Original subtitles

.

- Sometimes you gotta choose between being respected

and being liked.

- You told her to stick her neck out.

- You continue to prove you can't stay in your lane.

- 'Cause you've been running this joint

like a drive-through car wash since I got here.

We supposed to be helping people.

- You had a fair amount of experience with

bureaucracy in your old job? - Some years ago

stray bullet hit a 14-year-old boy.

By some miracle, he survived.

It's what drew me to medicine.

- You been taking your meds?

- I can take care of myself.

- But Mom...please, we've got to get you off the streets.

- Dr. Cooper has gotten some very fat perks

since he started boosting the Vascon.

- The more devices the hospital buys, the bigger his kickback.

So I make him think I'd do anything for money.

- It's great. It's beautiful.

I mean, the beaches are...

I mean, they just go on forever.

The water is so blue.

- Morning, Matt.

- Will, my good man! Thank you.

- Little upgrade there?

- Oh, yeah. [chuckles]

- [exhales] Man.

That is sweet.

- Thanks. Did you catch that Bears game?

- No, I missed it. - Oh, oh, you missed...

- Yeah? - So good.

- I was at a buddy's poker night.

Big mistake.

- You hungover?

- No, worse. Man, I lost my shirt.

Bought in way beyond my means. - It happens.

- Yeah, it's just the last thing I need right now.

You know, I'm still paying back college,

med school, credit cards...

- Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I've been there.

- Not in quite a while.

- Yeah, I'm doing all right in the moment.

- Yeah, I'd say. Any tips?

'Cause I'm about ready to start picking up the graveyard shift.

- You're desperate, huh? - Well, how could you tell?

- Wow. Okay, let me think about it.

Hey, listen, I gotta run to make my 7:00,

but I'll see you, Will, okay? - Yeah, see you.

[tense music]

♪

- If you're not going to order something,

you're gonna have to leave. I need the booth.

- Why don't we try that again?

But this time let's start with a "Good morning!

What can I get you?"

And throw in a smile, just to really sell it.

- [sighs] Gosh, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to-- - Two coffees.

Black. And bring back a couple menus.

Hi.

I brought you a three-month supply of your meds.

I know you don't like taking them, but you need to, Mom.

- How about...we make a little deal?

I'll take them if you loan me $1,200.

For the van, so I can get it running again.

- [sighs]

I'd rather give you the money for rent.

- Don't start with that again.

- You need a roof over your head.

Heat, running water. - Maybe you need all that,

but I don't.

Survived plenty of winters in the van.

If you don't want to spot me the cash--

- No, it's--it's not that I don't want to.

- You just wanna call the shots.

Tell me how to use it.

[somber music]

Just forget it.

- No, Mom, wait!

What about breakfast?

♪

- I don't want to stay anywhere I'm not wanted.

♪

- [sighs]

- How's it going? - Yeah.

There you go. There he is.

What's up, Dylan?

- Hey, what up, Kev? - Uh-huh.

- You show up late to surgery too...Doc?

- And good morning to you, sis.

What we playing, man? - Oh, we playing 21.

- Ay, don't look at me. I'm not getting in the middle

of that Scott sibling beef. - Anyway...

you sure you want to dirty those pretty fingernails, D?

Gotta keep them clean, case you gotta cut someone open.

- Smart-ass. - So back to the bust.

Simultaneous breaches. Three houses, same block.

Bam! We knock the door off the hinges.

So we coming through, right?

[gunshot]

- Yo, that was gunfire.

- Damn right that was gunfire.

[suspenseful music]

- Third floor, Kev. - I'll call it in.

- All right. - 911,

this is Officer Kevin Atwater. Badge number 52784.

Shots fired on the inside of the southwest corner building

on Damen and Pershing. Roll some cars this way.

You ready?

Let's go.

♪

- Nah, man. No way you're coming in.

You're not even armed. - I'll be all right.

- You need to stand down. You are not the police anymore.

♪

- Chicago PD, big guy. You okay?

Huh?

Everything all right?

Hey!

♪

- Hold tight, we're gonna get you some help, okay?

- [crying] - Zora?

Zora? - D, over here!

We're gonna get you some help, all right?

You're doing good, you're doing good, okay?

Tender age male victim, GSW to abdomen,

smaller caliber round. - [gasps]

- We're on the third floor.

- Oh, hey, little man. You mind moving your hand

so I can take a look? I'm a doctor.

Oh.

♪

- Ow! - I know it hurts, I know.

What happened here?

- We were just playing around.

He wouldn't really mean to shoot me.

He was being a super villain.

The bullets were gonna bounce right off me.

- Hey. Hey, hey!

Stay with me--uh-uh. Open your eyes, come on.

There you go, huh? What's your name?

- Michael. - Okay, Michael.

I know it's hard, Michael. Hey, Michael!

Michael, I know it's hard, but you gotta stay with me.

You gotta stay awake.

Zora, how long on that ambulance?

- He said ten minutes.

♪

- Come on. Hey, stay with me.

Come on.

Hey, hey.

Oh, God.

Stay with me.

♪

.

- Ow! [crying]

- No retained bullets.

- Dr. Scott, the trauma attending is still in surgery.

He'll meet the team up in the OR

after they get Michael prepped. - Finish this unit of blood

and get him on the transport monitor.

- Mommy...

- Hey, your parents are on the way right now,

champ, all right? We'll take you up

for a little operation. - No, no, no.

- Hey, relax. You're gonna be asleep

the whole time. You won't feel a thing.

- Asleep? - Yeah.

The surgeon's gonna look inside your belly

and fix what's broken.

And, if there's time, I'm gonna tell him

to put some superpowers inside of you

before they stitch you back up.

Okay. All right.

All right, come on. Let's go.

[dramatic music]

♪

See you later, sis. - Yeah, course, do your thing.

Ay, good work, D.

- Good morning, everybody.

By now, you all should've received emails

with your credentials for the new online portal,

Patients Pro, okay?

If it's not in your inbox, check your spam.

If it's not in your spam, I guess...I don't know,

assume you've been fired.

You will be using this system to log how much time you spend

with each patient from now on.

Special Forces has a slogan...

"Slow is smooth and smooth is fast."

In other words, we need to be deliberate and tactical

in our approach to medicine.

The more patients we're able to see, the more lives we save.

Oh, and as an added bonus, whoever ends the month

with the highest turnover rate, will enjoy an executive suite

at the United Center, watching the Blackhawks game

of their choosing.

Not bad, huh?

All right, let's get going. Thank you.

- Not a Blackhawks fan, Dr. Charles?

- Oh, huge Hawks fan.

Not a big fan of incentive-based medicine.

- [laughs] - I mean, fast is slow,

but smooth--sorry, I don't know what that means.

- [laughs] - I don't.

- Hey, can I ask you something?

- Hey, Maggie? - Yep.

- Can I tempt you away from your brick?

- Yeah. - Ah, Dr. Hammer,

you too, as well.

Listen, Elaine Foster is on her way here.

She suffered a minor fall at her home.

And her husband, Jim, is driving her here.

- Elaine and Jim Foster-- big-time moneybags.

- No, no, they are two of our most generous funders.

I've mingled over the years with the Fosters

at donor events. They're really good people.

Very down-to-earth.

Anyway, I'd like the two of you to look out for them

while they're in the ED.

And I'll stop in to see Elaine once she's settled in.

Thank you.

- VIPs aren't your cup of tea, I take it?

- I like them-- just from a distance.

- Didn't you rub elbows all the time with the rich and fabulous

over in Grosse Pointe? - Yeah, hence my reluctance.

[beeping] - Well, heads-up,

'cause here they are.

Mr. and Mrs. Foster, we're going to treatment six.

- All right.

- How did the fall happen, Mrs. Foster?

- Oh, Elaine, please.

I got home and smelled something burning--ow!

[gasps] - Sorry.

- Uh-oh. - It's okay.

I'm just being a big baby.

Anyway, I hightailed it to the kitchen.

And tripped over my own two feet.

- Happens to me almost daily.

- Well, it turns out Jim here was heating up

some leftover pizza.

He didn't even smell that the house was about

to burn down.

He must've had COVID.

Isn't that one of the long-term side effects?

- I never had COVID.

It's not my fault you're a klutz.

- Honey, I wasn't blaming you.

[tense music]

♪

So what do you think, Dr. Hammer?

Am I going to keep the leg? - Prognosis is good.

I don't think that it's broken, but we're gonna get an x-ray

to check it out. - I'm peckish.

We've donated a small fortune to this hospital.

It'd be nice if you could offer us a snack.

- Jim, why don't you go grab something from the cafeteria?

- Fine. Honey, you want anything?

- No, thanks.

♪

I'm sorry about him.

He's been a bit out of sorts lately.

- That's okay. Don't worry about it.

- We'll be back shortly to take you for that x-ray.

♪

- That was odd.

Goodwin's usually an excellent judge of character.

I mean, maybe it's like Elaine said;

maybe he's just having a bad day.

- Or maybe he's on his best behavior at donor events,

but around us mere mortals-- - Mere mortals?

Speak for yourself. - [laughs]

[alarm beeping]

- We're going to Baghdad. - Candace Mason.

31-year-old female.

Pedestrian struck at low speed.

No loss of consciousness.

C-spine cleared in the field. Vitals are stable.

And pain confined to her left elbow.

- Hi, I'm Dr. Halstead. And this here is Dr. Scott.

- I swear, I looked both ways before I crossed the street.

I'm sure I did.

I don't know how I didn't see that car coming at me.

- That's okay. We gotcha.

All right, transfer on three.

Ready? One, two, three.

- Oh, my God. Candace Mason?

I have to tell you, your website saved my life.

Reading about your journey with Lupus...

it finally inspired me to see a doctor.

Are--are you okay?

I read on the newsletter you were having a flare-up?

- Ah, yes, I am, but that's not why I'm here.

I was in a minor accident. - Take good care of her.

She's an angel.

- So you're having a Lupus flare-up.

What medications are you taking?

- I'm not taking any medications.

- But if you're in a flare-up-- - Right, um...

anything I tell you in regards to my health

is protected by patient confidentiality, right?

- Yes, that's right.

- I'm not in the middle of a flare-up.

I know what I said to that woman,

but my Lupus isn't currently active.

Truth is I've been in remission...

for almost five years.

♪

- Okay, Dr. Taylor, shoot. Ask me anything.

- I was hoping you'd give me feedback on my ten-year plan.

- I'm sorry, did you just say "ten-year plan"?

As in a full-on decade of planning?

Oh, wow.

You wrote it out.

Binder and everything.

- You think I'd cut corners?

- You always been so future-oriented?

- No, actually. Kind of the opposite.

I spent a lot of my early years looking backwards.

- Backwards?

- Oh, well, um...

I'm adopted.

So I just had a lot of questions in regards

to my origins, I guess.

I didn't know anything about my birth parents.

But once I accepted I wasn't going to get any answers,

I decided to focus all of my energy ahead instead.

- Oh. Yeah, I get that.

Makes sense.

Me, I tend to ride the wave.

See where life takes me, you know?

- I can't say I've ever let life take the lead.

- Oh, well, whether you let it or not, it's gonna throw you

some curveballs. And in my experience...

planning leads to expectations. And expectations, they can, uh,

lead to disappointments. Yeah?

- Dr. Marcel, could you take a look at the patient

in treatment 3?

- What's the problem? - I don't know.

I didn't intake her. Just know she's refusing

to speak with anyone until she sees a doctor.

- Yeah, okay. I'll be right there.

Sorry, I gotta cut it short. - Actually, if you don't mind,

I would love to tag along.

- No, not at all. - Cool.

- Hey there, Ms. Hawley.

I'm Dr. Marcel. This is Dr. Taylor.

How can we help? - Hi, it's Gina.

- You can take the scarf off now.

- I'll close the curtain.

- She didn't wanna come in.

I practically had to drag her to my car.

- You're her... - Best friend.

I left Chicago at the height of the pandemic

and just got back last week.

If I had known what was going on...

- Liza, I feel fine, really.

- You are not fine.

You have to show them.

[somber music]

- Well, listen, Gina, if it's any comfort,

we've seen every wart, boil, cyst known to man.

So you've got nothing to be embarrassed about here.

♪

Uh-huh.

.

- Remember when I said Cooper was getting consulting fees

from Vasik and various other companies?

Well, I started looking at those other companies.

And I found some peculiar things like stock photos

on their websites, contact numbers that are connected

to overseas call centers.

So I got in touch with one of my friends

who's a wealth manager. Asked him to do some digging.

And it turns out they're shell companies.

- So Vasik set them up as a cover.

- Anyway, how'd it go this morning?

- I cried broke, but I'm not sure Cooper took the bait.

[knocking at door]

Hey, we're gonna nail him, Ms. Goodwin.

- Come in. - Oh, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to interrupt. - I gotta get back

to the ED anyway. - All right.

Thank you for stopping by, Dr. Halstead.

- Yep.

- So where are you guys at with this thing?

You got enough evidence yet to go to the authorities?

- Unfortunately, no.

What I told you about the shell companies--

well, there's no way to prove that Vasik was behind them

without being able to look at their books.

- Look, Sharon, I know how important this is to you.

I do. But much more importantly,

I'm worried about your stress levels.

I mean, it's not like you don't have other things going on

in your life, you know?

- I'm really taking care of myself.

- Really?

What's your latest A1C?

- Daniel, I'm fine. Look, I even got myself one

of those continuous glucose monitors.

And my blood sugar is under control.

- I'm very glad to hear that. - Thank you.

- Just got Candace's labs back.

Other than a slightly elevated WBC, everything looks good.

- Good. This is unreal.

- What's that?

- So according to Candace's chart,

her Lupus hasn't been active since 2016.

You wouldn't know it by her website though.

It says she's been in a flare-up the past month.

Can't eat, can't get out of bed.

She's also soliciting donations.

Claims they're going to Lupus research but...

- You think she's pocketing the money?

- I don't know.

You'd be surprised the lengths people go to make a buck.

- Yeah, anything's possible, I guess.

Anyway, I'm gonna go check and see if the two-view

of Candace's elbow is back.

[solemn music]

♪

- Elaine, they're ready for you in radiology.

Maggie's gonna bring you up.

- Ugh, nothing makes you feel your age

like being helped into a wheelchair.

- Nonsense. - [sighs]

- You're still young. - Young at heart at least.

- Would you like to accompany your wife?

- No, I'll wait here. How long is it gonna take?

I was planning to make a paella tonight,

and I still need to take the chicken out of the freezer.

- Let the rads resident know we need a fast read.

- Right.

♪

- Hey, so good news...

the fine needle biopsy came back and it's benign.

- So that means it's not cancer, right?

- Correct. - Oh, thank God.

- However, the tumor does extend into your upper chest.

And it's enveloping several of the major blood vessels

that are coming off your heart,

so you will need a neck dissection--

possible sternotomy-- to remove it.

- The surgeon will make an incision along your neck

to excise the mass.

Ideally, it'll come out in one piece.

But if not, the surgeon may also need to open your chest.

- Just so you know, we see a high volume of both procedures

here at Med with excellent outcomes.

- I read online that sometimes these tumors are treated

with medicine?

- They are, yes. Radioactive iodine.

But I'm afraid it's long past that point.

The tumor's already too close to your big blood vessels--

- I've been okay so far. - Gina, I think you should

listen to the doctor. - I'd like to at least start

with medicine.

- I'm not sure you're grasping how serious this is.

- I get it.

- You know what, Gina, this is a big decision.

So why don't you take some time to think about it

and we'll check back later.

Okay? All right.

♪

- Radioactive iodine isn't going to work fast enough.

This thing's a ticking time bomb.

- Yeah, but we need to tread lightly.

I'm gonna go grab Dr. Charles.

See if he can make some headway.

- So your white blood cell count is slightly elevated.

But that's pretty normal following a trauma.

It's likely from the stress.

- And your elbow x-ray was negative.

You'll just wanna ice it for a few days.

- I feel like I should explain. - You don't have to explain

anything to us. - Well, I launched this website

a few months after I was diagnosed with Lupus.

- "When Life Gives You Lupus"? - Oh, you saw it?

Well, the only reason I haven't advertised my remission

is because...I mean, you saw that woman who approached me.

The website is a lifeline for so many and I felt that,

you know, bragging about my remission--

it would kind of dilute the message.

- And messaging is key, right?

Especially when it comes to fundraising.

- Any questions for us, Candace?

- No, I don't think so.

Oh, my God.

- You okay?

- You sure you didn't lose consciousness?

- Yeah, I'm pretty sure. It all happened so fast though.

- Yep, let's get a head CT just to be safe.

- Mm-hmm.

- Mr. Foster, I just wanted to let you know

your wife will be down shortly.

- Oh, how's Elaine's ankle? Is it broken?

- No, it's not; it's just a sprain, fortunately.

- Oh, good. You're a runner, aren't you?

- Sorry? - It's not a trick question.

- Uh, yes, I run.

- Mm-hmm, knew it. See, women of a certain age--

how old are you?

- I don't think that's any of your business.

- 32, 33?

That's when women start to get a little extra padding

around the middle, except runners.

Good for you.

- Excuse me. - It's just a compliment.

- Get your hand off me, please.

- I'm not gonna bite.

- I said let go. - Would you--

- Now! - Just relax.

[tense music]

♪

- What the hell are you doing?

♪

Jim, are you okay?

- [grunts]

♪

.

- Okay, so...

where did he touch you?

- What difference does that make?

- I'm--I'm just trying to get

all the facts straight.

- My forearm. - Was he aware

that this made you uncomfortable?

- I asked him repeatedly to remove his hands.

So yeah, I think that should've clued him in.

- Of course, but do you think there's a chance that--

- Peter.

Enough.

Dr. Hammer, I'm sorry and, quite frankly, I'm at a loss.

In all of the years that I have known Jim Foster,

I have never seen him behave in a predatory manner.

If I had, I never would have

put you and Maggie in this position.

But please be assured that you will be supported

in whatever course of action you wish to pursue.

And should you decide to press charges--

- Oh, okay, whoa, whoa, whoa. Now let's not get ahead

of ourselves here.

Okay, I think that our best bet for all the parties involved--

most importantly Dr. Hammer--

to spare her any further discomfort,

would be to settle this without involving law enforcement.

- Peter, we are not going to sweep this under the rug

because Jim Foster is a donor.

- Ms. Goodwin, I appreciate the support.

I do...but I'm not interested in pressing charges anyway.

- Well, that's your decision to make, Dr. Hammer.

But, with your permission, I'd like to have a word with Jim.

- Sharon, would you let...

♪

- Hey, Nancy, any word on--

- The kid, Michael? No.

And the OR asked me to please stop calling for updates.

I'll let you know the minute he gets out of surgery, Dr. Scott.

- Hey, regarding Candace-- - Yeah, the techs just took her

up to CT.

- Oh, good, great. Listen, I've been thinking...

let's say Candace is pocketing donations--

- Oh, so you have evidence?

- No, not yet.

But if we call the charities listed on her website,

and they don't support her claims--

- No, man, I don't want anything to do with this.

- I would've thought you'd at least be curious--as a cop.

- I'm a doctor, not a cop. And neither are you.

Though you sure seem to get off on acting like one, man.

[contemplative music]

♪

- Psychiatry?

Is this about the surgery?

If you're here to tell me that I'm not in my right mind

or to try to force me to get-- - No, not at all.

Not at all, Gina. It's very clear that you have

decisional capacity, so nobody's gonna

try and make you do something you don't want to do.

- Oh.

Okay.

♪

I'm not saying that I won't have the surgery...ever.

I just...

I just wanna wait. - That's fine.

We can talk about surgery later if you want, but I just wanted

to ask you when--when did you first notice

the growth on your neck?

- A few months into COVID. - Right.

- That's why I didn't come in for an appointment right away.

It wasn't that big and...

we were being told to avoid hospitals

unless it was an emergency. - Certainly, I understand that.

But later, you know, when things opened up a bit...

I mean, it started to get a little bigger, right?

- I just sort of hoped that it would...

go away on its own. And I...

I realize how insane that sounds.

- Mm, sounds hopeful.

Nothing insane about hope.

- I was so afraid of...

what it could be that I just...

I just found it easier to...

- Not think about it at all. Oh, yes.

It's very human. - [coughing]

♪

- Oh.

Dr. Marcel, coughing up a little blood here.

- I'm on it. Dr. Taylor, get her on oxygen.

Ten liters please.

Trini, two of Morphine and get me a basin.

- What a load of BS. I paid her a compliment,

which apparently men aren't allowed to do anymore

without getting shoved to the ground.

- Listen, Jim, she said you grabbed her by the arm--

- She assaulted me.

I should be pressing charges against her.

Can you believe this? Well, I've had enough.

If this is how you treat your benefactors--

- Jim, we are incredibly grateful for your support; ho--

- Yeah, yeah, you can consider that well all dried up.

In fact, find someone else

to fund your hematology wing. - Jim.

- We are withdrawing our pledge.

Elaine, I'm getting the car. I'll meet you out front.

- Jim. [sighs]

Elaine?

- A couple weeks ago, a female grad student

accused Jim of making a pass.

I thought it had to be a misunderstanding.

He has never been accused of misconduct.

Is this some kind of a, I don't know,

midlife crisis?

♪

- Your head CT was clean. No signs of a bleed.

It was likely just a migraine--

not uncommon following a trauma.

The nurse will be in shortly with your discharge paperwork.

- I'm not one of those people who pretends to be sick to,

like, feed their ego or scam people out of money,

I swear.

- I believe you.

I can usually tell when someone's shooting straight

with me, and I think you are.

- Thanks. - But I will say...

your fear that your message will lose its impact

if it's not delivered from the trenches?

I don't know if that's true.

If anything, you give people hope.

- I've considered that, but if I'm being completely honest,

it's not just about the messaging.

Before I was diagnosed with Lupus,

I was pretty much a loner, but...

this disease, it gave me a community for the first time

in my life, and...

if they know that I'm in remission...

- You'll feel like an outsider. Yeah, I get it.

♪

But, you know...

walking a path that isn't yours?

There's a steep price to that too.

- I know.

I hate lying to all these people.

- Yeah, just--

- Dr. Scott? Just wanted to let you know

your patient's out of surgery.

- Oh, thank you.

- No, go ahead, I'm fine.

- You sure?

- Yeah.

Thank you, Dr. Scott, for everything.

- You got it.

Take care, Candace.

- Hey, Nancy!

How'd Michael do? - [sighs]

The nurse didn't say.

Sorry.

♪

- Just a moment, please.

- Is everything all right, Elaine?

- I just want to speak to Dr. Hammer.

- Dr. Hammer.

Over here.

♪

- I'm sorry, Dr. Hammer.

I'm not making excuses for him. I have none.

But I just...want you to know he has never been like this.

I...

I don't know what happened to the man I married.

♪

I'm ready.

- I'll be in touch, Elaine.

♪

Dr. Hammer?

- When they first got here, Elaine said that he'd been

out of sorts. - Jim?

- And that he'd lost his sense of smell.

And when I pushed him away, he couldn't seem

to find his balance.

Oh, my God. We can't let them leave.

- What? Why? What is it?

- We have to get them back here right now, please.

- Okay.

.

- Hey, Michael. - I remember you.

- Mm-hmm. - Surgery went very well.

- Hey, Michael, we're gonna move you over to the PICU.

Your mom and dad are waiting to see you.

- Am I in trouble?

- I think they're just happy that you're okay.

- But, hey, maybe you learned something about guns today?

- Not toys. - Right.

I mean, besides, what superhero do you know that has a gun?

We don't need 'em.

[growling]

[laughs]

- You know, if you hadn't been there on the scene...

kid would have bled out, no question.

You saved his life, Dr. Scott.

- Back shortly, okay?

[sighs]

- She still wants to wait on the surgery.

- If nearly drowning in her own blood didn't convince her...

- How does someone let it get to this point?

- You know, the mind can have

this mysterious and profound ability

to convince us to put off almost anything.

- Yeah.

- Why is that?

- One line of thinking is that we have this bizarre tendency

to disassociate from our future selves.

There's this really interesting experiment at Princeton

where two groups of students

were recruited to drink what was described to them as

this disgusting, foul-smelling liquid.

Now they were given a choice

about how much they could drink.

And the group that was told they had to drink it that day

agreed to drink very little.

But the group that was told to come back

in a couple of months and drink it

agreed to drink much more. - Right.

So they can kick the can down the road.

- Right. - Right.

Okay, so how do we solve the disconnect?

- You gotta find a way to make her future self feel...

more tangible to her.

More real.

- There it is.

An olfactory groove meningioma. - Hmm.

I had a patient early on in my nursing days

with this type of tumor.

Caused a total personality change.

- It has a profound disinhibition effect

on the brain.

And its proximity to the olfactory nerve, that--

- Explains Jim's loss of smell.

- I'll page neurosurgery for a consult.

- Do you want to deliver the news?

- I think maybe it's better coming from a friend.

- Ah, copy that.

♪

- Gina.

We wanna show you something.

♪

- Is that me? What--

Where did you get that picture?

- Your friend Liza sent it to us.

My daughter she just--she loves these aging filters and--

- What does this have to do with?

- Well, we wanted you to take a look at this photo...

and think about a future version of yourself.

You know, what...

what is her life like?

Who does she care about?

What does she love?

- [voice breaking] I don't want to.

- What is it, Gina?

- I haven't thought about the future...

in a really long time.

- Why do you think that is?

- Because what if...

what if I don't have one?

- What if you do?

What would you want it to look like?

[somber music]

- I guess...

I see myself with a kid. Maybe two.

Living someplace warm.

I have this dream.

I've always wanted to open up an outdoor bookshop.

It's impractical in Chicago, I know, but...

- Not if you're living someplace warmer.

♪

- Hey, Gina. Look, I know you're scared.

I get it.

But if you continue to postpone surgery,

you're denying yourself a shot at what sounds like

a really great future.

♪

- We're gonna give you a little time, okay?

You wanna hold onto this for a bit?

♪

- Wait.

- Gina?

- I'll have the surgery.

♪

- Okay.

♪

- Did Candace leave already?

- Yeah, discharged her. Ay, come take a look at this.

She came clean to her followers.

♪

- Unfortunately, she's wrong.

Her Lupus is active again. She's no longer in remission.

♪

.

- My Lupus is active again?

- Unfortunately, yes.

I ran another set of labs which confirmed it.

- How did you know?

- So you told us this morning you did not see the car

before it hit you, right? So that got me wondering

if peripheral vision loss could be to blame.

Combined with your elevated white blood count

and head pain...if your Lupus had become active again

and was attacking your brain-- - But I thought my head CT

was negative. - It was.

But swelling wouldn't be visible on a CT.

- That's right. We're gonna send you for an MRI

to see exactly what's going on,

but all signs point to brain inflammation

and optic neuritis due to underlying Lupus.

- I guess this is what I deserve for crying wolf

all these years.

God, you should see the comments under my post.

They're so hurt and angry.

And now if I tell them it's active again,

nobody's gonna care. Nobody's gonna believe me.

- Listen, I know you feel like you lost your tribe right now.

But understanding? It's a process.

You did your part.

Laying out your truth.

Now give them a chance to get there.

Those who you want in the trenches with you,

they'll come around.

♪

- Good luck, Gina.

- Oh, hey, Daniel. Glad I caught you.

I noticed that you didn't log any patients

into the new portal today.

If you're having trouble navigating the platform,

I'd be happy to get somebody from IT to walk you through it.

- Oh, you know, I really appreciate that,

but it's not gonna be necessary.

I'm not gonna be using it.

- Oh, yeah.

I know it's a pain, but, uh...

- Well, not that it's a pain. It just-- it just doesn't make

a whole lot of sense for psychiatry.

- Uh-huh.

- We can't just do a three-minute evaluation

and, like, fire off a script, you know?

Gotta spend more time with the patients.

Not really any way around it. - Yeah.

- This young woman I was working with today--

I mean honestly, if I hadn't taken the time to understand

and then address the root cause of her issue,

she probably wouldn't be heading off to undergo,

you know, surgery--probably gonna save her life, so...

- Hey, listen, I hear you. I think you're right.

- Okay. Well, terrific.

- Given the necessity for speed in the ED,

maybe psychiatry just doesn't belong here.

- [laughs] You think?

You go ahead and run that up the flag pole, buddy.

- Neurosurgery started Jim on steroids to reduce the edema

in his brain.

You should also know that he finally owned up

to what he did.

And asked me to pass along his apology.

- I'll admit my guard was up from the minute you said

they were donors.

I've just seen too many people use their money

as leverage over others, you know?

- Well, my condolences to anyone who ever tries that

with you again. [laughter]

[soft dramatic music]

- Hey, Maggie? - Yeah.

- Mind if I take off a little early today?

I need to take care of some personal business.

- No, go ahead. - Thank you.

- All right. - I'll see you tomorrow.

♪

- Hey. - Hey.

- [chuckles]

- Wait, is that you, Dr. Marcel?

- In 30 or so years, yeah.

I guess.

- I thought you weren't into thinking about the future.

"Planning leads to expectations,

which can lead to disappointments."

- Oh, you were paying attention, huh?

Yeah, but I don't know.

Maybe you're onto something.

Maybe it's not such a bad idea...

giving some thought as to...

where I might want to end up.

Right?

- Right.

♪

- Dr. Halstead, hi. I'm, uh, Jessa Rinaldi.

I'm a device rep at Vasik Labs.

- Oh, hi. Nice to meet you.

- Dr. Cooper called my boss today singing your praises.

And a good word from Matt goes a long way at Vasik.

- I am honored.

- I would love to talk to you about one of our products,

the Vas-COM. It measures cardiac function--

uh...output.

It measures cardiac output by, um...by...

Well, it--it tells doctors when patients need additional...

medicine?

I'm sorry, that's not right either.

- It's okay. I'm familiar with the Vas-COM.

- You are? Okay, great.

Bottom line, we at Vasik want to make the Vas-COM

the new standard of care, and we could really use

your help promoting it across departments?

Doctor Cooper said that you

could be a real asset... in that regard...

if you're sold on the device.

And Vasik would, of course, compensate you

for your time and your effort.

All above board, of course.

♪

- I am definitely interested.

- You are? Okay, great.

Um, here, let me give you my card.

♪

- Hey, Mom?

It's me.

♪

It's 1,200.

♪

- Hey.

Stevie!

Stevie, wait.

You're okay with me using it on the van?

- I'd prefer--you already know what I'd prefer.

But it's yours.

No strings. Do what you want with it, Mom.

♪

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

♪

Can we get dinner somewhere?

We don't have to go to a restaurant or anything.

We could just get take-out and bring it back here?

♪

- Yeah. All right.

♪

Let me grab my backpack.

♪

.

[dramatic music]

♪

[wolf howls]