its own way to get rid of him.

I've given all I've got to give.


-So what did you think of Ken Feldman?
-He's all right.

Basically, he's a network guy.

And the network is trying to cut our operating cost to the bone.

But all things considered, he's a pretty good guy.

Mr. Tapman, may I have your autograph?

Absolutely. What's your name?

Barbara. I really admire your work so much.


-The whole show is great.
-Thank you.


-Thank you so much.
-Thank you.


-And keep watching.
-I will.

Woof. What a beast.


-[both chuckle]
-Shh!

Anyway, I know it's gonna sound corny,

but do you wanna know the truth about theSun Up Showgang?

It's a family.

Sure, we have our squabbles.

But damn it, if somebody comes after you,

they're gonna have to take on all of us.

That sounds almost too good to be true. I mean
-
-

Life is too short,

and the work is too hard.

If you can't have fun with friends you trust,


-what's the point?
-I couldn't agree with you more.

You spend much time in New York?

Um, no, not really.

It's a zoo.

If you take this job,

and I sincerely hope you do,

insist on a car and a driver.

Make it a deal
-breaker.

Good advice.

We could have a lot of fun, Arnie.

A lot of fun.

I'd call your client's particular attention

to the th term of the agreement.

I've gone over the agreement with Miss Malone, Arthur.

Any breach of the confidentiality clause

means the payments stop, Miss Malone,

and we sue for all our money back.

I understand.

Then I think our business here is concluded.

Have you discussed the AMA rules with your clients, Arthur?

Specifically the sanctions which could attach to any physician

knowingly concealing a condition which endangers his patients?

I don't need you to tell me the rules of the AMA.

Who are you operating on today, Doctor?

Is that really necessary?

You're bound by those rules, too.

You have an affirmative responsibility

to reveal knowledge of another doctor's impairment.

You do not get to lecture us, madam!

Everyone who saw you in this conference room yesterday

recognizes that you have a medical problem, Doctor,

and I'm sorry about that.

But if you continue to deny it,

you are no better than a common criminal,

and neither are those who protect you.

She's right, Jack. We both know it.

You've gotta do something.

It could be a reparable vessel.

It could be different things. We can help.


-I know, I know.
-I'll get you through it.

Some things you go through alone.


-Uh
-huh? Yeah? Yeah.
-I want it.

I'll call you back.


-Are you sure?
-Yes.

I want , the first year.

I'll give them a two
-year option after that,

then a million, then a million five,

my own dressing room, a car and driver

at my disposal whenever I'm in New York,

and I get to keep my wardrobe.

I'll see what I can do.

[exhales]

♪♪


-[chuckles]
-[door closes]

♪♪ [continues]

BAILIFF: Please be seated.

I've never had a case like this before.

I'm not sure anyone has.

On the face of things,

Mr. Stulwicz doesn't meet the standards the county sets for guardians.

But if it had been up to the county,

Sam Perry might not be alive today.

It was Mr. Stulwicz who got him off the street,

who cared for him,

who paid attention to him,

who loved him.

If that doesn't make make Mr. Stulwicz a parent,

I don't know what would.

I therefore grant Mr. Stulwicz' petition

for temporary guardianship of Sam Perry.

And I order that Sam remain a dependent of the court

and that continuing assistance be provided by the Department of Social Services.

We'll reconvene in six months,

at which time the court will review the record

and consider Mr. Stulwicz' petition for permanent guardianship.

That's all, folks.

I won?

You won.

We live together?

Oh!

Yes, you do,

Oh!

♪♪ [theme]