Original subtitles

Oh, what do we have?

Female. Passed out at her gym. No ID. Mid -20s. 23, and I'm ND8. No sign of

concussion or sinus. There's a possible seizure. I told them I don't have

seizures. Nothing.

Well, look, I would hardly call passing out nothing.

I just didn't get enough to drink.

That's never happened to you before.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Let's get her back up here.

She's got her on an IV saline. Push, nurse, toxin, light, stat.

No pulse.

All right, we got a complete EMD. Get a crash cart. All right, heading to trauma

one. All right, clear.

Still no pulse. Write another 100 milligrams of lidocaine and amp of epi?

doctor. She's been flatlined for 10 minutes.

All right.

Let's call it.

Time of death, 1246.

I hope I wasn't overstepping, doctor.

No, you were right. It's just, uh, it's amazing that someone in this shape goes

like that.

Mark, why are we exercising? It's a vicious cycle.

I know.

Same way with me. More exercise, more I eat.

No, I meant now that I'm divorced, I don't have a social life because I can't

find a babysitter. And I can't find a babysitter because I don't have a social

life.

Uh -oh.

Nancy Stewart.

Who is she again?

Hospital information director. Just pretend you don't see her. Maybe she

bother us.

I can't do this.

Dr. Sloan?

Wow, look at you.

I can't believe what marvelous shape you're in. You look like you could go on

forever. Well, thank you, Nancy. That's very flattering.

And we had a wonderful idea to promote the hospital, a fitness video for

seniors. Dr. Barnett was going to do it, but he broke his leg on the first shot.

But you would be the perfect person to demonstrate safe exercise.

Oh, what?

That's a wonderful idea, but, Nancy, I'm awfully busy.

It won't take long, just an hour before this afternoon to start with.

Okay. Oh, thank you. Great. I'll see you then, Doctor, right back here.

You can't say no to anybody, can you? I can't, too.

Can you babysit for me on Saturday?

Saturday? What time?

Day. Oh, very funny.

Hey, I heard you had a tough morning.

A 23 -year -old female goes into full arrest. The EMT said that she seemed

in the ambulance.

A woman her age and her shape.

The only logical explanation would be an underlying cardiomyopathy. I'll put a

rush on the autopsy. Thank you. I'd appreciate that.

Now, do I have enough to give notification to the next of kin?

No. Her stuff is at the vault gym. I'll get it on my way home.

Okay, vault gym is in West Hollywood. You live in Venice.

I'll take the long way home.

Do you know where Mindy was when she passed out?

Who could keep up with Mindy? She used the entire gym.

Weight room, rack, ball, nautilus, aerobics, pool, hot tubs.

Join now, and you will get the entire elite package. Total physical, custom

weight training, free consultations with their dietician, and a complete set of

Volt sweats, hat, and swimsuit.

How much is a membership?

$1 ,200.

She was with Mindy. Just saw her in the weight room. Red outfit.

Great back.

Okay, well, thanks. You betcha.

You sure you don't want me to get you anything else from in there?

Mindy passed out during a set of stomach crunches.

Was she okay before that?

She did say she felt dizzy.

A little achy. Nothing serious. She pushed right through it.

I'll give Mindy credit.

She never whined.

Well, now, why didn't you try to stop her?

I'm a personal trainer.

That's what people pay me for.

To get the most out of their bodies.

People need to be pushed.

You're certainly in good shape.

Mindy and I were the same type physically.

We were always up for the same modeling jobs.

I must have lost half a dozen assignments.

Terrible. Well, now, why Mindy and not you?

No matter how hard I worked, Mindy always had an edge physically.

Whatever her secret was, she sure wasn't telling me.

So, are you saying that she was taking something?

Some freaks around here are known to blow as much as a grand a week on

supplements.

Wow. Did she take anything today?

Actually, I did see her get something from Marco.

He's the guy who pushes performance enhancers around here.

You know, vitamin B12, beta blockers, preventive proteins, enzymes.

This guy Mark, is he around?

Yeah, he's the guy in the gray sleeveless t -shirt.

Um, he was just here.

off in a month, and you pull me out of a movie for a death notification?

Hey, it was either that or breaking and entering, and the landlady wouldn't let

me in without you.

Well, now I understand your interest in her.

Hey, that has nothing to do with... Look at this.

A couple of medical bills from the Dennell Clinic.

I wonder what was wrong with her.

Not unless it's in plain sight.

Just in case it was a crime.

Well, you look at this stuff.

Mega bodybuilder formula.

Dyromax. Low sodium soy.

Boy, for a health nut, your fear wasn't fussy about what you put in her body.

Is any of this stuff dangerous?

Well, alone, no, but in combination, maybe.

Yeah, well, this stuff is.

Human growth hormone.

That's an anabolic steroid.

It's great for building muscle mass, but hell on the internal organs.

Here's her address book.

What was her last name? Yates? Yates.

Hey, look at that. A message.

I know.

Well, aren't we going to listen to it? No, we are not. To fulfill the

in a legal search.

Well, here's a parent's number. It's in Little Rock.

Well, I get this.

How come you're allowed to look through that book, but we can't play back our

message? This is in plain sight. That is not. It's an invasion of privacy

without a warrant.

Oh, the law.

Very complex, I forget.

Well, let me ask you this.

What if someone, not a cop, but someone like...

A doctor? Or to accidentally... I mean, what then?

Then the cop might strangle him.

Mindy. Marco.

I expect to get paid today, lady.

All right?

Both gym, 10 o 'clock.

And this time it better be everything.

That's him.

That's the guy I've been telling you about. The guy who's been dealing all

supplements.

Marco, huh? Marco.

Marco.

Cut! Oh, Dr.

Sloan, that was great. All right, guys, let's get over here and get a different

angle. Like this.

Tighten them there.

The lights have to be right in your face like that.

All right, Dr. Sloan, stretch number nine, the lumbar stretch.

All right, run!

And action.

Okay, now this next movement, you have to be very, very careful with this one.

The left foot.

You're going to twist.

I want you to do it very slowly and very carefully.

Very slowly come around.

Now, don't go too far. Go as far as you can. But if you go too far, you could

throw your back out like I just did.

Oh, Mark.

Are you all right? I'm fine. I always differ like this.

Don't touch.

Don't touch. Can somebody find a doctor?

Yeah. Psychiatry would be a good idea.

Hey, Marco?

Yo. I'm Steve. I'm the guy that paged you. Oh, hey, what can I do for you?

You can turn around and put your hands in the car.

Ah, now, Marco, what's a big guy like you need with a little gun like this?

I have a permit for it, all right? Uh -huh.

What about this?

I'll tell you what, Marco.

You tell me what you gave Mindy this morning.

or I go in a scavenger hunt.

Tryptophan. Okay? It's a harmless amino acid.

Give her some nausea. That's it.

Look, Mindy owed me a lot of money, okay? She had a bad habit, and I blew a

scare into her.

Paid everything off this morning.

Marco, you better hope that this isn't the stuff that killed her.

out doing a fitness tape hi hi any luck tracking down marco oh yeah i found him

all right he was selling bottles of human growth hormone identical to the

found in mindy's apartment any idea how long mindy been on steroids well

according to marco she wasn't but uh i trust him about as far as i could bench

press him the symptoms that mindy's personal trainer described fit steroid

overdose muscle ache nausea but that's not what killed her

I got Mindy a tox screens and blood chem back. They all tested negative. She was

completely clean.

Well, if this isn't a drug reaction, what are we looking at? A woman who's 43

synthetic. I'll start at the top and work our way down.

The autopsy revealed she had eyelid and eyebrow augmentation, minor nose job,

facial microsuction, surgical and collagen lip enhancement.

She also had an artificial beauty mark, waist and ankle liposuction, laser skin

resurfacing to rough areas at the back of the feet.

She had chin, breast, and gluteal implants.

Wow. Nobody's perfect.

Well, it looked like she had a pretty good start on it.

What part of this body is actually Mindy? The sweat under her arms. Hold

To truly appreciate her commitment, look over here.

You see, less than 72 hours ago, Mindy Yates had cheek implants.

She was out exercising for four hours this morning.

What kind of a doctor wouldn't caution her against that?

And if she had surgery, how come there's not a mark on her?

Well, the incisions for cheek implants are done from the inside of the mouth.

But judging from the redness in her cheeks, I'd say Mindy had some kind of

infection. Oh, you're right. Her sutures were badly infected.

That explains those bills we found from the Donnell Clinic.

They must do plastic surgery.

Mm -hmm. In a big way.

Elaine Donnell's a local surgeon who wrote a bestseller. I used that note

already to open a clinic.

You're going to report the cause of death as massive systemic infection?

The blood culture came back positive for bacteria, but I am going to do further

analysis. Right now, that's going to be my preliminary determination.

You know, judging from the rate and the toxicity of the infection and the number

of surgeries, I'd say there's something seriously wrong with that clinic.

Are you saying criminally wrong?

For somebody this young and in this good of health to succumb to that kind of an

infection is just poor medicine.

It's negligent homicide, Steve.

Are those real?

Of course not.

First time?

Don't worry.

Elaine's a genius with breath.

If she can do mine three times, no reason why she can't fix yours.

Three times?

Well, the first time I had silicone.

34Bs for the role of Nurse Jan on MD.

But for Aquahunt, I went with the saline. Up to 38C.

I'd keep them, but I just got Madame Curie. The miniseries? And my agents say

she's not a 38C kind of madam.

If you know what I mean.

Doctors, please come in.

Dr. Sloan. Thank you. Dr. Bentley, please.

So, what can I do for you?

Doctor, we want to talk to you about some plastic surgery.

Your nose.

Of course we can help.

You know, the awful truth is, it's an ageist world out there.

Every doctor is expected to look like George Clooney these days.

Actually, I did read your book.

You did? Yes.

You claim in here that in two days you can take 20 years off a man's face.

It's true.

Men hold their age in three places.

Around the eyes, forehead, chin.

So if I gave you a week, I could wind up being 16 years old again, huh?

Make all those same mistakes again? I don't think so.

What are more concerned with the mistakes you're making now?

Excuse me?

How do you justify doing a dozen different cosmetic surgeries on a 23

woman like Mindy Yates?

I don't have to. It was her choice.

I think what Dr. Bentley's trying to say is that Mindy Yates seemed awfully

pretty to start with.

Well, you think so. I think so. But she didn't.

Whose opinion matters most?

He could have refused to do the surgeries.

I don't see that that is any of your business.

I'm not hearing any complaints from Mindy.

Because she's dead.

She died in the ER yesterday at Community General.

How? Septic infection.

Bacteria she picked up during surgery in your OR.

Or, you know, possibly somewhere else.

You see, the thing is, we know so little about plastic surgery, we really need

your expertise to help us narrow down the causes.

Dr. Sloan, if there is anything that I or any of my staff can do to help you,

would you please let me know?

Certainly. You could start by showing us your O .R.

My O .R. is booked solid until 8 o 'clock this evening.

Of course, you're welcome to have the run of the clinic until that time.

Thank you.

About my nose.

Your nose.

Frankly, I wouldn't touch it.

I think it gives you character.

This is what we call our vision imaging center. This is where we show our

patients the range of procedures available and how they might look

Now, we take their picture with a digital camera, we download it to the

software, apply morphing techniques to show,

for example, how a nose job might improve facial balance.

Do you think there's something wrong with my nose?

No, I didn't say that, sir. It's just an example.

Well, do you think it needs work?

Of course he does. I'm sure he thinks all noses need a little fixing, don't

doctor? Well, my job is just to make people feel better about themselves.

I mean, if I can do that without surgery, even better.

What about me?

Sir, my father has the biggest nose in Arkansas.

I wouldn't take a millimeter off of it.

If you ask me, character comes from the small imperfections that make us unique.

Well, if that's the way you feel, then what are you doing working here?

What every doctor does, alleviating suffering, healing wounds, making people

feel whole again.

Did you know Mindy Yates?

I saw her for the first time in a war.

I was supposed to assist on her surgery.

As soon as I walked in, I was hit by this wave of nausea, so I'd asked Dr.

Shermer to cover for me.

Did you come down with anything?

I thought I did, but after an hour or two, I was fine.

Must have been that third burrito at lunch.

Hi, I'm Dr. Shermer. I assisted on Mindy Yates' surgery, and I thought you'd

like the details.

Yes, that'd be very helpful.

Right, the implants were celastic.

The surgery lasted 39 minutes.

The patient went into recovery at 1 .46 and left at 2 .20.

And, well, the procedure actually went very well indeed.

Just 34 minutes in recovery.

Yes, pretty quick, but... We don't have that conveyor belt going yet.

Look, Dr.

Donnell prides herself on using the latest surgical tools and procedures so

patients suffer the least amount of post -operative discomfort as possible.

See, most of our patients lead very active lives. They don't want to be

sidelined a minute longer than necessary.

Speaking of time, we are due in a while right now.

Excuse us. Thank you.

While you fall asleep around here, you're liable to wake up with a... with

tummy tuck.

You were going to say nose job, but yes, you were, too.

Biggest nose in Arkansas. What does that mean?

I don't know.

The result came back from Indy's blood work.

Pseudomonas. Just the type of virulent bacteria you expected.

Did the clinic have its own blood lab? Yes, and I'm sure that's where it was

cultured. Lax procedures was probably the reason why I ended up in the OR.

What are you going to do?

I'm going to call a friend of mine in the state board and request a son

inspection right away.

No. I have filled out enough forms.

I told you, I am Julia Brush, and I'm here to collect Mindy Yates. I'm sorry,

but we have rules. I can't release her to someone who's not a relative without

proper authorization. I am her best friend.

Her mother is dead.

Her father is in a home. I have a letter. I've shown it to you twice. I'm

I have flown 2 ,000 miles. I have crossed three time zones.

And if you don't bring her out to me right now, there's going to be another

court. It's okay. You are right. Nurse, this is all we need right now.

Finally. Someone human.

Even if you are a doctor.

So can I have my friend, please, now?

Yeah. Why don't we go check with Dr. Bentley? She's our medical examiner.

Although it may be a bit of a delay. See, there's an investigation pending

now.

Investigation? Why?

We think Mindy may have died of medical negligence.

Let's doctor talk for, oops, I killed someone.

We have to determine whether it was the clinic or the plastic surgeon's fault.

That's why I can't release her yet.

Mindy had plastic surgery?

For what?

Mindy was born perfect.

She had the kind of looks that made other girls think about having surgery.

This wasn't her first surgery, Miss Brush.

Oh, well, did you know Mindy?

We've been best friends since we were kids.

I don't understand.

Well, maybe it was the world that she lived in.

Acting and modeling, that can be very competitive.

She underwent at least a dozen procedures.

It doesn't.

That can't be.

What does this city do to people?

My courthouse search showed that the Dinell Clinic was a defendant in 13

not one of which ever went to trial. They were settled by nondisclosure

agreements. Well, she's a best -selling author, you know.

She's a setup for any nuisances.

You know, I don't agree with her very much, but I don't think she's a sloppy

doctor. Something wrong somewhere.

Yeah, patient dies. Dr. Sherman just quit.

Sherman quit?

Maybe we better find out why.

The experience at Santa is remarkable, really.

See, they, I mean, we provide plastic and reconstructive surgery for burn

patients, amputees.

victims of traumatic injury, and make it available virtually free of charge to

those who just couldn't afford it otherwise.

Certainly not how things worked at the Dinell Clinic.

Not as lucrative. No, but it's an opportunity to do some cutting -edge

know, the kind that most plastic surgeons only dream about.

That's inspiring, Doctor.

But are we supposed to believe that this career move has nothing to do with

Mindy Eight's death?

Look, this is something I've been thinking of doing for some time.

I never intended to spend my professional life doing suctions on

Hills 16 -year -olds.

Working at Asperian may make you feel better until somebody else at the

Clinic dies.

We know about the lawsuits, Doctor. We also know about the way the Donnell

Clinic settled them.

Do you really think that Elaine Donnell let me go without making me sign a non

-disclosure agreement?

And if you broke it?

I can forget about the kitchen remodel my wife and I are doing for starters.

Well, it's that, or you'll be occupying a 9x7 cell.

Because I'll make sure that you're brought up in charges as an accessory to

negligent homicide.

If you'd just be patient, we'll be with you in a moment. Why don't you have a

seat? Please, sit down.

I don't know. Sit down.

What's going on, Doctor? I don't know.

But I'm meaning to get a pretty good idea.

What makes you think you have the right to come in here like this?

It's not a right, Doctor. It's a responsibility, and not a pleasant one,

me. Just something you need to do so you can sleep at night. Something like

that, yeah.

Because no patient of yours ever picks up an infection in the OR.

Because a young girl died needlessly. That's the only reason we're here.

And if Mindy Yates had died after complications from a routine

would you still be here?

Steve, look at this.

Blood.

I take it that's not a good thing.

Not on an instrument that should have been sterilized.

You find anything else?

Where should I start?

How about in the blood lab right next to the OR?

Sounds convenient.

It is for the bacteria.

These two rooms should not share the same ventilation system, let alone the

door.

What you found to have caused Mindy H's death?

You know what I think, Dr. Sloan?

You don't like the kind of medicine I practice, and you're trying to put me

of business. I don't like the idea of performing unnecessary surgery on people

simply because they're willing to pay. Unnecessary according to whom, Doctor?

That I can't do anything about, but when your people start dying... One patient,

Dr. Sloan, one tragic death that may or may not have resulted from a procedure

she chose to have performed here. You don't feel the slightest responsibility,

do you? I am not the person who puts sculpted bodies on the cover of every

magazine and calls it beauty.

I am not the person who pays actresses $15 million to show off their surgically

enhanced breasts.

I just helped Mindy Yates become what she wanted. A corpse.

Detective Sloan, how much longer is this inspection going to take?

It's over now.

Good. If you would like to debate this further, book the date on Oprah.

Until then, I'm busy.

Okay, let's all go back to work, everyone.

This is over.

By order of the county medical examiner's office, this clinic is

closed.

This is all a terrible misunderstanding.

If you could all just be patient a few more minutes, I'll have it all cleared

up. Or my attorney will.

You can call him from the police station.

I have a full slate of surgeries scheduled for today, and I intend to

every single one of them. You won't be doing any cutting today, doctor, unless

you can do it wearing these bracelets.

Dr. Elaine Donnell, you're under arrest for the negligent homicide of your

patient, Mindy Yates.

Take her away and read her rights.

What's the matter?

You know, there's so much bacteria in this place, there ought to be a lot more

sick people than there are.

Maybe that's where all those lawsuits came from.

You know, it's hard for me to believe that someone as intelligent as Dr.

would allow this kind of unsanitary condition.

Well, she won't be doing it anymore, thanks to you. Thanks to me.

The address is CBS.

Welcome home.

We'll have to hold on to Mindy's body at least until the inquest.

No, I understand.

Actually, I came back because I wanted to apologize.

I was pretty upset yesterday.

And then hearing about Mindy's surgeries, I... People can become

She always was a perfectionist.

I guess I lost a part of her even before this.

Hey. Hi.

Do you have a crick in your back? Oh, yeah. Threw it out the other day.

Well, you know, I can help you out if you like.

My Uncle Bert taught me this move.

I don't think I'm familiar with the Uncle Bert method.

She knows what she's doing.

Yes or no?

Well... Hey.

That worked.

That's great.

Who are you?

I'm Julia Brush.

Oh, yes, Mindy's friend. The, uh... Doctor hater.

But I'm not, really. I just had a bad experience with one.

And unfortunately, he was my fiancé.

Oh, that explains it.

Partly.

He did a stomach bypass on a woman at his clinic.

And when things went wrong, he panicked.

By the time he got her to the hospital, the poor woman had died.

Well, hearing that, I understand why you mistrust doctors.

I hope that we've gained some of your trust back.

Well, you have.

That's why I wanted to come back and apologize and ask if there's anything I

do to help.

As a matter of fact, there is.

Something you can do for us and for Mindy.

Address the inquest tomorrow?

Without any family, Mindy needs an advocate. A living, breathing reminder

Dr. Donnell put profit before people.

I'd be more than happy to.

Is there anything in particular I need to know?

We can discuss it over dinner.

Or lunch.

Well, Dr.

Travis, I'd like that very much.

Jessie.

Jessie.

to this, but best for the patients and the clinic that we close down now.

Well, if you knew there was a problem, why didn't you say something?

Well, it's no excuse, but I've only been here a short time.

And Elaine is intimidating.

I just wish I could have insisted on some changes before I came to this.

Well, answering the summons to appear at the inquest is the start, but what

about you? Where will you go?

I'll land on my feet.

A guy with a medical degree can always work somewhere.

I just wish there was some way to repair the damage to the family.

You can start with an apology to Julia Brush.

It was Julia Brush.

She was Mindy's best friend.

And she'll be there tomorrow. And I'm sure she'd appreciate if at least one

doctor took responsibility for what happened to her best friend.

I'd be happy to.

At least I can do.

Thank you.

Well, if you won't let me valet park, can I at least walk you back to your

hotel?

Jesse, if I wanted you to walk me back, I would have let you park.

Okay, I get it.

After the inquest, I want to take Mindy's body home.

I owe it to her parents and to her and to myself.

She was a dear friend to me at a time when I really needed one.

But if I let this go any further today, going home is going to be really hard.

Really?

Really.

I had a great time today.

So did I.

That was the nicest kiss off I have ever had.

Female in her 20s in acute hypovolemic shock.

Suspected to our ephemeral type.

Start a second IV. Wide open plasma.

Go, go. Primal one.

Anything new on Julia?

No, she's still on assisted breathing and comatose. Doesn't look good.

If only I'd been there.

You were there. If it weren't for you, she never would have made it. I didn't

walk her to her door.

I didn't see the driver.

I didn't even get the whole license plate.

I wish you got enough.

You found the car?

A black Explorer was reported stolen last night.

Found it abandoned in a parking lot about a mile from Julia's hotel.

So whoever stole the car must have dumped it right after they hit Julia.

Yeah, it looks that way. Poor Julia.

I mean, first Mindy, and then this accident.

Accident? What makes you think it was an accident?

Well, I mean, just because two awful things happened to two friends in the

week doesn't mean that they have to be connected.

No, they don't have to be, but in my experience, they usually are.

I haven't made the connection yet.

I graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School in the fall of 1991, sir.

I did my surgical residency at St. Edward Mercy in Little Rock, and I got

surgical diploma in 1995 from the American Plastic and Reconstructive

I joined the Donnell Clinic last November.

The on -site swabs done by the health department had only turned up

bacteria, but also staphylococcus, pneumocystis, and a whole other array of

bacteria.

In my opinion, yes. There may have been lapses in our OR.

Did you ever make Dr. Donnell aware of your concerns, Doctor?

Yes, I did.

I want this board to know that I am as shocked by what was found in our OR as

anyone. And I cannot explain it.

Except to say that I believe I have been targeted by Dr. Sloan.

Dr. Bentley, and others in this room, not for the quality of our care, but for

what we represent.

Are you suggesting we're looking at falsified results?

No. But this is about power in politics.

Old medicine versus new.

A giant hospital is taking on a small clinic that gives a kind of speedy, cost

-efficient surgery that makes it impossible for dinosaurs like Dr.

Sloan and Community General to survive.

But our surgery eases human suffering every bit as much as theirs does.

For the painfully shy teenager who's so ashamed of her nose.

The morbidly obese man who cannot get a job.

The fading star trying to add just a few years to her career.

We're their last hope.

Upon review of the testimony, the board has unanimously decided to immediately

withdraw a surgical certification of the Dinell Clinic.

We further order a hearing be held to consider revocation of Dr. Elaine H.

Dinell's license to practice medicine.

This wasn't a hearing. This was a farce. And I'm not going to let you get away

with it.

We may have won, but it feels a little hollow.

Never was going to bring back Mindy, but it sure would make me feel better to

know until your brush is going to pull through.

I just wish she'd have been here. You know, Julia should have seen that.

Each and every one of those clinic doctors should have to look her in the

That's it.

What's that?

The key to Mindy Yates' murder.

Elaine Donnell was right. This whole thing was a farce.

Premeditated by the same person who killed Mindy Yates.

Here is a list of every teaching hospital in the country.

Have a look at it, and then I'll tell you why I think Mindy Yates' chicken

plants were deliberately...

Dad, what does this have to do with Julie Brush being run down by a stolen

Everything. It struck me at the inquest when you said if Julie had been there,

she would have looked every one of those doctors behind.

Somebody in that room didn't want her there.

Or they'd be recognized.

But which doctor?

Right there in front of you. St.

Edward's Mercy Hospital.

In Little Rock. That's where Dr. Johnson said he did his residency.

His dad had the biggest nose in Arkansas, remember?

So Johnson was Julia's ex -fiancé, the one who botched that simple stomach

bypass and killed a patient.

I think of everything he told us, one thing was the truth.

When he went in to insist on Mindy's surgery, he got sick, all right, because

laying on the table was his ex -fiancé's best friend, a patient who sooner or

later was going to recognize him and expose his malpractice past.

He knew that if he was going to prevent it, right then and there was the time.

He excused himself, went into the lab, filled a syringe with bacteria, and when

no one was looking, laced the implants.

Then he got Shermer to replace him so that he and Donnell would take the blame

if there was ever an inquiry.

How does a doctor who lost his license in Arkansas get a job here?

Unfortunately, that's fairly simple.

I can't believe in this country there's no national clearinghouse that keeps

track of malpractice. Yeah, a doctor always has his degree to fall back on.

can practically kill somebody in one state, have your license revoked, and to

start a new practice and a new life in another state.

Which is what Dr.

Johnson must have done. Until Mindy came along.

Yeah, and given how often Mindy was in and out of that clinic, sooner or later

she was going to recognize Johnson and reveal his past.

That clinic was a mess. You said so yourself.

Couldn't that contamination have been accidental?

Well, that was my problem. It was way too messy.

There could have been dozens of deaths.

Well, if that clinic was dirtied up, then Johnson knew the inspection was

coming. How?

Shermer. We told him we needed his statement to get an inspection.

Then he's who we need to talk to.

Detective, I thought I'd given you all the help you needed.

Oh, you can answer another question or two, huh?

Uh -huh.

Why did you let Dr. Johnson know that Health Services was about to do a spot

inspection?

I didn't.

Well, that's not what your phone records show.

You called Dr. Johnson not ten minutes after you spoke with Dr. Bentley and Dr.

Travis.

All right. I called to warn him to get out.

Why?

Johnson's a friend, all right?

I knew that the clinic might fail an inspection.

I'm going to need a statement from you admitting you called Johnson. Otherwise,

you're an accessory to murder.

To murder? That's right.

Your friend, Johnson, arranged for you to put in the contaminated implants that

killed Mindy.

The Arkansas State Medical Board revoked the medical license of a Dr. Richard

Johnson four years ago. Don't tell me, but let me guess. He bungled a resection

on a woman's stomach, didn't get her to ER on time?

Right. Julia's ex -fiance is our murderer, but we can't prove it.

What about the staff around the clinic? Didn't they notice anything at all? I

went through all the police interviews. Any one of those clinic surgeons could

have contaminated those implants. They all had prior access to the lab.

A woman dies because she's in the wrong place at the wrong time, and we can't

make a case for being unconscious in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Right.

Unconscious, don't you see?

Julia Bruss is our case.

She's in intensive care on life support. How could she help us?

Mind if I come in?

No. What can I do for you?

Well, um... Actually, I stopped by to apologize for throwing you out of work.

No, it's not your fault.

Truth is, it's better this way.

Still losing your income?

Do you have anything lined up?

Well, maybe I can help.

I mean, there's always some place around here looking for a really good surgeon.

That's kind of you.

With all this publicity, I was thinking about Seattle.

There's a clinic there with an opening.

Seattle? Really?

You know, I just went to a medical conference out there.

You are going to love it. It's so beautiful, all that nature and that

economy. You think so?

I sure hate to leave, you know. I was hoping to stay here a long time.

Oh. Well, there is one bright spot. Mindy's friend, Julia Brush, she left

intensive care this afternoon.

Oh, Mindy's friend, that's right.

No wonder I didn't get a chance to apologize to her.

She had an accident.

Oh, and a bad one.

She'll be able to now.

She's going to be all right.

Is she conscious?

Well, briefly, but no one was able to make out what she was trying to say.

She's going to be okay.

Oh, that's wonderful.

So remember, if you need me to make a call or a letter of recommendation or

contacts up in Seattle, get in touch with me. I'd be happy to help.

Thank you.

Okay, good.

You need any help with that, Doctor?

You

know,

Dr. Johnson, you're a regular triple -set man.

This guy can kill somebody with a scalpel, an automobile, or a syringe.

I don't know how to thank you.

You saved my life.

You did.

Thank you.

I don't want to make this any more difficult for you.

You won't.

We know where Jesse will be spending his next vacation.

Uh -oh.

Dr. Sloan. Yes.

Hello. I've come here to thank you personally.

Oh, you didn't have to do that. I think getting the charges cleared and your

license reinstated was the least I could do.

The very least. Of course. That's why I'm not thanking you for that.

It's for the $20 million I'm going to collect from you and this hospital for

defamation.

You're suing me?

Your reckless charges smeared my reputation and cost me countless

It will take me years to recoup what I've lost, both professionally and

personally.

You know something?

You're absolutely right.

She is? Yes, she is.

As a matter of fact, Doctor, I'd be happy to testify on your behalf.

You will?

Yes. I mean, I think all I have to do is tell them the facts.

All the many surgeries that Mindy had, the high volume of patients you see

day, to find doctors on your staff.

And I'll just explain to them that you had no way of knowing that one of them

had been stripped of his license for killing a patient and another... I mean,

you're very busy. You don't have time to go checking into the background of

every doctor you hire.

I'll make sure they understand that.

You ever thought about being a lawyer?

Bloody hell.