The Good Doctor - 03x04 - Take My Hand
Previously on "The Good Doctor"...
Message received from Mom.
Hey, baby. I got your text.
We're gonna celebrate. I'll see you soon.
I'm so proud of you, baby!
Here are flowers and chocolates.
Are you asking me out?
Yes.
I would love to.
Will we be doing this during all the commercials?
It's possible.
Hmm.
Patient came in through the celebrity track.
He was admitted through an entrance by the loading dock.
You're not to mention his name even to your colleagues.
What is his name?
Mitchell Stewart.
The conspiracy theorist?
That's a celebrity now?
A guy who thinks / was an inside job?
He's an ass.
He's an ass who needs liver surgery.
Whoa, whoa. Hold it right there.
Uhp! It's okay, Dex. They're on the list.
Drs. Murphy, Park, Andrews.
Mitchell Stewart.
I don't blindly turn over my well-being, or anything else, to those in authority, so I ran background checks on all of you.
Including Nurse Villanueva.
Nurse Villanueva is not a person in authority.
People can be gotten to... bribed, threatened.
And don't bother trying to hook up that IV until I know what you want to pump into me.
They're normal IV fluids, Mr. Stewart. Please.
I'm sure you consider whatever you give me to be normal medical treatment, but we all know that doctors are pushers in the pay of the drug companies.
The bag contains an isotonic crystalloid composed of . % sodium chloride dissolved in sterile water.
Also, given that we will soon be drugging you into unconsciousness and cutting into your body, don't you have to trust us a little?
You must be the autistic guy.
Good. No bull.
Probably doesn't know what bull is.
Bet your parents got one of those combination vaccinations.
Not connected, because science does not support an autism link.
Yeah, that's what they told you.
Mr. Stewart, suppose we focus on what we'll be doing to halt the liver damage caused by your genetic condition.
Idiopathic portal hypertension can cause...
My liver is damaged, but that's not the cause.
I've been poisoned.
His internist heard the same theory.
Tox screen came back negative.
And KCNN genetic testing confirmed the cause of his idiopathic portal hypertension.
He inherited it from his mother.
Worth running that tox screen again?
The guy has a Web show where he claims the parents of children who d*ed in school sh**t are "crisis actors."
He's earned some enemies.
Once we start doubting the tests, then you can't trust anything and there's no point in anything.
We know our patient needs liver shunt surgery.
We're doing the surgery.
You were late.
Your mom keeping you up?
Singing at night again?
No.
She's been quiet.
Ms. Barstow, I'm Dr. Browne.
This is Dr. Reznick.
What seems to be the trouble?
Nothing much, really.
I feel silly for coming here, but Jonas insisted.
Because you aren't getting any better.
Lily likes to downplay her problems.
She's the rock, and I'm the wimp.
Ah, fuss, fuss, fuss.
I've just been a little off food for a few days.
You also have a fever.
Most likely, it's an infection.
Oh, my God! Lily!
Sir, please step back. Lay back for me.
We're gonna do an ultrasound.
Her pulse is up.
Blood pressure's up, too.
Uh...
Her appendix is ruptured.
Oh, my God.
Page anesthesia stat!
We're taking her to the O.R.
We need pre-op lab results.
Patient name?
Oh, we can't tell you.
Celebrity track. You'll find the results under the ID number.
Politics, arts, business?
Is it the President?
I'll give you a hint.
He's less popular.
Well, that's disappointing.
Once we get this cleaned up, we need to figure out why her brain isn't getting the right distress signals.
How should we go about that, Dr. Browne?
We do an FMRI. Stimulate her and see how her brain reacts.
Sorry. You asked Claire, but I have lunch plans.
I have a question.
Well, hopefully, it's a quick one.
I've cleared my schedule for the rest of the day.
Debbie and I are going to City Hall to get married.
Not gonna make a big fuss out of it.
You know, get dressed up, turn it into a big event.
After all, we are not kids anymore.
This is where you say "Congratulations."
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Do you and Debbie hold hands?
Yeah. Why?
Is that what Carly wants to do?
Yes.
She tried twice.
Have you tried to explain why it's difficult for you?
No.
Well, I... I'd start with that.
How can this be important?
It's a little thing.
Carly and I are compatible on so many big things... children, geographic preferences, work priorities, the use of headphones, potential color schemes for our home...
You have a checklist?
Yes.
Carly and I are still learning about each other.
It's not like you and Debbie.
You already know these things, or you wouldn't be getting married.
Four?
Five?
I'm feeling some pain.
We can stop.
We're not getting anything.
She's fine.
We need feedback.
Eight.
Nine.
Claire, she's not feeling pain.
The only activity is in the parietal.
Nothing in the limbic, nothing in the anterior cingulate cortex.
She's feeling touch.
- But why did she just say...
- My guess?
Because she's never felt pain.
She doesn't know what it is.
Sleep apnea.
What?
That poor guy over there, I think he's got sleep apnea.
Maybe he's just tired.
It's... It's one of the most important days of his life, and he can't stay awake.
Maybe you could... you could tell him that there are treatments.
Me?
Otherwise, he's gonna keep his wife awake snoring for the rest of his life.
It's gonna destroy their marriage.
You seem very sure about that.
There's literally no greater t*rture than not getting a good night's sleep.
All right, first of all, I don't think you mean literally no greater t*rture.
Oh, no. It's true.
Once when I was in the Merchant Marine...
Merchant Marines?
It's... It's "Marine." No "S."
- You were in the Merchant Marines?
- Mm-hmm.
And we were stationed off the Azores, and every night, we were driven crazy by these loud, just, like, strangled sounds.
Turns out it was just a bunch of cagarro birds.
We were literally hearing the sound of Daffy Duck drowning.
'Course, that was nothing compared to what happened in Valparaiso.
Are you okay?
Sorry.
It's just, I... I'm not feeling so good.
You're not feeling well?
I can't do this.
What?
Is that it?
Are we finished?
Yeah, we're gonna get you out.
Uh, just a couple more questions.
Your mother d*ed age of a heart att*ck.
Were you there when that happened?
Yes. I called the ambulance.
She d*ed while we were waiting.
Check the anterior cingulate cortex.
Physical pain and emotional pain are processed through the same areas.
Nothing.
But we don't know how she feels about her mother.
It's your mother. When she goes, there is a vacuum.
What about your husband?
Has he had any problems lately?
He had a cancer scare about a year ago.
Slight activity here, but it's pretty weak.
You want to argue that she doesn't like her mother and her husband?
Wow. Sh...
She's like... a superhero.
Nothing can really hurt her.
Is everything okay?
Your right hand is red.
Starting to swell.
What does that mean?
Infection.
Hello. Your surgery went well.
If there are no delayed complications, you should be discharged in a few days.
Hey!
That's great, but what about the big picture?
Once I'm out of here, I'll go back to being poisoned.
You make many statements that have been proven wrong.
Do you really believe them?
You want to untangle what's real and what's for show?
Now you're talking.
Okay.
Do you think vaccination damage is being covered up?
Yes.
Do you think the parents of children k*lled in school sh**t are "crisis actors"?
I can't answer for individuals, but I do believe there's a force in this country that wants to scam our people into laying down their arms.
But I no longer think there's a pedo-sl*ve-ring in a basement under that pizza joint.
That was a wrong call.
What did you do when you realized you'd made an error?
Nothing.
No apologies, no admissions.
The second you say you were wrong, they'll make it seem like everything you know is wrong.
You can't give them that amm*nit*on.
Then you're not really offering the truth.
Maybe if people saw you admit you were wrong, maybe they'd believe you more.
No.
There is no middle ground.
Compromise is a scam.
When only one side can get what it wants, make sure it's yours.
We have to surgically remove all infected tissue.
Immediately. Stop it from spreading.
We discovered that Lily can't feel pain, which is why the appendicitis went untreated, causing a widespread infection.
I can't... feel pain?
That makes no sense.
Whatever stimulation your nerves receive, your brain doesn't acknowledge it as pain.
No, I feel pain.
Do you? Because I'm pinching you.
I feel it.
But you didn't jump or react. You felt it as a touch.
Physical or emotional pain, it doesn't matter.
Okay, let's go. O.R. .
Stop hiding.
I'm not hiding. I'm thinking.
Well, I've done my thinking, and what I've come up with is,
I deserve a better explanation than "I can't do this."
Because that was humiliating.
I'm sorry.
You're sorry?
What does that mean?
Are we going back tomorrow?
Never? What?
You are the one that proposed to me.
You're the one that told me how happy our being together makes you.
It makes me happy. It does.
But when I proposed to you, y-you even said, "I don't know you."
Is... Is that what this is about?
Because I was...
Because I was in the Merchant Marine?
I mean, yes, okay, I... I... I... it makes me wonder what else I don't know about you.
But more importantly, it makes me realize you don't know anything about me.
I am really annoying.
I'm easily irritable.
Like when people use the word "literally" about things that aren't literal.
I am impossible to live with.
Maybe literally.
That's been made very clear to me in the past.
I don't want to go two years and get divorced.
Divorcing you would hurt.
Thank you.
But that's a bunch of crap.
You know that, right?
We have different personal styles.
You like to examine things from every angle, and I... I like to take a leap into the dark every now and then.
You're right.
I am not a leaper.
I am a toe-dipper.
Takes me two hours to get into the ocean even when it's warm.
I know that you're good for me.
And I know that I'm good for you, Aaron.
Since meeting me, you've jumped ship from a comfortable career because you decided that you were missing something.
And... you asked a complete stranger to marry you.
Who knows what's next?
I guess you'll have to keep thinking.
Dr. Browne, widen the debridement.
Extending the incisions proximally.
Her husband thought she was a rock.
Turns out she's a rock because nothing matters to her.
You're making assumptions.
We were monitoring her reaction to pain.
Love wasn't part of the test.
You care, you hurt.
Maybe not Lily.
She married this man.
She stayed with him for years.
Maybe for her, love can exist without the pain of loss.
That would be paradise.
There is way more necrotic tissue here than I expected.
She's gonna lose the hand.
Well, if anyone can handle bad news...
Are you going to take my hand?
Not right now, no.
I don't like to hold hands.
Either we hold hands or we don't.
There's no compromise.
Only one of us can get what they want.
- I guess that's true...
- It should be me.
Holding hands makes me uncomfortable.
Not holding hands doesn't make you uncomfortable.
That show we watched the other night... it had a happy ending.
Because they stopped the story in a good place.
But in real life, it's gonna get dark and cold out there.
All we have... is this.
This says we're in it together, we've got each other's back, that we'll hold each other up for as long as we can.
I can say all those things verbally.
You could shout them, and it wouldn't say it as loud as this.
You said that not holding hands wouldn't make me uncomfortable, but it would.
I would feel...
...separate.
It's all right.
You've actually been lucky, considering you have no warning system.
You need to be doing self-checks... knees, feet, elbows, hands.
Look for bruises, discolorations.
Anything at all that changes could be dangerous... life-threatening.
But there's another option.
Naloxone affects the central nervous system.
It's been shown to block the action of pain-lowering endorphins.
It could give you the ability to feel pain.
I don't see the point.
I've been fine so far.
Guess that sounds a little silly.
I know... I just lost a hand.
But now I know about checking myself, and I'll be a lot more careful.
Why is one gesture so important?
Carly still pushing you to hold hands?
No.
I tried, and she said it was all right.
Huh.
You should give me context for that "Huh."
She wants it.
She's just given up.
Good.
No.
Not if it's gonna bother her for the rest of your relationship.
Which may not be very long.
Huh.
Uh-oh.
We need to do imaging to make sure the problem isn't the shunt, then check there isn't a clot causing backup...
The surgery was a success, but I'm still being poisoned?
No. The surgery was a success, but your liver's still deteriorating.
We don't know why.
Jen, check me out of here.
Find another hospital.
I can't approve that, Mr. Stewart.
You're in no condition
- to leave the hospital
- You just confirmed that someone in this hospital is poisoning me.
You want me to cooperate with the suspects?
Another hospital wouldn't solve your problem.
People can be gotten to.
Bribed or threatened.
Right. Someone here wants to k*ll me.
No one is trying...
Let's constrain some of these variables.
One person touches me.
Him.
He doesn't know how to lie.
Oh, I can lie.
Yes, but not successfully. Good choice.
Will I be able to play tennis?
Yes... eventually.
Funny... I never could before.
You always take things well.
We had to pick up and move from Durham.
Well, that was for your job.
No sense in moping about it.
The miscarriage.
You never talked about it, so...
I never talked about it, I didn't want to hurt you.
But... did you not talk about it because you just weren't thinking about it?
What are all these questions for?
I thought we were carrying the load together, knowing how each other felt.
This isn't about us.
This is just... a medical condition.
If I d*ed, would you care?
Would you miss me, or, uh, would you just... move on?
Would you want me to be miserable?
I want it to matter.
Of course it matters.
You know I love you.
Jonas.
Maybe... you think it's love, but it's like the pain... it just doesn't go that deep.
But isn't it possible for me to love you without it being all wrapped up in suffering?
But that's how it works.
When you lose someone, it shouldn't be like your hand.
It should ache.
That's right, isn't it?
That's what loss feels like?
I need to get away for a while.
I'm sorry.
Next, we're going to test you for autoimmune hepatitis and fatty liver.
Those are diseases whose symptoms overlap yours.
They might have been masked by your idiopathic portal hypertension.
Nurse Villanueva. Welcome.
But you know I'm not gonna touch that.
The dietician ordered it for you, and I'm required to bring it.
What are you eating if you're refusing hospital food?
Uh...
grams of protein a day.
- Kale and baby greens.
- Hey.
"Leopard Spring."
Jen, Dex, you mind stepping out?
It's Chinese herbs.
To make you feel younger, more energetic, more... virile.
You don't feel virile?
Of course I do, but there's nothing wrong with feeling more virile.
I need strength for the fight.
You're not talking. Is there a problem?
No. These herbs are harmless.
You asked about my virility.
I was curious.
We're going to test you for autoimmune hepatitis and fatty liver.
What's up?
I tested a patient for autoimmune hepatitis and fatty liver.
What's up with you?
Our patient decided to take the dr*gs.
Because I guess a husband walking out can make an impression even on a woman who feels no pain.
That's a lot of paperwork for two tests.
They were negative.
I thought I might find something in his mother's old records that could help, but no, no.
Her case was straightforward.
His parents were both alcoholics, but her liver was already weakened by her condition.
Parents both alcoholics?
No wonder he thinks people in authority like to deny the truth.
He's grown up now, Claire.
No longer in that position.
There's still plenty of lying going on in the world.
That's not a situation you outgrow.
Yes.
There is a lot of lying.
Want to hear my theories?
Fight with your mother is number one.
You're debating whether to throw her out.
This theory explains what?
Why the usually compassionate Dr. Claire Browne envies a woman who feels no pain.
You're miserable, torn.
You don't know what to do to make your own pain go away.
Want to hear my theory?
People that aren't you are doing great, so you're looking for a toy you can break, a pet you can t*rture.
- Is she in pain?
- No.
What are her vitals?
Vitals are fine.
Then how can she be in crisis?
I don't know. But she is.
Lily?
Are you okay?
Lily?
I never noticed how ugly the walls are.
I've discovered the cause of your liver problem.
Really? Fatty liver? Autoimmune?
I've never had any symptoms of...
No. You were being poisoned.
What?
Who? Do you know who? How?
I thought maybe the dose of herbs
listed on the bottle was wrong...
There's a toxic dose in there?
No. There are no herbs at all in here.
It contains sildenafil.
It's the active element in Viagra.
It promotes blood flow in your penis.
I know what it does.
They say it's natural herbs.
They lied.
Your idiopathic portal hypertension means your liver is vulnerable to abuse.
The amount of sildenafil in here wouldn't k*ll most people, but if someone with pre-existing liver issues took it every day...
You were right.
You've been poisoning yourself.
It's good news.
Those Communist bastards.
I think they're based in San Pedro.
Mr. Barstow.
Is Lily all right?
She's on medication to reverse her pain-free condition, but it's hit her hard.
She's being wrung out by all the negative thoughts and feelings the rest of us have all built calluses against.
But she made the right choice?
I mean, she needs this to be safe.
I don't think she's doing this to be safe.
I think she's doing this because you walked out.
Why?
You were happy for years.
Now you're sure you can't be happy unless your wife changes?
I want her to feel everything I feel.
The love, the pain... everything.
Wouldn't you?
The residents in this hospital work long hours.
You know why?
Because the surgeons in charge worked long hours when they were residents.
They suffered, so we have to suffer.
It's human nature.
What does that...
But someone like your wife, so invulnerable, it's... it's like she's gotten away with something.
It's hard not to resent her.
Sure, we want to "cure" her, but how much of it is... is to give her a warning system, and how much is because we want to pull her down into hell with the rest of us?
Are you married now?
No.
I chickened out.
Apparently, I don't like change.
Change makes me very nervous.
I'm not the easiest man in the world to live with.
My first wife made that very clear.
It's true.
You can be very irritating.
Are you saying I shouldn't get married?
Are you asking for my advice?
Yes.
You've never really asked before.
And this is an important decision.
Your happiness depends on it.
This is huge.
Well?
Oh. I don't have any advice.
I don't even understand the issue.
I also don't understand why you asked when you've already made up your mind.
What?
You usually call her your ex-wife.
You just called her your "first."
It implies a second.
Why are you staring in your trunk?
Something in here the answer to your problem?
Yoga mat... gym bag..
Extra sneakers...
Here's a little earthquake kit.
So sensible.
Dirty towel.
Ooh! What's this?
Put it back.
It's my mom.
Why are you jumping?
I'm not jumping. I'm leaping.
Come on. Come leap with me.
We both can't leap on that thing.
Oh!
Are you okay?
Never better.
Will you leap with me... to City Hall?
Yes, I will.
Also, I may have done something to my ankle.
Do you want me to... call someone...
Je ne regret nothing, baby.
I left the champagne because I was so ready for victory.
Now I don't even know what to do with the damn ashes.
Leave them on a shelf in the closet with the spare towels?
Put them down the disposal?
What did she want done with them?
It was stupid. I'm sure she was joking.
Yeah, everyone jokes in their will.
The Marine Science Center.
She loved sea lions.
She'd take me to see them all the time. It was a thing.
Any city we were in, "I wonder if they have sea lions."
You need to do it. Now.
No. No.
It is a pointless gesture because my mother is dead and she doesn't care.
Perfect.
The center's open this evening for an after-hours event.
We'll have to dress up.
The winner of tonight's vote for Most Fabulous Sea Creature, the vampire squid!
I feel ridiculous!
You look great.
You could give the vampire squid a run for her money.
Now let's find the sea lions.
You came back.
Yeah.
Thank God.
We'll stop this.
It'll be all right.
Doctor, you got to get this stuff out of her IV.
You don't need it.
If you have to be careful about getting hurt, I'll be there to help you.
The "stuff" was removed some time ago.
Before Dr. Browne went off-shift, she told me that Lily was experiencing some problems.
So I thought it best to discontinue the medication for a while.
She's as she was when you left her.
You never cry.
When I saw you sitting there,
I've never been so happy in my whole life.
I thought you didn't want to "make a fuss."
Yeah.
Who knew?
This seems weird.
It is weird.
Most people have some kind of ritual all ready for them so they don't have to think about this kind of stuff.
You got a prayer?
I'm not religious.
Neither was my mom.
Everybody has a religion.
Not everybody has a god, but everybody has a religion.
Music.
Your mother's religion was music.
Sing.
By the sea lion colony at a drag pride party?
Or you can just dump it out and feel weird.
Your call.
♪ Ama... ♪
Okay.
♪ Ama... ♪
♪ ...zing grace ♪
Oh, God.
♪ How sweet ♪
♪ The sound ♪
♪ That saved ♪
♪ A wretch ♪
♪ Like meeeeeeeeeeee ♪
♪ I once ♪
♪ Was lost ♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ Am found ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ I seeeeeeeeeee ♪
♪ 'Twas grace that taught ♪
♪ My heart to fear ♪
♪ And grace, my fears ♪
♪ Relieved ♪
♪ How precious did ♪
♪ That Grace appear ♪
♪ The hour I first ♪
♪ Believed ♪
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
♪ That saved a wretch ♪
♪ Like meeeeeeeeeeee ♪
♪ I once was lost ♪
♪ But now am found ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now I see ♪