"E.R." "Previously on ER..." " When are you coming back?" " The hearing is in a couple of weeks." "Nurse Hathaway is doing fine on her own." "Why two women on one night?" "Scheduling mix-up." "I thought we were having drinks." "Before or after the basketball game?" "I just took out your appendix." "I'm afraid of liking you too much." " We're going to intubate him." " He doesn't want that." "Intubate him." ""Faith"" "We're back at 8:30 on this Thursday morning." " It's really nice outside." " It's beautiful out here." " I wish the sun was shining." " Clouds are gonna be moving in." "Temperature-wise, it is nice." "A lot of Martha fans out here." "We should probably say a quick hello." "This lady is a Martha fan." "Can you do the things she does as well as she does?" " I try." " You do?" "No, I'm not as good as her." " Mom?" " Oh, did I wake you?" " What are you doing?" " I'm making you breakfast." "Where's the coffee?" " How are you feeling?" "Sleeping okay?" " Like a baby." " No nightmares?" " No." "It would only be natural." "Mom, I see worse stuff at work every day." " Today's the big day, right?" " The test?" "No, find out about your job." "Mom, they suspended me." "I might not get my job back." " Those eggs done?" " No, still too runny." " I like them runny." " Just another couple minutes." " What test?" " Medical School Admissions Test, Mom." " I thought you gave up on that." " No." "Big commitment." "Here we go." "Perfect." " Doctor." "That would be something." " I could do it." " I know you could." " I could." " I said so." " Why do you always do that?" " Do what?" " Make me feel like I'm incapable, stupid." "I said I thought you could do it." "I just wish for once you would believe in me." " I believe in you." " You always criticize, belittle make me feel like I can't do anything." "Why didn't you tell me I could be a lawyer or pilot or astronaut?" " You wanted to be an astronaut?" " No, I wanted you to tell me I could." "Fine." "Go be an astronaut." "I'm your mother, I love you whoever you are." "Doctor, nurse, housewife." "Oh, right, housewife." "You hold you back, not me." "You're the one that always quits everything." "Always frightened that you're not good enough." " I finish things." " Ballet, cheerleading, the flute." " I was 13!" " Business school, your own wedding." " I finished nursing school, didn't I?" " Right." "Exactly." "You've got a great job you're good at." "So why is the grass suddenly greener?" "You have a good life." "I'm proud of you." "Why aren't you proud of yourself?" "Carla!" "Carla!" "Hey, Carla." "I was coming to see you." "I didn't know you had to be at work this early." "I don't." "Look, Carla, I'm sorry I haven't called." "A lot of stuff came up." "I just had a lot of stuff going on, you know?" "I had minor surgery and all this other..." "Sorry to hear that." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, yeah." "It was just my appendix." "I'm still a little sore, but I'm okay." " How about you?" "You okay?" " Peter, what do you want?" " Well, we need to talk." " I told you I was pregnant weeks ago." "Then nothing." "No phone calls, no coming by to see how I was doing." "Silence." "I got the point." "It's cool." "I got it." "I wasn't trying to make a point!" "Carla, I realize there's going to be a baby here and he's gonna be as much my responsibility as yours." "I just needed some time to think about this thing." "It's not the way I would've planned it, but you're not doing this by yourself." " Are you going to marry me, Peter?" " That's not what I'm saying." "So, what are you saying?" "What?" "Are you going to stop by every so often and change a few diapers, bounce the baby on your knee for a couple of Kodak moments?" "The child's gonna need a good school and a nice place to live." " You're saying I can't provide those?" " I'm saying I can help." "Money." "So that is what this is all about." "Yeah." "That among other things." "The child will need a man in his life." "Who says that this baby will not have a man in his life?" "So, what you saying?" "You seeing somebody else?" "Peter, you and I, we've known each other for a very long time." "I never expected you to marry me." "I never expected a damn thing from you." "You care about you." "And that is the way it has always been." "But it's comforting, really." "It's one of the few constants in my life." "You don't have to worry." "This baby is gonna be fine." "Plenty to eat, nice clothes, a good man around to call Dad." "I'll take care of that." "You go back to worrying about yourself." "Because that's what you do best." "Dr. Benton!" "First day back." " Is the incision healing?" "Any discharge?" " It's fine, Carter." "You shouldn't be back on your feet for extended periods of time yet." "Did you finish that whole course of antibiotics?" "Hey, Peter, how's the scar?" "Is it itchy yet?" "I made a Rocky-Davis incision, running stitch, McBurney's Point." "When that hair starts to grow back, the itching worsens." "You going to show us your scar, Peter?" "Let's see!" "Yeah, let's take a look." "I did it one-handed." " Come on, Carter, stop!" " You know, that's really a shame because it's a great job." "Good thing I took pictures." " What is that, a mole?" " Good morning." "What are you doing?" "Yikes, what is that?" "That's Benton's appendix in a jar on my mantle." "Wow, they shaved him good." "Somebody got carried away." " Dr. Carter, we're still backed up." " Okay, on my way." " Carter looks beat." " He was on again last night." "Surgical interns are still covering all Dr. Gant's shifts." " What is that, like a 90-hour week?" " More like 95." "Thank God for Pediatrics." "Jerry, what is that all about?" "Nurses and management are still at the table." "Contract expires at midnight." "Mark, paramedics are pulling up with a 35-year-old female, respiratory failure." " Duty calls." "Hey, lunch?" " Only if you're buying." " Carol finds out today, right?" " Yeah." "The investigation is done, and Nursing has the report." " You seen it?" " No." "They haven't heard anything either." " How's she doing?" " She claims she's fine." "Okay, Jeff, thanks." "Nothing yet." "They're still at it." " I don't want to walk a picket line." " Not in February, that's for sure." " We stand firm." " Easy for you to say." " You've got a husband with a job." " Believe me, they'll settle." "They can't run this place without us." "That's what air traffic controllers said before they started parking cars." "One, two, three." "Down's patient, 37." "Mother found her in bed in respiratory distress." "Resps shallow at 30." "BP's 100/50." "Mom said she had a respiratory infection, never fully recovered." " Where's her mother now?" " Said she'd follow in her car." "Two-plus pitting edema!" "Louise, I'm Dr. Greene." "You're having a little trouble breathing?" "We're gonna make you feel better, okay?" "She's sweet, scared." "Held my hand all the way over." "Louise, can you tell me what day it is?" "No?" "You can't tell me?" "No, okay." "Dr. Doyle, I want you to take a listen." "Tell me what you hear." " Chuny, come hold Louise's hand." " You bet." "CBC, lytes, EKG, chest film, O-2, 6 liters by mask." "Hi, Louise." "My name is Chuny." " S3 gallop and mitral regurg?" " Indicative of what?" "Possible cardiomyopathy, probably from viral infection." " Mark, she's trying to say something." " Louise?" "Louise, do you need something?" " Louise, what's wrong?" " Where's my mom?" "Your mom?" "Your mom is coming real soon." "Okay?" "Don't you worry." "You can just relax." "You're doing great." "Human Resources reviewed your incident report in the ER procedures." "They sent their recommendations along with mine on to the Safety Committee." " And?" " And they agreed with us." "That your mistake was a result of systems problems and not of negligence." "There will be a written warning in your file for a year." "And the three weeks you missed will be deducted from your vacation time." " And that's it?" " You preferred a public flogging?" "You can start back today." " You don't have to start back today." " No, thanks." "I'm okay." "I better get back to work." "La Bohème?" "Don't say it like it's a new strain of bacteria." " What is it, five hours long?" " Forget it, really." "I wouldn't take you now if you begged me." "It's just I'm not an opera fan." "Marcus Roberts tickets, I'd be there in a flash." "I got it, Greg." "You don't want to go." "Fine." "Is La Bohème the one where they lop off the nuns' heads at the end?" "It's set in Paris." "There's star-crossed lovers and artists." " Artists?" " Yeah." "Jeanie, hang on a second." "Look, I'm sorry." "If you want to go, we'll go." " Don't do me any favors." " I'd love to go." "What time?" "I just thought we could do something spontaneous, romantic, fun." " Opera?" " I have to get back to my patient." "Look, Jeanie, Let's hang out anyway." "We'll order takeout." "The Bulls-Warriors game is on TV." "You think you're charming, but you're not." "Lunch then?" "Come on, at least let me buy you lunch." "Jeanie!" " That's one big, boggy heart." " It's taking up most of her chest." "EKG shows ST and T wave changes." "What do you want to do?" "Get an echo and page Cardiology." "Mark, Louise's mother is here." "Hi, Mrs. Cupertino, I'm Dr. Mark Greene." " How's Louise?" " Not good." "Her heart isn't pumping well, and her lungs are filling with fluid." " Can I say hello?" " Yeah, sure." " Hello, Louise." "It's Mommy." " Hi, Mommy." "Are you okay, baby?" "You're not scared, are you?" "I brought some of her things." "Just to make her feel more at home." "I'll just put this quilt on her." " Make sure she's good and warm." " Mrs. Cupertino, can I speak to you?" "She had trouble understanding me." "Can she communicate?" "Oh, yes." "She likes to talk." "Is she suffering from any dementia or Alzheimer's?" "No, she's a good girl." "Echo's on its way." "Is she competent to make her own medical decisions?" "No." "I'm her guardian." "Louise can't make decisions on her own." "You are aware that Louise's condition is very serious." "Louise may need a heart transplant." "Is she on the UNOS waiting list?" " The list?" "No." " She's not?" "They wouldn't do it." " Wouldn't do what?" " Put her on the list." "They wouldn't put Louise on the heart transplant list?" " No." " Why not?" "My daughter is mentally retarded, doctor." "Peter, sorry to keep you waiting." "Welcome back." "We've missed you." "I was surprised not to see my name on today's schedule." " How are you feeling?" "Well-rested?" " Yeah." "And mentally?" "Feeling sharp?" "No post-operative depression?" " No." " No depression of any kind?" "Dr. Hicks, if you're asking if I can perform my duties adequately, I can." "I'm asking how you are, Peter." " I'm fine." " Okay, then, let's see what we've got." "Two Port-A-Caths, a circumcision and a nevus removal." "A mole?" "UNOS can't refuse to put her on the list because she has Down's." " There must be other circumstances." " She's a retard, so why bother, right?" "Dr. Kayson." "Dr. Doyle." "Echo shows left ventricular dilatation with an ejection fraction of 18 percent." "There are also signs of wall-motion abnormality." "I'm worried about her breathing." "We've given her 40 Lasix, she's still struggling." "I'd like to try a vasodilator." "Do what you can to make her comfortable before you release her." " Release her?" " She will be much happier at home." "She needs a heart transplant, right?" "That would be the standard operative course, yes." "Louise's mother told us..." " ... that she's not on the transplant list." " That's correct." "UNOS can't refuse to put a patient on the list because of a birth defect." " UNOS didn't refuse, we did." " Cardiology?" "Hospital Transplant Committee." "We chose not to submit her name to UNOS." "That's a death sentence." "She's a 37-year-old Down's patient." "She is lucky to have lived this long." " Down's patients can live to be 60." " That's extremely rare." " What are you, an intern?" " First-year Resident." "Why don't we just step in here." "Dr. Kayson, Dr. Doyle, I think, is just expressing a frustration that we probably all feel." "It seems that Louise is an obvious candidate for the UNOS transplant list." "I'm a cardiologist." "I'd like nothing better than to give her a new heart." "If you have a problem with the decision, speak to the committee." "Short of that, send her home." "Nice guy." " Carol, you're back?" " Yeah." "Thank you, Jesus." "Hey, y'all, Carol's back." " Carol, you're back." " Starting now." " Man, did we miss you." " I didn't think we were gonna make it." " Did they dock your pay?" " No, just some vacation time." " It's been a disaster without you." " A complete zoo." " I didn't do that bad a job." " No, girlfriend, you did worse than bad." "If you need to call a union meeting, Haleh, do it after work." " No union." "Carol's back." " Oh, thank God." " We'll talk to you at lunch." " We'll catch up later." " We're glad to have you back." " Thank you." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, you know, I'm sorry to disappoint everyone's expectations, but I'm fine." "It started a few hours ago after breakfast." " Is it a sharp pain?" " No." "Sort of all over." " I'd just started my morning walk." " Any recent illness?" "I take digoxin for atrial fibril- I can never say that word." " Fibrillation." "Anything else?" " No." " What did you have for breakfast?" " The usual." "Three fried eggs, bacon, glass of buttermilk, toast and jam." "The American Heart Association breakfast." "Don't lecture me, doctor." "My mother had the exact same breakfast every day of her life." "She died last year at 96." "Car accident." " Vitals?" "130/90." " Heart rate, 110." "Resps, 24." " Did Dr. Weaver get a CBC?" "Yes." "Crit's 53." "White count is 12.2." " You drinking enough fluids?" " Is that what's wrong with me?" " It's too early to tell." "Chest film?" " Not back yet." "Okay." "I'm gonna call for another surgical colleague to come down and take a look." "Her breathing's improved." "Hey, Louise, feeling better?" " For you." " She likes to share." " Malibu Barbie was my favorite too." " I was kind of partial to Ken." " Ken?" " You don't like Ken?" "T oo pretty." "I'm with you." "Ken is trouble." "Louise, can you hold on to her while I do my work?" "Okay." "She misses her friends since she got sick and had to move back into the house." "It's been hard for her." " She had her own place?" " An apartment above the garage." "And she had a job at the Jewel helping people with their groceries." "Father even let her be an altar girl at the church." "Everybody loves Louise." "Excuse me, Dr. Greene." "I got that list from upstairs." "Thanks." " Transplant Committee?" " Yeah." "Who are the bastards?" "Excuse us." "Your attitude can get in the way of achieving your goals." "What, you're not going to vote for me for homecoming queen this year?" "Like that, you mean." " Recognize any names?" " One." " The vanquished return victorious." " Hi, Doug, you miss me?" "You have no idea." "I hear they clipped you for some vacation time." "I never take it anyway." "I think I have a couple of years saved up." "This place is a mess." "How are you doing?" "No complaints." "T oday is the 20th, isn't it?" " I think so." " MCATs are this afternoon, aren't they?" " Are you going?" " Got to work." " All that saved-up vacation time?" " You know, it was a stupid idea." "I mean, four years of med school, if I ever get in." "All that debt." "I would be 50 by the time I got out." "What's the point?" "I could bring you coffee in the middle of the night to the med library." "I could teach you how to cheat on the biochem exams." " Doug." "They need you in Pedes." " Okay." "Think about it." " Carter, where you been?" " Getting food." "Do you have a spoon?" "No." "Anspaugh's in there with your patient." " Why?" " Said you paged him." " I paged Dr. Hicks." " You got Anspaugh and he dragged down all the surgical rounds." " What do you hear, Edson?" " Rales at the base of the lungs." "I'm sorry to have dragged you here." "I actually called Dr. Hicks for a consult." "Dr. Hicks is in surgery, and we were on the prowl for an interesting case." " We heard you had a surgical abdomen." " Yes." "At least that's my suspicion." "Pain vague and diffuse, very little tenderness to palpation." "The chest films show bibasilar effusions." "Rales heard on auscultation." "Would you consider this a surgical patient, Dr. Edson?" " No, I'd bet on CHF." " Yeah, but I was more concerned with the CBC." "Previously diagnosed atrial fibrillation?" "Her diet?" "I'd assume that she went into fib or ate a salty meal and that was enough to push her into congestive heart failure as demonstrated by the rales and chest effusions." "The diffuse abdominal pain is probably due to congestion in the liver." "Secondary to CHF." "In other words, boys and girls congestive heart failure secondary to a-fib." " Wouldn't you agree, Dr. Carter?" " Yeah, that sounds about right." " Is Dr. Pomerantz available?" " And you are?" " Mark Greene from the ER." " She knows you?" "Yeah, Steph, I do." "It's okay." "Hi." " You got a minute?" " Sure." "Just move those, put them anywhere." "What can I do for you?" "You're on the committee that evaluates prospective transplant patients?" " Yeah." " I have a patient dying downstairs Louise Cupertino." "Dr. Kayson tells me that she was denied access to the UNOS list." "Kayson wanted to, so it doesn't look like she was excluded for medical reasons." " What do you want?" " Five on the committee." "Kayson's a yes." "If I can get you and another person to sign on, Louise can get a new heart." "Our decisions must be unanimous." "But I'm the one that turned Louise down." " Why?" " Do you know how many people die each year because an organ doesn't become available?" "3500." " She had a job, an apartment a mother who loves her." "Is her life less valuable than a businessman with a family and a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit?" "Don't patronize me, Mark." "I agonized over this." "Louise has an IQ of 40." "She can't comprehend the surgical risks." "She had a job, but she was always late." "Do you know why?" "She can't tell time." "How will she adhere to the rigors of the post-transplant regime?" "Her mother will give her her meds, get her where she needs to go." "She's a 120-pound 8-year-old." "We do the operation, and assuming she doesn't die for lack of care she's in a state home in two years." "And her mother's adamant she not end up in a home." "Those are all bureaucratic, perfectly logical reasons we give ourselves so that we can sleep at night." "Louise can make people smile, she can laugh and cry and hold someone." "I have an 8-year-old." "If she never grew a day older I would still cherish every moment we've spent together." "It's not our place to decide whether Louise lives or dies." "She has as much right to be here as you do or I do." "Nina, don't let her die." " I'm freezing." " I thought you liked picnics." "I love picnics." "I'm just not used to breathing on my sandwich to try and thaw it out so I can eat it." " Where's your spontaneity?" " This isn't what I meant." " Your sense of romance?" " The dip is frozen solid." " It's a pâté." " It's a brick." "Okay, I'm sorry." "I was wrong." "You're very romantic." "You're very spontaneous, and you're very crazy so put your parka on before you freeze to death." " I'm fine." " You can't be fine." "It's 10 degrees." "I think we should start sleeping together." " What?" " Sex." "I think we should have some." "In fact, I think we should have a lot." " Are you sure?" " Hell, yeah, I'm sure." "This isn't a joke, Greg." "No, it isn't." "Jeanie Boulet would you please sleep with me?" " How is she doing?" " Her breathing is worse." " How is the pain?" " It hurts." " Hi, who are you?" " Her daughter, Yolanda." "She's so stoic." "If she says it hurts, it must be awful." "Okay, let's take a look." "Oh, God!" "I need to order a repeat CBC and a blood gas." " Want me to page Dr. Anspaugh again?" " No." "God, no." "Call Dr. Hicks." "Don't page her." "Call her." "When you get her on the phone, tell her I need her here right away." "My fiancée has been begging me for years to get this thing taken off." " Betadine." " I'm not very religious, but her family, oh, boy they wouldn't even consider letting us get married if I didn't convert." "Stuff's cold." "I probably wouldn't have dated her if I'd known this was part of the deal." "Lidocaine." "You'll feel a small prick in the area that I'm going to anesthetize." " Please don't move." " Good, you haven't started yet." "I have three eager premed students visiting today from Evanston." "I thought they might enjoy watching you perform a circumcision." " Don't mind us, sir." " I'm converting to Judaism..." " ... for my fiancée." " She must be quite a girl." " Dr. Hicks, phone call from the ER." " Make them feel welcome." "You're in very capable hands." "Number 15 blade." " I'm Dr. Ross." "Someone paged me?" " I paged you." "Hi." "Samantha Ewing." "I got a CF kid up here, Jad Heuston." "Know him?" "He's been on a respirator for weeks at his mother's request." "I'm the one who put him on it." "Today's his 18th birthday, and he wants off." " So why page me?" " He wants you to do it." "Hi, Norma." "Hi, Katy." "Happy birthday, Jad." "His first act as an adult was to sign a DNR and demand we remove him from the respirator." "I explained the dangers, but he's insistent." "Are you still sure?" "I told him, with the nature of his disease and the time he's been on the machine he's unlikely to live more than a couple minutes." "Can you talk him out of it?" "What's his tidal volume?" "350." "PCO-2, 38." "PO-2, 120." "This is what you really want?" "Okay, then." "Have you said your goodbyes?" "Yes." "Okay." "All right, buddy." "You know the drill." "I'm gonna count to three." "You're gonna take a deep breath." "You're gonna blow out while I pull." "Can you give me a hand with this?" "I love you." "All right." "Here we go." "On three." "Ready?" "One, two, three." "Blow, blow, blow." "Is he gonna be okay?" "Good afternoon." "What's so important to call me off the surgical floor?" "Sixty-four-year-old woman." "Onset of abdominal pain five hours ago." "Pain was vague and diffuse." "Belly wasn't too tender." "Takes digoxin for a previously diagnosed atrial fib." "Rales." "Chest x-ray shows basilar infiltrates bilaterally." "Dr. Anspaugh was here, and he diagnosed congestive heart failure with diffuse abdominal pain due to congestion in liver secondary to CHF." " We gave her 40 of Lasix." " Good story." "What's the problem?" " I think Dr. Anspaugh is wrong." " Page Dr. Anspaugh, please." " He's still eating lunch with Dr. Weaver." " Get him quickly." "You have a better story?" "Her abdominal pain is worsening." "Resps are 39, and she's acidotic." "When she came in, she was dehydrated." "So why was there fluid on her lungs?" "The pain isn't explained by congestive heart failure." "It doesn't all add up." " And what is your thinking?" " She suffers from atrial fibrillation." "That puts her at risk for developing clots." "She threw an embolus..." " ... and it's blocking her small bowel." " What is going on?" "Dr. Carter believes you diagnosed his patient incorrectly." " He what?" " Her pain is worsening." "Her resps are up to 39, and she's acidotic." "CHF made sense at the time, but I think she has ischemic small bowel disease secondary to an embolism in the mesenteric artery." " Pretty good story." " Damn it!" "I diuresed her." "Normal saline, 200 cc's per hour." "Call the O.R., we're moving her now." " What's happening?" " Your mother needs surgical attention." " An operation?" " Yes, but she's gonna be just fine." " Dr. Anspaugh, can I assist?" " Assist?" "You're going to do it." " Perform an embolectomy?" " Damn right." "You're the only one here who seems to know what the hell they're doing." " It's going to fall." " Is not." " Yes, it is." " No, it's not." " She looks like she's feeling better." " Yeah, she ate a little bit." " Seems to be breathing okay." " Who's her friend?" "That's my brother." "My mom brought him down." "I figured Louise needed some company." "Hey, Jimmy, say hi to Dr. Greene." "That's my boss." " Hi, Jimmy, how are you?" " What did they say?" "Come here." "Psych doesn't think she can handle the post-op regime and the mother won't be around long enough to get her through it." "That's a lot of crap." "She can go to a group home." " Jimmy takes classes out of Glenkirk." " Mom doesn't want her in a home." "She has guardianship." "I called Loyola and Rush." "They both have transplant centers." "Maybe they can get her on the list." " Mark." " Dr. Doyle, this is Dr. Pomerantz from Psych." "She's the one who evaluated Louise." " Hi, Louise." " Hi." "How are you doing?" "Mrs. Cupertino." " She's doing better." " She's out of heart failure." " You need to fill this out." " What is it?" "Transplant candidate registration form." "She can't get on the network without it." "Kayson filled out most of it." "I need today's history so that I can rank her." "Get it back to me soon." "Nice meeting you, doctor." "Nina thank you." "Jad, why don't you come and go?" "You take off during the day and do what you want to do and you come back at night, we hook you up with IV antibiotics." "We get a PT to pound your chest in the morning." " No, thanks." " A lot more comfortable." "You might even squeak out a couple of extra weeks out of this thing." "I said, no, thanks." "All right." "Here is my beeper number." "That's my home number." "You can call me any time, day or night." "Let's go." "Thanks." " Where are you going?" " Anywhere but here." "Sorry, Dr. Ross." "I raided the cafeteria." "Bought every piece of cake they had." "Ladies!" "Here's your cake." " What's going on?" " The nurses got their new contract." " They get what they wanted?" " Current employees are protected but the hospital won rights to replace existing RNs with unlicensed technicians." " Technicians?" " It's the wave of the future." " Come on, doctor." "Dance." " No, thanks." "No, I'll get the next song." "I'll get the next song." " You seen Carol?" " Hathaway?" "Changed her mind about working today, went home before lunch." " I'm starving." "Want a piece of cake?" " No, thanks." "Hey, I just dropped off all the paperwork with Nina Pomerantz." "Louise will be on the transplant list tomorrow." "All we can do is wait." " Where's your brother?" " In the lounge watching TV." "She won't sign the release." "Louise's mother, she won't sign the surgical release." "Kayson was just here." "She doesn't want Louise to have the transplant." "Did he explain that she will die without the operation?" "Twice." "Then I tried." "She wants to take her home." "Mrs. Cupertino you don't want Louise to have the operation?" "I was 41 when Louise was born." "And I knew right away that something was wrong." "I couldn't see Louise, but I saw the doctor." "He was frowning and snapping his fingers over the little bassinet." "They took her away before I had the chance to see her." "I thought maybe she'd died." "Maybe that umbilical cord had gotten wrapped around her neck." "Nobody told me anything." "Then they put me in another room with mothers with their babies." "And I waited there for hours until the doctor finally came back." "He looked very sad." "And he told me Louise was mongoloid." "He said that I should put her in a state hospital and never ever see her again." "She will die if she doesn't have this operation." "We all die, doctor." "Louise has been the light of my life for 37 years." "God blessed me with this wonderful girl, and I wouldn't change a thing." "I'm not going to be here much longer." "I'm her whole life, just as she has always been mine." "There are group homes." "Places where she can make friends enjoy life, even if it's only for a few more years." "I went to a home 20 years ago when my husband died." "I was afraid that if something happened to me, who would take care of her?" "And there were women there like her with Down's wandering around half-naked." "They didn't even know their names." "I couldn't put Louise in a place like that." "You want to save people, doctor." "If my daughter dies, you'll lose." "But I'm not afraid of death." "Jesus is there, waiting for us." "To hold us and bring us into the light." "To show us the kingdom of heaven." "And if Louise dies before I do I know where I will see her next." "With angels, where she belongs." "Because she is an angel." "My angel." " Something new?" " Mesenteric embolectomy." " Who's doing it?" " Dr. Carter." " Dr. Carter?" " Just rolled the woman into 3." "Sweet God in heaven." "I hope someone's helping him." "We're putting in a Port-A-Cath, a catheter used to deliver chemotherapy." "Should you pursue a career in surgery, you'll perform this procedure dozens of times in your first year of Residency." "This can be done in the patient's room but you need to check the catheter's position with a fluoroscope." "Does everyone know what a fluoroscope is?" "This is a fluoroscope." "Can I steal Debbie?" "We need her in O. R. 3." "What's going on?" "Dr. Carter is performing a mesenteric embolectomy." " By himself?" " Anspaugh and Hicks are supervising." " What's the score?" " Bulls are down by one." "Oh, that was a nice shot." "So I let a kid with CF leave the hospital today." "He's 18 years old." "He went off to die with his girlfriend." "Didn't want any of my help." " Anything you could have done for him?" " No, not really." "I spent the day trying to get a CHF patient with Down's on the heart transplant list." "Any luck?" "Mother wouldn't sign the surgical release." "Fine couple of doctors we are." "Do you remember when we were going to change the world?" "No." "I was always in it for the money." "All right." "See you later." " Want to grab a pizza?" " No, I gotta be someplace." "Anybody I know?" "No, I'm just helping out an old friend." "See you." " Hi." " Are you ready to go?" " Go where?" " Dinner at Morton's and La Bohème." " I told Kerry we didn't want the tickets." " I told her you were wrong." " I'm not dressed." " We'll stop by your place." " We'll be late." " You can tell me what happened." " What about the basketball game?" " Taping it." "You know, Greg, you don't have to prove anything to me." " I don't?" " This has all been pretty fast." "We can slow it down." "Make sure it's right." "So this means we don't have to go to the opera?" "No, seriously." "Can we just slow it down?" " Sure." " Okay." " Hey." "What are you doing here?" " Waiting for you." " Have you been waiting long?" " Oh, a while." " So you took it, didn't you?" " Yeah, I did." "And?" "Well, I knew a lot more than I thought I would." "There were a lot of people taking it." "Kids." "I felt about 100 years old." "They seemed so confident and smart." "I guessed a lot." " I bet you did great." " Thanks." " Was your day okay?" " You know, just saving lives, the usual." " Have you seen my mom lurking around?" " I banged on the door, nobody answered." "Do you want to come in?" "I'll make some coffee." "No, I can't." "I'm up early." "I'm going to go home." " Okay." " All right." " See you tomorrow then." " Yeah." "Doug, I know everyone is worried about me but I'm fine." "I was scared in that store, but I'm okay now." " So why did you go ahead and take it?" " The MCATs?" "For me." "I just wanted to see if I was good enough." "You are." "I love this place." "You should." "You're a wonderful surgeon." "You belong here." "You know, you were right this morning." "I haven't slept much the last few months since Gant's dying." "Before that, me almost killing that baby and Keaton not recommending me..." "Six months ago, I thought I was invincible." "And now I don't even..." "I don't even know." "I guess life isn't working out the way I thought it would." "You're not responsible for Dr. Gant's death, Peter." "But I could have stopped it maybe." "You know, told him he was doing well, encouraged him." "You know, I wish I could tell you that it was all intentional." "That it was part of some master plan that I had going on." "Truthfully, I never even thought about Gant." "I mean, he was just an intern." "I was more involved with my career my ambitions." "We all have to find our own way, Peter." "You're not invincible." "You're a young doctor." "Learning, making mistakes, saving lives." "It takes a lifetime." "You just have to have faith." "Go home." "You've got a busy day tomorrow." "More circumcisions and Port-A-Caths?" "No." "I've signed you up for a lap choly at 6 and I would appreciate it if you'd assist me on a splenectomy at 11." "Thank you, Dr. Hicks." "You're welcome, Peter." "See you in the morning."