Original subtitles

- You're demented. - Previously on St. elsewhere.

You building that nest for you and Jane?

Good-bye, my high-flying bird. My eagle.

Guns aren't allowed in the hospital. Well, tell that to patients.

I had a "gomer" in here yesterday with a sawed-off shotgun.

Leslie Stevenson wanted a career, so she put

everything on hold until it was too late.

I don't want that to happen to me. Then don't you let it.

Can you take care of yourself, the baby and Ralph?

- We deserve a chance. - It's rough out there, Jane.

Don't worry. I won't screw up.

- Stop! - Tonight on St. elsewhere.

You doctors today, you're spoiled, you're selfish.

You might as well be a lawyer or an accountant.

Why were you quacking around Mrs. Pechar's room?

White's kid. She ate some mothballs.

I can remember when Myra couldn't wait for me to get home at night.

And now she can't stand for me to touch her.

- You know something? You're a jerk. - Actually, I'm Lithuanian.

Now, listen, honey. When you empty a urinal,

you've got to be sure to record the exact volume...

On the patient's "I" and "0" sheet.

Now miss Barlow is gonna have to start all over again.

I don't do floors, and I don't do ceilings.

Were your car windows open? Yeah.

The back seat looks like Niagara Falls. Oh!

Mrs. Valente is stabilized. Poor woman.

What happened to her? Somebody threw her off a trans-dyke overpass.

She says whoever did it's gonna try and finish the job.

So you keep an eye on her. Let me know if there's any change.

Renal has tried everything there is to try.

So for the last five of his 45 years,

Mr. Brennan has been on thrice weekly maintenance hemodialysis...

Because of end-stage renal failure,

secondary to a presumptive diagnosis...

Of chronic nephritis.

So, you see, medical therapy has failed completely.

That's where we move in. We've already inserted the Gore-Tex graft.

When you insert the graft, you'll feel a thrill...

Because of the increased force...

From the direct artery-to-vein insertion.

Rounds started 15 minutes ago, ehrlich.

Were you catching up on your beauty sleep?

No, actually, I sprained my pinky.

Sprained your pinky?

How? I was playing handball this morning.

I want to see you in my office. - 00.

Mr. Brennan is a prime candidate for a kidney transplant.

First, we have to find one of his relatives with a matching...

What's up?

I'm behind on my student loan payments.

They're threatening to take me to court.

Oh, come on.

They must send out 50,000 of these as a scare tactic.

It works.

By the time they actually find you, you'll be retiring to Santa fe.

The hospital received an inquiry about my salary.

How behind are you?

See you later, okay? Okay.

Don't worry.

I'm sorry. The doctors here do not make house calls.

You're gonna have to...

Well, don't you have your own internist?

Look, you're going to have to hold, all right?

Jack, can you take this call? Who is it?

Some guy. Says he has to have a doctor.

He's been tying up the line for 20 minutes.

He says it's an emergency. Hello?

Yes, I'm a doctor.

Well, come down to the hospital.

Yeah. No personal phone calls, please.

Guy wants a doctor. He called the right place.

No, I can't come to your apartment.

I'll send an ambulance. I wouldn't go unless it was Jane Fonda,

Ralph nader or Michael internicola. What?

Who's Michael internicola? My best friend from grade school.

I assure you, paramedics are qualified.

Okay. Okay.

Yes, I promise I'll be the one who comes.

Can you cover for me? I'm gonna make a house call.

A house call? Morrison, house calls are obsolete, like rotary engines.

Not only that, they're impractical, they're time-consuming.

- You're liable to get a parking ticket. - I'm on my way.

- Anybody got an umbrella? - No.

No.

Good.

Who? it's Dr. Morrison.

A Mr. Lukovic called me about an emergency.

I'm lukovic. Took you long enough to get here.

The streets are flooded. You said you were dying.

I'm Dr. Morrison. What's your name?

Claudia lynch. She's a mute.

Every two minutes, she's on the toilet.

Open. Ahh.

She's dehydrated. What's making her sick?

- I don't know. - You said you were a doctor.

- Are you a relative of hers? - I live on the next block.

You should've brought her in to the hospital.

We have the equipment down there to make a proper diagnosis.

Has she ever had stomach problems before? No.

- Has she ever had trouble with her pancreas or gall bladder? - Not that I know of.

What was she doing just before the pain started?

I don't know. She was like this when I got here.

What's this? Eggnog.

Homemade.

Does she take medication for anything?

She's always been as healthy as an athlete.

- What are you looking for? - Might be food poisoning.

One of these is for nausea, the other for diarrhea.

Get them filled as quickly as possible.

Haven't got anything with you to give her now?

There are a million different drugs on the market, Mr. Lukovic.

My bag's too small to bring all of them.

Don't get out of bed unless you have to.

Drink a lot of water.

No food, no more of that eggnog, okay?

How much do I owe you? Don't worry about it.

She's sick, you came. What's that worth to you?

Well, to be perfectly honest, I don't know.

I've never made a house call before. Let's forget it.

You're not doing us any favors here. We pay for what we get.

Here's 20. Is that enough? Yeah, that's fine.

If she isn't better by tonight, bring her in to St. eligius.

- I thought you wanted to be a surgeon. - I do, sir. Very much.

It takes a special kind of commitment, a unique discipline.

One might say a higher order of self-sacrifice.

Because when a properly trained surgeon enters the professional arena,

he becomes an indispensable part of American health care.

I know, and I'm really sorry I was late.

Tardiness is not the issue here.

Though if it ever happens again, I'll ship you back to Berkeley in an avocado crate.

- Yes, sir. - Ehrlich, what's the most important tool...

That a surgeon has in the operating room?

Um...

- The most important tool? - After his mind, of course.

Aha. Well, uh... hands.

- His hands. - Hands. Of course.

There are very few careers that depend more...

On the use of your hands than ours does.

A concert pianist, maybe. A sculptor, sure.

I see what you're saying. What I'm saying is...

That when you're in the middle of an operation...

And the scrub nurse screws up or the resident becomes squeamish,

you'll be able to help that patient through because of these.

I mean, you can study for years and years and years,

and then because of some stupid little mistake...

Like slicing the bread wrong or picking up a box...

Or going for a kill in a handball game, and it's over.

Finished. Forever.

Now, I didn't waste all this time on you...

Just to have you throw it away.

- Do I make myself clear? - Yes, sir.

Now, I'm gonna give you a little motto...

That the head of surgery, Dr. David domedion, said to me in my residency.

"When you're going into O.R., wash your hands.

When you're coming out, watch your hands."

Got it? Yes, sir. I've got it.

Now get outta here. I've got a lot of work to do.

Hurry up. Hurry. He's here.

Oh, Ralph! Ralph, get down from there!

It's cold. The water's coming in.

It's okay.

Now, Ralph, I want you to get down!

Call Dr. Beale. Tell him Ralph's on the loose again.

Ralph, get down!

Jerry fauvell was telling me about his new girlfriend.

He described her as a cross between Judy garland and Liza minnelli.

If you ask me, old Jerry doesn't have both of his chopsticks in the suey.

Love is blind. Lust has 20-20 vision.

Hey! Easy on the bucks, wingding.

Look at this mess. Multiple rib fractures,

three on the Louie and a 20% underlying pneumothorax.

This guy wants to be outta here by Saturday to play tennis with his boss.

What did Dr. Scabrini say? He glanced at the x-rays for two seconds.

"You oughta learn to trust yourself more, fycus."

"Fycus." are you lost, Mrs. Levenson? Yeah.

Will you hold it for me? All right.

Excuse me. Could you take care of this woman for me?

Yes, doctor. Thank you.

God! Excuse me.

Next stop, first floor. Stomachs, spleens, descending colons.

Catch you later. Bye.

Did the cops ever catch the guys that mugged you? Nope.

At least you got your credit cards back, huh?

My master charge was last seen sunning itself in Bermuda.

How much did they charge on the cards? Six thousand so far.

I wish I had those creeps in front of me right now.

Oh, yeah? What would you do? Take a snapshot?

That's the worst part of it all. I know I should've done something.

Hey, man, when they got you from behind, they got you.

I keep thinking, "I should've done this. I could've done that."

It's like every time I come in here, I wonder if it's gonna happen again.

Okay, your lung is partially collapsed.

If the volume decreases any more, we're gonna have to put a tube in your chest.

So I think you'd better forfeit Saturday's match.

If it does, I'll be ready. Nobody's gonna catch me off guard again.

Norah, you wanna give this guy a ride?

Makes you so angry. Yeah, sure it does.

But what's the difference if some hood takes your money or some oil sheikh does?

I get ripped off every time I go in the supermarket.

What, with my wife, my kids, my student loans.

Did you know one of the muggers put his mug on my driver's license,

and he's flashing it all over greater Boston as positive I.D.?

All right, who's next?

Come on, Jack. The waiting room's s.R.O.

Mr. Lukovic...

Listen to me.

I can't. I'm busy.

I have a lot of people here I have to see.

What do you mean the baby can't breathe?

Where's the mother?

Uh-huh. I get it, yeah.

I get off in half an hour, Mr. Lukovic.

Uh, sure, I'll see you then.

Sooner if possible.

Uh, 24 claremont, apartment 7-c.

Yeah, I got it.

The guy with a concussion is starting to talk crazy.

The woman you intruded upon was Mrs. Pechar.

She's made a formal complaint to Dr. Westphall.

You know, Ralph, he may just feel it's about time to clip your wings.

Ever since Jane left, I'll admit I've been a bit depressed...

And acting somewhat peculiar.

But now I've had this extraordinary revelation.

Revelation? About what?

I've discovered the root of my problem.

I've been staring in the mirror instead of looking out the window.

I've been too wrapped up in the saran of my own reality.

I'm gonna find a way to reach beyond the narrow vision of my psyche.

I want to cross the mighty hemisphere and become an active participant...

In the great pageant of human intercourse.

As the Beatles said, "we all live in a yellow submarine."

All of us.

Any ideas as to how you'll accomplish your goal?

No, not yet.

One must first work out a clear plan,

establish a primary focus...

And then apply a carefully thought-out methodology.

I respect your opinion greatly, Hugh,

so if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know.

I'll do that, Ralph.

I will. More coffee?

Uh, no, thanks.

There's, uh... there's still one thing that I don't quite understand as yet.

What's that?

Why were you quacking around Mrs. Pechar's room?

It was clearly time to herald my revelation to the world.

Hey. What is that?

Cha xiu bao from king wah's. Mmm.

I always keep one handy in case I need an m.S.G. Fix.

Where you going on such a dismal, dreary day?

Another house call.

You've got a severe 9.S.C., Morrison. I left my rosetta stone at home.

What's a 9.S.C.? G.S.C... Good samaritan complex.

You made the mistake of reading the fine print on your hippocratic oath.

Uh-huh. Let me tell you a little story, boy-o.

A "truth is stranger than fiction." Is it short?

These two doctors are attending a party at a plush palm Springs hotel.

Drs. Kildare and Casey... we'll call 'em... are summoned to the next room.

A woman has gone into cardiac arrest.

I mean, she's throwing six p.V.C.'S and dropped a beat for 15 seconds.

Casey and kildare are getting set to start c.P.R...

When two paramedics rush in.

The four of them can't agree on which

procedure to use and start slugging each other.

A policeman shows up, looks over the situation

and starts clubbing kildare and Casey.

Next thing they know, they're being hauled off to the slammer...

With a doberman pinching at their heels. Uh-huh.

Bye. I'm telling you, Morrison,

you keep making these house calls, you oughta get a gun.

I'm not gonna keep making house calls. Really,

it's almost as dangerous out there as it is in here.

I'd get a gun if I were you. I don't need a gun, Wayne.

I've got this winning smile.

You know, it's people like you that give doctors a good name.

I said, "Billy, don't bite the hand that bleeds you."

Oh, no! Give me a hand here, ehrlich, would you, please?

Uh-uh. What?

I can't. I don't wanna cut my hands.

Craig really got on me about taking care of my hands, and I can't.

No. What if he sees me?

- What? - I want a male doctor.

There is nothing a male doctor can do that I can't do.

I got blood in my semen, lady.

Hope you've got an ark.

Where's your umbrella?

I left it at home.

Rain depresses some people.

It invigorates me.

Another twirl of the water cycle.

The earth replenishing itself.

You're gonna get soaking wet. I know.

Here. This should be of some help.

Thank you.

He didn't sleep last night, what with all the coughing, wheezing and throwing up.

He just keeps getting weaker and weaker.

- Any idea what it is? - My guess is asthma,

either set off by an allergic reaction or aggravated by a bronchial infection.

This is gonna help you breathe, okay? So don't be afraid.

Good boy. Good for you.

Depending on how he reacts to the adrenalin,

we'll know if he has to come in for X-ray, oxygen or blood test.

Is anyone else in his family allergic to anything?

No.

He's gonna be okay.

He'll be okay.

Where'd you learn to speak arabic? From customers.

We used to own a butcher shop on the corner of Edward and park.

The only way to do business with people is to talk to them.

Who's "we"? Your wife? Marje.

Our first day, she made a rule.

No one would ever leave our shop empty-handed

because they didn't have the money to pay.

We'd keep a list and give it to them at the end of the month. No rush.

And I'd deliver the meat personal to the old ones.

What happened to your shop? What happened?

A&p, star, price chopper.

I sold it two years ago in spring.

An early retirement. Oh, I envy you.

I would love to have the time to do nothing.

You won't when you've got it. Especially if your wife dies.

I've grown restless. Is that why you do this?

These people are my friends, Dr. Morrison. Really, that's okay. I...

Believe me,

the best thing you can do for your friends, if they're sick,

is to bring them in to the hospital.

I got my nose broke once in a fight.

I took a bus to the emergency room. I sat four hours.

I could feel the nose hardening crooked on my face.

- They had to break it again to fix it. - That happens sometimes.

- Nobody knew me there. Nobody cared. - I think we're home free.

She says, "thank you for saving my son's life."

- Oh, I really didn't do that. - Thank you.

It would be an insult to say so.

Okay, the winner of the door prize is Mr. Murray.

The Jimmy cagney suite.

If I'm not out in an hour, send in pat O'Brian.

What brings you to this house of darby o'Gill?

What? Darby o'Gill and the little people,

age-old Celtic lore brought to you by Walt Disney.

- Nice. Must hurt like hell. - No, it doesn't bother me.

How'd you get it? My girl found me in bed with her sister.

Seriously, what happened? I got people to see!

So will you just hurry up and get to work, huh, pal?

Oh, fiscus?

The guy in there... I think he's in the gang...

With the guys that hit you over the head.

How do you know that? Check out his colors.

Okay, find security.

Okeydokey. Why don't we take a whack at your wound?

It's a beauty, but it's only skin-deep.

Uh, could you lie face down on your stomach, please?

Why? What for? First, I'm gonna clean the wound,

and then I'm gonna stitch it.

That is, if a nurse gets here with a suture tray.

Well, tell her to hurry up. Just relax, Mr. Murray.

You're gonna be here a while. I've got to soak the wound in Betadine,

and then I'm gonna give you some local anesthesia.

No. Wait. You ain't putting me to sleep.

Just your back. In order to infiltrate the skin...

And reach the subcutaneous tissue around the area of the wound.

- Will you speak English? - I will if you will.

- You know something? You're a jerk. - Actually, I'm Lithuanian.

I ain't got time to waste with you, pal, so you just hurry up!

One mustn't rush the healing process, Mr. Murray.

I'm liable to make a mistake and leave you permanently disfigured.

I'm outta here. Hold it a second.

Get off! You're not going anywhere.

- What, are you cracked? - Two guys from your gang hit me over the head with a bottle.

Oh, well, I don't know nothing about that.

Just shut up.

Okay, now, real slow, just take the knife out and put it on the gurney.

Okay.

You be cool though, okay? You got me.

Stop him!

- Get him! - Stop him!

I'm gonna dock you, fiscus. And I'll tell you the truth.

I'm so damn angry right now that unless you come up with some good answers,

and damn fast, I'm gonna suspend you, and I mean it.

Cathy Martin got popped three times in the parking lot.

Wendy Armstrong nearly got stabbed to death by some drugged-out loony.

He came at her with a hypodermic needle he had pulled off a tray.

I know. I know. It's tough. Tough?

The secret word is "dangerous." I'm here to save lives, not to get killed.

Do you know that a 9.I. Under enemy fire during world war ii...

Had a better chance of walking away than I do, living in this baked-bean factory?

That does not change the fact that you cannot carry a gun...

Into this hospital under any circumstances.

What do you want me to do next time some creep tries to mug me?

You want me to carry a card saying I'm a bleeder?

You say you're angry. Well, so am I!

What's going on around here? Am I the crazy one?

I'm in the E.R. fighting the good fight,

and these two punks come in and bang me over the head.

I was trying to save their lives, for god sakes.

This boy is not the one who hit you. Because I didn't give him the chance.

Do you know how many people Murray's probably ripped off?

Now, listen to me. He was your patient.

He was entitled to the very best medical care you could give him.

Fiscus, I can't tell you how to live, but I can sure as hell tell you this.

If I see you carrying that gun around this hospital again,

you're not gonna finish your residency here.

Do you understand me? Yes, sir.

Get rid of it.

So, was he a genuine cowboy? Oh, yeah.

From lubbock, Texas. Needless to say,

he was very happy when I told him that he wasn't damaged for life.

And he said that from now on, all he ever wants is a woman doctor.

Ooh. You must've handled him very gently.

Hot, hot, hot, hot. Careful.

Dr. Craig gave me this lecture about being careful with my hands.

He wants me to stop playing handball. I love handball.

I've been playing handball since I was 10 years old.

It's the only sport I can really call my own.

Dr. Kaplan told me the other day that if I

was really serious about becoming a surgeon,

I'd give up my carpentry work.

I didn't know you were into carpentry. Yeah. My husband and I both.

Let me ask you something.

What kind of a doctor would you be if you couldn't be a surgeon?

I wouldn't want to be a doctor.

I'd go back to California and get my m.B.A.

You're kidding. No. I want to be a surgeon.

I just really hate giving up handball.

You could do it on the sly. Not with Craig around. He'd know.

So every time Ralph's tray comes back, the food hasn't been touched?

Not only that, the plastic silverware's always missing.

And the paper cup and the milk carton and the place mats.

What's Ralph doing with all that garbage?

He's eating it. Ohh.

Give her to me. She swallowed some mothballs.

Come on. I'll take care of her.

White's kid. She ate some mothballs.

Get her vitals, get 15 c.C.'S serum of ipecac and a ton of fluid.

I don't know how many she ate or how long ago.

Did you bring the box with you? No, I didn't have time.

Do you know what kind of mothballs they were?

I think the box was red. No, it was green.

I don't re... okay, okay, listen to me, Myra. Listen.

Any of your neighbors have the key? Uh, Mrs. Kelk does.

Fine. I want you to call her. Luther. You call her, okay? Uh-huh.

Luther, go with her. She's gonna call her neighbor.

You get the toxin on the side of the box, okay?

Let's see here. Did you get it down? Not yet.

Okay, let me have this here. Come on, honey.

You're gonna have to take this if you want it to stop hurting.

It's on the floor in the closet. What happened?

She got into some mothballs. What?

I was upstairs lying down for a few minutes.

Come on now. I know.

Get a set of vitals. Get an n.G. Tube down her.

We're flushing with ipecac. Start the I.V.

Wait. You stay right there. I said we're getting a flush.

I want an n.G. Tube. We don't need it.

There could be naphthalene in those things.

She's gonna throw up either way. I've already gone this way,

so just go sit down somewhere and take it easy.

The neighbor found the box, and it was parad...

Dichlorobenzene? Okay, fine. Right.

Not napthalene.

Here we go now. One more big gulp.

There we go.

Peter? She's gonna be all right.

Oh!

I'll be right out. Take your time, Ralph. Take your time.

What did you want to see me about, Hugh?

Ah, I see you found my compost heap.

Why are you saving all this stuff? Look around.

You'd have to be blind not to see the mounds of garbage.

The public gardens look like a dump.

For years, people have been talking about what a mess the ecology is.

But if they really tasted some trash, they'd see.

- See what? - When I was small,

the air was clean, and when it rained like this, green things grew.

Now the leaves are covered with a white coat of acid, and the soil can't breathe.

Pollution's making us all sick, Hugh.

It's not only us. The fish are full of Mercury.

You go to any pond, they'll tell you.

- And dying. We're dying. - Ralph, this has...

No, no, I've seen it. I've seen it from the sky.

Cities the size of an eyeball staring at me and winking...

And crying big drops of tears.

Ralph, you gotta stop eating garbage.

Do you think it's best?

- All right then. I will. - Good.

- I'll get someone to clean this up. - No, no, no. I'll do it myself.

Don't bother.

You know how the Turkey vulture deals with her young?

She leads them with her beak to the edge of the nest...

And then, quite literally, shoves them off.

The strong ones fly up into the sun.

♪ Off we go into the wild blue yonder ♪

♪ climbing high into the sun ♪♪

♪♪

Oh, hi, Jack.

Megan's gonna be okay. Oh, good.

She's been vomiting, which I guess is what they wanted to happen.

Phil says I can take her home in a little while.

She was home with a cold,

and I'd been picking up after her and Timothy all day.

I got so tired, just exhausted.

So I sat Megan down with a puzzle, and I put Timothy in his crib,

and I went upstairs to take a nap for 20 minutes.

Just 20 minutes. That was all.

I know.

Will you tell that to Peter...

That I sat her down with a puzzle?

He won't talk to me.

Oh, this kid's a champ. Oh, honey.

We talked it over in there, didn't we, Megan? Yeah.

Next time she gets hungry, she's gonna eat a hippopotamus.

Thanks, Phil. I can't believe I let this happen.

Oh, listen, kids are always eating everything.

Safety pins, erasers. When I was eight, I used to eat paste.

- I know, but still... - Don't worry about it.

Listen, she's gonna be fine.

Her stomach may be sore for a little while,

but she'll be able to eat all her dinner, including dessert.

Come on, honey. Let's go see your brother.

Thanks. Okay.

Hey, where have you been the last five hours?

I took a long, therapeutic walk. Mmm.

Mind if I turn on some lights?

Oh, boy.

Heard about what happened today.

Today is not important.

September 12, 1968. That's when it all started. Mm-hmm.

My first day of high school. By lunchtime,

I realized they were gonna force me to be educated,

so I rolled a bowling ball down the main classroom corridor.

I wasn't gonna make it easy for them... wait a minute.

What are you talking about? You having a nervous breakdown?

I wish I was. A nervous breakdown would be a breeze compared to this.

To what? Thinking about my life.

I'm beginning to think maybe I got off the bus a few stops early.

Do you know I was the only kid in my boy scout troop,

maybe the whole b.S.A., that never tried to get a merit badge?

I took an "f" in chaucer rather than apologize to my professor...

For saying he didn't speak middle English very well.

I don't know. Maybe I am having a nervous breakdown.

You're just having a bad day. That's all.

No, when westphall was chewing me out,

it was like the principal was taking my bowling ball away.

I don't like authority.

Like it or not, westphall is right. Doctors don't carry guns.

That's easy to say. You're not going into emergency medicine.

Don't give me that. I've been in E.R. just as long as you have.

I've been knocked around down there. I didn't go out and buy a gun.

Phil, I'm gonna spend my life down there.

I've always only wanted to work in the emergency room.

It's got excitement. You know, vitality, chaos.

There's nothing like it anywhere else in the hospital.

A guy can be a bandit down there and still do some good.

What am I gonna do now?

I'm scared. I'm scared to go back in there.

Listen to me.

We're all scared, Wayne. Scared of one thing or another.

You know, sometimes I go into a restaurant or any room anywhere...

And every face I see is white.

There's people who hate me right off the bat...

Just for being black, who would wanna kill me.

I don't even know who for sure.

But I gotta be prepared for a wisecrack...

Or a fistfight.

But you know what I do?

I stand in that doorway, I suck it in,

and I keep walking right to my table.

Wanna buy a gun?

Mmm.

- This is so nice. - Enjoy it.

I have to leave for the hospital in an hour.

It's either a wrong number or the hospital.

In either case, I don't wanna know.

Oh, no. Oh, yes.

Ah.

Hello? Yeah, just a minute.

No. Ah. Who is it? Jack.

I don't know.

Hello. Mr. Lukovic.

No, I can't. I'm in the middle of my dinner.

Mr. Lukovic, I can't come over every time one of your friends has a problem.

Either bring him to the hospital or find yourself a regular 9.P.

Okay? I'm hanging up now.

Bye.

Good-bye.

Well?

Well, your friend is very old.

His heart is failing.

He should be in the hospital so we can watch him.

You know about medicine, Dr. Morrison,

but what you don't know about people could fill up Fenway park.

He wants to die in the same bed he's slept in for 40 years.

Sit down. Have a cup of coffee.

It'll warm you up before you go into all that rain.

There's a fellow two blocks around the corner needs you to look in on him.

I can't. I'm on call tonight.

It'll take you a minute or two, tops.

I can't be late. I'm covering for another doctor.

This man's in a wheelchair, paralyzed.

Mr. Lukovic,

I think it's a terrific thing that you're so concerned about your neighbors.

But I can't make any more house calls for you.

They're dangerous for the patient as well as for the doctor.

In the time it takes for me to get through traffic and get over here,

I could be seeing five or six people in the hospital.

Used to be, people went to the hospital because they had to.

Now they get a sliver in their big toe, and they're lying in traction.

Do you know who that man is in there? He drove the coal wagon.

He'd come to your home, open the chute, and the coal would fall down into the cellar.

It was filthy work, but every home was warm in the wintertime.

Coal wagons. Before your time.

Things used to be different.

The fish man would come around to each block with that day's freshest catch.

No frozen fish sticks. And the vegetable man...

With the big voice, yelling, "strawberries!"

And the bread man, they came to your home.

They were people you knew, people you could rely on.

Forget about fancy tests and little green pills.

Give your patients a little attention, some compassion.

That's what they need. We do that at the hospital.

All over this city there are shut-ins, old people,

sick people, people who live alone.

They don't have a lot of money or insurance or unions to protect them.

They don't have cars to get around. And some of them are afraid...

To go outside, of what's wrong with them.

Afraid to even admit that they're sick.

That's a lot of people, doctor. Who's going to take care of them?

I don't know. But I can't.

In my time, men became doctors because it was a calling from god.

But, no, you doctors today,

you're spoiled, you're selfish.

You might as well be a lawyer or an accountant.

Mr. Lukovic, I've got to get to the hospital.

Please, don't call me again.

Ah!

Who wants to try it? Dr. Ehrlich?

No, I can't. Oh, no, it's easy. Go ahead.

No, really. My hand. I can't. Oh.

Somebody...

God!

The vessels through the pericardium should look like this.

Dr. Craig, I wanna be a surgeon. I'm gonna be a surgeon. The best surgeon.

I appreciate all the time you've taken with me, and if you wanna stop,

that's fine too, but I'm gonna keep playing handball.

I'm gonna be more careful. I'll use more common sense,

but tomorrow morning at 6:30, I'm gonna be out there on the court, same as always.

Do you understand? And I surf too.

What do you want me to do, ehrlich, applaud?

I just wanted you to know, because after we had our talk this morning,

I started going a little flaky, and that's

definitely not the direction I intend to go.

And I'm sorry to have bothered you, but I'm glad I did.

Good night.

What can I tell you? He's from California.

Sorry I'm late, Peter. No problem.

It's been real slow in here tonight.

How's Megan? She's fine.

She's gonna be all right.

Look, I know it's none of my business...

You're right. It isn't.

It was an accident, Peter. It could've happened to anyone.

I've been calling home in the middle of the afternoon every day for a year now,

and I've been wishing that Myra wouldn't answer the phone.

I've been wishing she wasn't even there.

I've been wishing this whole thing was just a dream, but it's not.

I mean, she does answer the phone.

And the next thing I know, we get to arguing.

Usually about money. Yesterday, she was upset...

Because there was a sale on sneakers at Jordan marsh,

and I didn't have enough for Megan to get a pair.

Listen, man, I want Megan to have sneakers too.

I can remember when Myra couldn't wait for me to get home at night.

And now she can't stand for me to touch her.

Uh, just the sound of my voice...

We haven't made love since she was pregnant with Timothy.

Jack, there's a call for you on 51.

Mr. Lukovic.

Tell him I'm not here. All righty.

I guess I'd better be getting on home.

Megan ate all her supper.

She went right to sleep.

All the excitement, I guess.

You hungry?

There's meat loaf on the counter.

Did you hear me?

I said, there's meat loaf! Did you hear me?

Pick that up. Pick it up yourself!

You don't give me anything but trouble.

You give me nothing but trouble and pain.

Our little girl... don't even talk to me about that!

Because you're upstairs in the middle of the afternoon taking a nap!

You're damn right! I was exhausted!

Exhausted from what? From you.

From being saddled with the life of two children and dead air.

'Cause that's what you are! You are dead air!

Shut up! Shut up! Dead air! That's...

I'm sorry. Okay. Listen to me. Listen.

Uh, I'm gonna... I'm gonna get outta here for a little bit.

No, you're not, Peter.

This time, I'm leaving.

For once, you stay and you deal with it.

Mr. Lukovic?

He stopped breathing.

- We give him some intracardiac epi? - Epi.

Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

One more time. Stand clear.

Mr. Lukovic, your friend's gonna be all right.

You bastard! I said he'll be okay.

He could've died because you didn't come!

He went through all this pain just now because of you.

Because you didn't come when I called.

You selfish, lazy... That's enough, all right?

I've heard enough.

When am I gonna learn?

Every time I stick my neck out, I end up regretting it.

Don't you see, if you hadn't brought him in here, he'd be dead now?

So don't give me that...

About how rotten I am and how this world stinks!

It was different in your time. I know it's changing.

It's changing too fast.

And I know it's terrifying for you. It terrifies me too.

I'm gonna be a father. I have to bring my children into this world.

I don't wanna be left behind any more than you do.

But it's not my fault, so don't lay it on my shoulders.

Okay.

I won't call you again.