08x11 - It Is What It Is, Until It Isn't

[bunniefuu]

You never told me
you were in an accident.

I know how it looks.

How am I supposed to believe you?

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

We've had a couple very
pleasant coffees together.

How about we, um, I don't know,
advance to, uh... to dinner?

My apartment. : .

[HUMMING]

Did I hear something about
an inmate from Cook County?

Yeah. Shanked in the neck.

His last name's Archer.

Dad.

It's gonna be okay, my boy.

♪ ♪

[BUZZER BLARES]

Sean, what is the matter? What's wrong?

Are you hurt? Are you in trouble?

- Dad, take a breath.
- What's wrong?

I'm getting all these calls...

Well, something's come up.

Huh?

I'm getting out.

[SOFT MUSIC]

You're getting... You're getting out?

Uh, it... what... really?

- Uh, when?
- Tomorrow.

[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]

Wow.

And, uh, it's a done deal?

You got months left on your sentence.

I know. I guess good behavior.

Compassionate release. Overcrowding.

Who cares?

You're getting out.

[BOTH CHUCKLING]

So what's... what's the... What's next?

You... you... You going back to school?

Or you gonna get a job or what?

Oh, right now,
I just wanna get to tomorrow.

Well, I'm... I'm... I'm happy for you.

[LAUGHS]

♪ ♪

Liliana? Fantastic cook.

Man, she made me this dish last night.

Kluski... kluski slaskie?
Kluski slaskie.

[LAUGHING] You can't pronounce it.

[LAUGHS] I don't have a clue.

I can't pronounce any of
the dishes she's made for me.

Wait, "dishes"? Plural?

I've been over to her house
twice for dinner now.

Third one's on the books.

Oh, that's wonderful, Daniel.

I'm so happy for you.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

How are you doing? How's biz?

There's still a few
supply snags here and there,

but no major headaches.

And I probably just jinxed it.

- Uh-oh.
- You know.

It's quiet today doesn't mean
it's quiet tomorrow.

- Tell me about it.
- [LAUGHING]

- Keep up the good work.
- Bye.

Oh, Maggie.

Oh, good morning.

Morning. I have an idea.

Came to me on the train on the way in.

- Balderdash.
- Balder-what?

Dash. It's a party game.

For the next, uh,
game night at your place.

It's been a while since you've had one.

Yeah, not sure when there'll
be another one, though.

No worries. Just putting in
the request now.

Hoping to level out the playing field.

Ah.

Balderdash is a solo game,

so you and Ben can't join forces

and destroy the rest of us
like you did in Heads Up!

You got this.

Keep working the beta.
Flow through the moves.

I have no idea what any of that means.

[WHIMPERS] Okay.

I think I'm stuck.

No, you're good.

Right leg up on the next hold.

Okay.

Left hand up and over.

There we go.

That's right, Asher. Send it.

- [GRUNTS]
- [LAUGHS]

Wow. Nice reach.

- Aah!
- Oh!

[GROANS]

[BELL RINGING]

. . Nice job, Omar.

What do you say?

- Give it another try?
- I got close.

Makes it all the more worth it
when you ring that summit bell.

[GROANS] [BELL RINGING]

Omar? You good, man?

No one on belay. Omar, you clipped in?

- Is he okay?
- I don't think so.

Clip in, Omar!

Omar, clip in!

[SCREAMING]

[cr*ck] [GROANING]

Oh, my God. I'll call .

[GROANING] Stay with me, man.

Stay with me.

Hi. This is Dr. Hannah Asher.

I need an ambulance at the
rock climbing gym off Morgan.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Courtney, what do we got?

Omar Thomas, .

Long fall while indoor rock climbing.

Landed on his heels with axial load.

No loss of consciousness.

Heart rate . BP / .

Gave him of morphine in the ambo,

but he's still in pain.

He a friend of yours?

- Gym buddy.
- All right.

Omar, we're gonna take good care of you.

Okay, buddy?

Nice and easy. On my count, all right?

One, two, three.

[GROANING]

Give me of fentanyl for the pain.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Lungs are clear.

♪ ♪

Belly's soft.

Smelling alcohol on his breath.

Yeah, we smelled that too.
Think it's beer.

He wasn't clipped in. No one on belay.

I don't see him making
those kinds of rookie mistakes

without being impaired.

Okay, Kathleen, uh,

X-rays of his chest, pelvis,
hips, knees, and ankles.

Mindy, CT head, CTLS abdomen and pelvis,

standard trauma labs
and type and screen.

Let me see your hands.

Ooh, that's a gnarly rope burn.

Yeah. I'll be fine.

Dr. Asher, Leah's asking
for you in the waiting room.

All right. Let me change first.

Cool water and aloe on those hands.

And keep me updated on him, okay?

- Thank you.
- You got it.

Hey, Leah. You needed me?

Name's Jodie Dunner.

Says she's having
an endometriosis flare-up.

She's been crying since she signed in.

Okay. Thank you.

Ms. Dunner, I'm Dr. Asher.

[GROANS]

I hurt so bad.

Endometriosis is... it's cruel.

[LAUGHS] I'm a yoga teacher.

I practice patience for a living,

but this pain, it's...

Come on.

Let me help you to an exam room.

Uh, is it my turn?

Triage system.

Your pain's bumping you
to the front of the line.

- Here.
- [EXHALES SHAKILY]

Hook him up. I'll be right there.

- Hey.
- How's Omar?

Bilateral tibiotalar dislocations.

No broken spine or pelvis.

No fractured femurs.

Liver and spleen are still intact.

I figured you'd agree
that that's good news.

It is.

It's just Omar's BAC was only . .

What's that, two beers?

He wasn't drunk, so why'd he fall?

Maybe he just made a mistake.

Dr. Marcel, Dr. Lieu,

something's not right with Mr. Thomas.

Mr. Thomas?

What happened to my legs?

Justin?

Yeah, Omar, it's me.

You were in an accident
at the gym this morning,

and you fell.

Dislocated both your ankles.

What? I did?

Where am I?

What... what happened to my legs?

You had an accident, Mr. Thomas.

You fell, injured your ankles.

Justin?

All right, hang in there
for me, Mr. Thomas.

Uh, Dr. Lieu, doors.

Some, uh... Some sort of memory loop?

Maybe a whiplash injury, concussion?

I literally caught him
when he hit the ground.

He didn't hit his head.

The summit bell.

He kept ringing it.

Same sort of loop like he's doing now.

But it was before the fall.

All right, first things first.

Let's reduce his dislocation.

Soon as that's done,

let's pull in Dr. Charles, okay?

Just so you know, I've never officially

been diagnosed with endometriosis.

Yeah, I noticed that in your chart.

[SIGHS] My sister, though, she has it.

[LAUGHS] We're so alike.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

- Tender?
- Yeah.

In my back.

Your back? Really?

Endo pain is primarily focused
in the pelvic area.

Uh, I don't know.

I guess it's radiating.

About to start my period.
Maybe that's why.

All right, well,
I'd like to run some tests,

do a bimanual exam, then an ultrasound.

Sure. Yeah, anything.
I just want to feel better.

Do you think I could
get something now, though?

For the pain?

How about Tylenol?

Okay. If you think it'll help.

, milligrams acetaminophen.

That's it? For this degree of pain?

Yeah, I want to hold off
on anything stronger for now.

Okay.

[INTERCOM BEEPS]

Dr. Halstead, you're going to five.

Cesar, talk to me.

Aaron Curtis, . Severe abdominal pain.

He doubled over at work
while stocking shelves.

BP / . Heart rate .

Sats %.

of morphine given in the ambo.

All this ain't necessary.

Maybe, but you're here now,
so let us check you out.

[SIGHS]

Okay, on my count. One, two, three.

[GROANS]

Thank you.

Look, my manager at the grocery store,

that's who called the ambulance.

He's just overreacting. That's all.

Sorry we can't take your word for it.

Hey, Aaron, your stomach pain,

did it just start this morning,
or you been feeling it a while?

I don't know. Couple days.

Can you describe it?

Dull? Sharp? In between?

Aah!

- Ooh.
- Okay. Sharp.

KUB.

We're gonna grab some X-rays,
see what's going on.

I know it's uncomfortable,
but stay still, okay, Aaron?

Please...

just let me up out of here.

X-ray up. Clear. [MACHINE BEEPS]

That's a b*llet, Aaron.

You were sh*t?

Okay, let's turn him.

Nice and easy.

[GROANING]

There you are.

Partially healed entry wound
in the left flank.

I'd guess it's a few days old.

What happened, Aaron?

Aaron?

Triple contrast CT.

Maybe it'll tell us something.

♪ ♪

Were you able
to get anything out of him?

Nope. He won't share the what, when,

or why of his g*nsh*t.

Yeah, something sketchy went down.

So, Aaron, here's where we are, okay?

The b*llet is resting

just above the neck of your pancreas.

Do I need an operation?

Trauma surgeon doesn't think so.

Then I could bounce?

The pancreas is very unforgiving.

Just because you're stable now

doesn't mean you're out of the woods.

There's one more thing.

By law, g*nsh*t wounds have
to be reported to the police.

Aaron...

If you're in trouble,
maybe we can help you.

You just gotta talk to us.

It doesn't matter what I say.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Hmm.

Vegan portabella mushroom jerky.

Yeah, low in sodium.

- Lower on taste.
- Mm.

- Your kidneys thank you.
- Huh.

Well, they better. What's up?

Ah, OpioHealth,

that new AI program
that the hospital's testing out

to assess a patient's risk
of opioid abuse?

Yeah, it's one of those new technologies

designed to sniff out
doctor shoppers, yeah?

Yeah, well, I ran
my endometriosis patient's name

through it, Jodie Dunner.

She was red-flagged.

Well, I can see why.

That's a lengthy prescription history.

Opioids, benzos, barbiturates.

Yeah, reads like a classic pill-seeker.

And given that her primary
complaint was back pain,

I thought so too.

But now, I'm not so sure.

Uh, okay. What do you need?

Second opinion.

The AI program tagged her as high-risk.

That means if it is endo,

I'm locked out
of prescribing her meds, but...

As chief of the ED,

I can override the OpioHealth program.

[SIGHING] Yes.

Dean, you know my past.

It takes one to know one, but Jodie...

I'm just not getting that vibe from her.

Mm.

[CHUCKLES]

Maggie?

Maggie.

Oh, I'm sorry. What do you need?

Treatment seven is cleared
and turned over.

Everything good?

Yeah, of course.

Okay.

Hey, they're done.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

So he, uh, tell you what happened?

No, he probably doesn't want
to dig his hole any deeper.

And what does that mean?

Area South Robbery-Homicide's
working a case off st

from last week.

Mini-mart got stuck up.

Clerk pulled a g*n,
tried to protect himself.

Took one to the chest.

Didn't make it.

And you think Aaron's your guy?

The description we got on the offender:

male, Black, average height,
medium build, hoodie.

Clerk fired off a round
before he went down.

Separate blood on the scene
shows he hit someone.

Detective working the case
is on his way over.

We're gonna sit on the room
until he gets here.

All right. Thanks, guys.

Be advised...

I know these guys are
just chasing leads, but...

Male, Black,
average height, medium build?

That could be a lot of people, Will.

Yeah, and getting sh*t
doesn't mean you're a criminal.

I mean, the way that Aaron
took my hand at the intake,

the way he looked into my eyes...

I felt it too.

I mean, I don't know
if he did it or not...

but I'm certain that they've
already made up their minds.

♪ ♪

S... [SIGHS]

So I fell while I was climbing.

I dislocated both my ankles,

and they're set now.

And that's what these casts are for.

Exactly.

And we were talking about next steps.

- Can you remember what we said?
- Right.

Yeah, you said... You said that...

You said... [SIGHS]

Damn it! [MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY]

I don't... I don't know.

Omar, you had a big fall.

It's not okay. Why can't I remember?

What... what is happening to me?

Um, Omar,

your... your blood pressure
is getting a little high,

so we're gonna give you some
medicine to bring it back down.

Just breathe in through your nose.

[INHALES DEEPLY]

- Out through the mouth.
- [EXHALES DEEPLY]

[BEEPING REGULATES]

In through the nose...

and out through the mouth.

Okay. You know what, buddy?

I'm gonna let you rest a little bit,

but I want you to be assured

we're gonna figure this out.

Uh, in the meantime,

can I get you another sandwich?

You kind of m*nled that one.

No? All right.

I will, uh, check back in a bit.

Clearly, he's got some kind
of short-term memory issue,

uh, which is understandably
stressing him out a little bit.

I mean, you know Omar, right?

Can you tell me a little bit about him?

He's only been climbing a few years,

but he's a star at the gym.

He trains hard. Disciplined. Driven.

All right. So more of a type A?

You thinking he had a mental break

from pushing himself too hard?

Well, memory loss can be a result

of a number of psychiatric conditions,

but it can also be neurologic.

You know what I want to do?

I want to get a nutrition panel.

- See what we get, go from there?
- Okay.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

- Any discomfort?
- Kind of.

Mm?

Can you be more specific?

How does this feel?

Um, I guess pressure.

Pressure, like
I'm pressing on your abdomen?

Yeah. Sorry. It's just hard to describe.

Okay. Pressing farther up
now, near your diaphragm.

How does this feel?

Same, I guess.

Okay.

Not sharp, stabbing?

No, just... like pressure.

Okay, Jodie, I don't think
this is endometriosis.

But to be sure,
I'm gonna run some tests.

CT, MRI, diagnostic lap.

Lap? What's that?

Uh, laparoscopy.

We insert a scope into your abdomen,

check out what's going on.

- Surgery?
- Yeah.

And unfortunately, we won't be able

to give you pain meds beforehand,

'cause it might interfere
with the results.

Okay. I get it.

Hey, it'll be all right.

Uh, pupils practically pinpoint.

Overall listlessness.

Yeah, all signs she's high.

Her tox screen was likely
a false negative.

She probably loaded up on water
before coming in,

knew it could dilute her urine sample.

Yeah, doubt she saw a mountain of tests

coming her way,
and I didn't get the sense

that she knew that they were phony.

No, my guess is that right now,

she's planning her escape

before any social workers
become involved.

I believed her,

or I don't know, maybe
I just wanted to believe her.

Look, you... you thought
Jodie was in pain, okay?

You didn't care what kind.
You just wanted to help.

♪ ♪

How long has the detective
been with Aaron?

About ten minutes.

He's not talking to him either.

[CHIMING]

He was sitting there,
and then his eyes rolled back.

And he just slumped.

Aaron?

[MONITOR BEEPING]

Aaron? Bag him.

BP's a mess. / and falling.

Roll him.

Huge melanotic stool.

He's bleeding into his GI tract.

Two units of blood
on the rapid transfuser.

Already on it.

Watch your step.

All right, we're moving. CT. Let's go.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

You said I didn't need surgery.

Well, that was before.

Your condition has deteriorated.

The b*llet has eroded
into the, uh, the neck of the pancreas.

That means it's touching the organ,

making it bleed into the tube
that drains your intestines.

It won't stop on its own?

It may... or it may not.

The safest option is to go in,
take out the b*llet,

and remove the damaged area
of the pancreas.

No. No surgery. No.

Look, Aaron, your, uh,
blood pressure's unstable.

You've lost a lot of blood.

Opening me up means he gets the b*llet.

I know how it works.

He gonna use it
to tie me to the robbery.

Are you saying that you were there?

I was there, but I didn't rob nobody.

Definitely didn't sh**t nobody.

I was getting a sandwich
on my way to work.

Went to the counter to pay,
and next thing I know,

a guy's jacking the place.

I mean, he got a g*n.

Clerk got a g*n.

They f*ring.

I ran.

I felt getting hit, but...

I just kept running.

It's been a week, though.

Why didn't you come forward,

tell the police, us,
when you first came in?

Because trust has to go both ways.

Look, I grew up bouncing
house to house in foster care.

Spent time living on the street too.

People like me...

it don't matter what really happened.

We gonna get blamed for it.

I ain't the guy.

I swear.

Look, Aaron, your pancreas is bleeding,

and without surgery,
your life could be at stake.

And if I get it, my life could be over.

I seen people get convicted
and sent away forever.

They were innocent too.

I'm gonna take my chance
the bleeding stops on its own

rather than put my fate in his hands.

No surgery.

Okay.

[MONITOR BEEPING RAPIDLY]

She's seizing.

milligrams of Ativan.

Naloxone on standby.

- Overdose?
- It looks like it.

- Thought you had eyes on her.
- I did.

I was watching her like a hawk
so she couldn't bolt

before the addiction counselor
came down.

So she hasn't used at all recently?

Not a chance.

- [BEEPING REGULATES]
- Okay.

So if not an OD, maybe withdrawal?

Yeah, doubt it.

She's missing all the telltale symptoms.

Agitation, runny nose,
watery eyes, dilated pupils.

Well, endometriosis
doesn't trigger seizures.

So if not an OD
and not withdrawal, what is it?

Let's get a CT head and chest,
this time for real.

Hey, so I, uh...

I got Omar's nutrition panel back.

Serious B deficiency.

Body can't generate B .

We only get it from food.

This low a level means
Omar's not eating enough.

Probably been malnourished
for a while now.

Eating disorders aren't uncommon

- in the rock climbing community.
- Really?

You're fighting gravity
with only fingertips and toes,

so lighter's better.

Uh, what do you say
we hang some IV nutrients?

Those memory issues
should resolve pretty quick.

[PHONE BUZZING]

Will, he's here.

- Thanks for coming.
- Uh-huh.

So I, uh, looked at the security video

- from the mini-mart.
- Yeah.

Crap footage and bad angles.

You can tell something's going on,

but you don't know who's doing what.

Eyewitness statements?

All over the place.

So no proof that Aaron's the offender,

but no proof that he's not either.

No. I spoke with the manager

at the grocery store
where he stocks shelves.

Said he always comes in early.
Leaves late.

"Aaron's a great guy. Wish I
had more like him." His words.

He ever been in trouble before?

No run-ins with the police.

No criminal record. No contact card.

No g*ng affiliation.

So what do you think, Kevin?

Uh, I mean, it's not my case, Maggie.

Hey, look, I know we're asking you

to speak out of turn, but
Aaron's passing on a surgery

he desperately needs over this.

Well, you know, I like to say

that there's always a why
before there's a who.

There is no why
for Aaron in this robbery.

I mean, I don't believe
that he's good for it,

but that's the way I see it.

I mean, the state's attorney is hungry.

With an election coming up,
he might see it differently.

- Right.
- All right. Thanks, man.

Yeah. I'll be here if you need me.

- Good seeing you.
- Mm-hmm.

So, Jodie, we've got an answer.

Okay.

Your back pain
is not from endometriosis.

It is from a Pancoast tumor.

- Whoa. A tumor?
- Yes.

It's a rare lung cancer.

Your body's response to it
caused pinpoint pupils

and ultimately your seizure.

So it's right here.

Oh, God. That's in me?

It is, but it doesn't appear
to have metastasized.

Do you know what that means,
metastasized?

Um... I'm not sure.

It means that the cancer hasn't spread.

So it'll make it easier to treat.

The tumor can be removed surgically.

It's called resection.

Do you understand?

I...

I think so.

Okay, Jodie, Dr. Archer and I
are gonna step outside.

We'll be right back, okay?

That was not an informed consent.

Postictal confusion from the seizure?

Could be, or it could be

another complication from the tumor.

There were some glimmers
of recognition, though.

Yeah. I'll call psych, get their take.

Okay.

, , .

- Keep going?
- No, it's good stuff.

How about that word sequence I gave you?

Let's give that a sh*t.

Um, San Antonio.

Bubblegum.

- Shoelace, ice skate, stapler.
- Excellent.

Well, looks like your memory's
certainly coming back.

Justin, man... [SIGHS]

I'm sorry for putting you
through all this.

I have a tendency to overdo things.

Actually, wondering if we
could talk to you about that.

Maybe discuss your eating habits.

Oh, yeah.

I can see how that looks now.

[SIGHS]

Right after the world shut down
'cause of COVID,

I started getting these headaches.

And I read online

if you drink two pints of beer
a day, it helps,

so I started drinking two pints a day.

But it didn't work, so I added exercise.

Rock climbing was perfect,
'cause it was...

It was outside,
socially distant, challenging,

but now I was...

I was sporting this beer belly,

so I... I started dieting.

And I noticed that you...

You only ate
the... the tomato and the lettuce

out of your sandwich,
so I'm assuming vegetarian?

Uh, and keto.

- And keto?
- Yeah.

Wow, okay.

So you mentioned that this...

This all started with headaches, right?

Are you still getting those?

Actually, uh, yeah.

- Yeah, I do.
- Okay.

I want you to do something for me.

I want you to look at my finger.

Follow my finger with just your eyes,

without moving your head, okay?

Mm-hmm.

What the hell?
I... I can't move my eyes.

- It's okay.
- No, I can't move my eyes.

No, it's all right. Just close 'em.

[STAMMERING] No, but what's wrong?

- I can't move my eyes!
- Close your eyes, all right?

- Close your eyes.
- Okay.

Okay, order an MRI.

I'm scared.

Oh, I'm... I'm... I'm really scared.

It's all right, Omar.
Keep 'em closed, all right?

Keep 'em closed.

- Any progress?
- No.

Well, we'll just have
to keep hanging blood

and hope for the best.

Dr. Halstead.

Ms. Lockwood.

We've positively matched blood

from pads discarded
in Aaron's treatment room

to blood at the crime scene.

Pads?

The melanotic stool.

We rushed him to CT.

Anything tossed on the floor
is detritus,

fair game for evidence.

Blood links Aaron to the crime scene,

and that b*llet inside him
is gonna link him to the clerk.

Which only proves
that the clerk sh*t Aaron,

not that he's the offender.

That isn't my distinction to make.

It's my understanding
that Aaron requires surgery.

This is a warrant for
the b*llet once it's removed.

You're out of luck.
He declined the procedure.

And by law, the state
can't force him to have it.

True, but Aaron's a minor.

ID he's been using to get
a job, rent an apartment,

it's fake.

Turns out, a few months ago,

he ran away
from his latest foster family.

Been pretending to be of age
to cover his trail.

Aaron's DCFS paperwork.

He's only , so yes,
the state can compel surgery,

and we'd like that b*llet
in the process.

[TENSE MUSIC]

[WHIRRING]

Been asking myself
how Omar didn't realize

he was moving his whole head
instead of just his eyes.

And then I remembered
this avalanche victim.

By the time we got there,
he had dug himself free.

His hands were jet black with frostbite,

but he didn't realize it
until we pointed it out.

It's crazy, right, how the brain

recognizes problems long before we do

and instinctively compensates?

Image up.

Oh, okay. Look. Right here.

Wait, Gene, can you...
Can you blow that section up?

Mm-hmm.

So we got microadenoma

pressing against the pituitary gland.

Not that big either, which is probably

why CT didn't pick it up this morning.

Well, the brain lesion
explains Omar's headaches,

but the eye lock?

Well, you see this sort of
diffusion right around here?

I'm pretty sure that's a bleed,

which would definitely, you know,

put pressure on the cranial nerves

and could cause a lock.

Omar's headaches started
almost three years ago.

Eye lock only set in minutes ago,

which means the bleed had to
have started just before then.

I think it might've happened
this morning

when I was first talking to him.

- The BP spike?
- Yeah.

A jolt of hypertension like that,
it'd absolutely trigger a bleed.

So the lesion is the root
of all of Omar's issues.

How do we fix it?

Well, we don't. Neurosurgery does.

So there's a slowness

to Jodie's thought process
that's evident,

but she grasped that she's ill,

that there's a tumor present,

that we recommend it be resected,

and the consequences
if she doesn't have surgery.

Okay, four for four.

Sounds like she's capable
of giving consent.

So I'll get it, and then
I'll get her up to the OR.

Okay.

The hospital's new AI
pegged Jodie as a drug-seeker.

We almost let her walk
because of an algorithm.

Opiates are a problem.

I get building tools to help solve it.

Yeah, except patients are
falling through the cracks.

Well, luckily, not today.

No...

but I'm worried about tomorrow.

I mean, it's a warrant.

- Do we even have a move?
- Well, perhaps.

Legally, Med only has to operate

if Aaron's life is at stake, so is it?

BP's in the toilet. He's still bleeding.

Without surgery, it only gets worse.

Okay, there's no projectile to hand over

if it never comes out, so, Dr. Marcel,

is there a way to operate
and stop Aaron's bleeding

without removing the b*llet?

That's what I've been debating.

The b*llet is in a terrible position,

right on the neck of the pancreas.

All the damage is...
It's directly below it.

So it's gotta come out, then.

I didn't say that.

Well, I'm confused.

How do you get to the damaged
area of the pancreas

if the b*llet's in the way?

I'm just gonna have
to slip in around it.

I am all for helping
to curb opiate abuse,

but this OpioHealth AI is flawed.

The program has bugs,
and Med shouldn't use it.

Look, analytics that help identify

a patient's risk for misusing
opioids protect our liability.

This is a program
Med should absolutely be using.

Liability is the driving force?

What about patient care?

You know that's not what I'm saying.
Plus, OpioHealth, it's not meant

to supplant a doctor's diagnosis.

But it does! It sows seeds of distrust.

My patient today,
the scrips in her file,

the ones that got her red-flagged,

they were for her aging cat.

Veterinarian put it in her name.

And I'm sorry about that,
but if you look hard enough

into any AI program, you are
gonna find outlier cases.

The night shift had a patient
a few weeks ago

who got flagged for filling
scrips in multiple states.

Turns out he was a pilot.

His pharmacies depend
on what route he's flying.

Yes, there are some growing pains,

but algorithms are not the enemy.

They can help predict which patient

is most likely to benefit
from a particular treatment,

estimate ICU probabilities,

whether a patient's
gonna deteriorate or die

- after being discharged.
- Peter, we get it.

You're a believer.

But Dr. Asher's problem is less with AI

and more with this specific program.

And frankly, I share her concerns.

As soon as the board approved
testing OpioHealth,

I reached out to the parent company

for clarity on how they amass
and interpret their data.

They have yet to share any information,

and they claim that it would infringe

upon their proprietary algorithm.

Look.

If OpioHealth isn't comfortable

sharing how their program works,

I'm just not comfortable using it.

And given the growing number
of errant cases,

I'm going to petition the board

to remove the program hospital-wide.

You're gonna be picking a fight,

and not just with the board
but with Jack Dayton.

- Eh, so be it.
- Okay.

[MONITOR BEEPING]

Okay. There's the papilla.
Gonna cannulate.

Moving into the pancreatic duct.

. , visualize the neck of the pancreas.

Loading.

Clear view of the b*llet.
It's right on the duct.

Uh-huh.

Slipping around it.

Okay. Deploy the stent.

Looking good.

The b*llet is fully excluded
by the stent.

It is no longer eroding into the duct.

Yeah.

That should stop the bleed.

Okay.

Hey, Omar. How you feeling?

Uh, my eyes are moving. [LAUGHS SOFTLY]

My, uh... my headache's gone,
so that's a win.

I'm pretty... pretty embarrassed
over my comedy of errors.

Don't be.

Stuff like this happens, you know?

Oh, anyway, I promise, this is...

This is never gonna happen again.

I'm gonna rehab my legs.

I'm gonna get on a new diet.

And I'm gonna add yoga, meditation.

I'm gonna add a new sleep regimen.

Easy, Omar. You know what they say.

Mountains have a way
of dealing with overconfidence.

Get better first.

Then I'll see you at the gym.

[SOFT MUSIC]

"Mountains have a way of
dealing with overconfidence."

You know, I kind of like that.

I am no mountain climber
and I cannot see

any rock walls in my future,
so I guess I'm wondering,

if I were to kind of use that
every now and then,

would that be considered stolen valor?

Not in my book.

Applies to everybody.

♪ ♪

Ah, there she is.

Pit bull.

I heard you stuck it to legal
while I was in surgery.

- [CHUCKLES]
- Nice.

Goodbye, OpioHealth.

But that's only here at Med.

Program's still in hospitals
all over the country.

You know, a lot of other patients

could be unfairly labeled.

Might even be me one day.

Oh...

Entered my name into the system.

Yeah?

Was immediately red-flagged.

So it doesn't...

doesn't matter how long I've been sober.

That algorithm has branded me forever.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

The capabilities are endless.

- I'm telling you.
- Yeah.

Give me ten minutes to change up.

- And I'll meet you in post-op.
- Yeah.

- Hey.
- Hey.

You two saved Aaron's life today,

in more ways than one.

Nine years of R&D.

Never imagined that . could
be used as a tool for medicine

and social justice.

It's a good day.

[LIGHT KNOCKING]

Hey, Dean.

Rumor is that you keep
a bottle in your desk drawer.

- Who told you that?
- [CHUCKLES]

- Shut the door.
- [LAUGHS]

[GLASSES CLINKING]

So, uh...

Sean's being paroled tomorrow.

- That's great.
- Yeah...

- Isn't it?
- Yeah.

Yeah, I just... I just want him
to have a fair sh*t.

That's all.

Well, why wouldn't he?

Eh, you know, these days,

we're all just, uh, data points
for AI to analyze, you know?

This patient of mine today,

she was just defined by her...

Her prescription history, right?

And tomorrow, someone could be defined

by their medical records, you know,

their banking information, their...

their criminal background, right?

It's supposed to be, work hard enough,

you can be anything you want,

but if Sean gets out, he's just a...

A rating some computer program
spits out.

I mean, all I can say is,

in my book, character counts, you know?

I can't believe I'm the only
one who still thinks that way.

Well, sure hope not. [CHUCKLES]

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- There you are.
- Hey.

So PD arrested someone

in connection with the robbery-homicide.

Aaron's not their prime suspect anymore.

Yeah, I spoke to Kevin.

Said he's gonna be cleared.

Heading towards a happy ending.

Thankfully.

And despite the truth,
Aaron almost lost everything.

Mm.

Mags, you okay?

Ben and I are separated.

And I don't know if we're on a path

to getting back together or...

Divorce.

Oh, Mags.

I'm so sorry.

I love Ben with all my heart,

and despite that truth, I...

I might lose everything.

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[BUZZER BLARES]

I was thinking about our talk yesterday,

about what's next.

Yes.

Yes to school. Yes to a job.

Yes to everything.

I want to do it right this time, Dad.

Will you help me?

Yeah.

Us against the world, son.

Us against the world.

[HOPEFUL MUSIC]