Original subtitles

Come on.

[HONKING]

MAN [ON TV]: And the problem is, our economy is slowing down.

You all know that as well as anybody does.

You've got friends, maybe yourself, who understand...

...what it means to have credit-card debts.

[BANGlNG OUTSlDE]

And when you couple that with high energy bills...

...there are some people beginning to feel pinched.

DENISE: John?

Honey, what's wrong?

Hey!

-Hey, what the hell are you doing? DRIVER: What's it look like?

-That's my car. -That's not what the bank says.

-Come on, that's my car. Come on. DRIVER: Yeah, try paying your bills.

Hey!

What's going on?

I'm sorry. I talked to the bank, they promised they'd work with me.

-John, that was two months ago. JOHN: I know.

But l figured, we're down to one last month's rent.

It's either the car or the house, so l thought--

-You thought. -What do you want me to do, baby?

You want them to throw us out?

I'm down to 20 hours at the plant. They're shipping offjobs to Mexico.

-What do you want me to do? -John, my car is gone.

I understand. You see I'm trying to find a second job, baby.

What do you want me to say? lt's fine?

All right, it's fine.

And the car is still ours. We own it.

I just gotta wait for my next check. In two weeks, we'll be fine.

Mikey!

Yeah! Ronnie Coleman. Mr. Olympia, two years running.

-Yeah! Grr! -Ha, ha.

-Sit down. Eat some breakfast. -I am eating.

-A doughnut isn't breakfast. MIKE: lt is.

-It's a continental breakfast. -We're not on a continent now.

What do you call North America?

DENISE: Enough.

You're not going to school till you eat some breakfast, so eat. Both of you.

I can't believe those jerks took our car.

-Can you, Mom? -No, I can't.

MIKE: What are we gonna do?

You're going to do something, right, Dad?

You know what l'd do?

I'd get so big and mad, I'd just go crazy and kick someone's butt.

-Watch your language. -I would.

You've been watching too much WW wrestling, huh?

Not wrestIing, Dad, bodybuilding. There's a big difference.

Go get your books. You're gonna be late for school.

JOHN: Mike. Pow.

DENISE: Hurry up, baby.

Can l get a ride to work?

[JOHN & DENISE SlNGING INDISTINCTLY]

[BOTH LAUGHING]

All right, l got a good one.

[SINGlNG]

Go ahead.

[SINGS]

-Ha, ha, go ahead, go ahead. -[MUMBLES] Radio station.

JOHN: Radishes. -No. It's...

[MUMBLES] ...radio station.

Reddish stick.

-I swear. -It's radio station.

Radio station, okay.

That's a good one. You got me. Uh....

Uh....

[MUMBLES] Continent.

Hun--?

[MUMBLES] Continent.

-Hundred dollars? -Ha-ha-ha.

No. We talked about it this morning.

[MUMBLES] Continent.

-Huh-in--? -Continent.

-Continent. -Ah, got you, right?

-Yeah. -Mom?

-How about you, Mom? -Oh, no.

-Come on. DENISE: No, you'Il just Iaugh at me.

-Come on, Mommy. -I don't Iike it.

All right, something in the car, something in the car.

-Yeah, we won't laugh. JOHN: We won't laugh.

Mom, please.

-All right. -But we can't know what you're saying.

Say it so we don't know.

[MUMBLES] Dashboard.

JOHN: What? What did you say?

-What did you--? -I said...

[MUMBLES] ...dashboard.

Now.

[BOTH LAUGHING]

What?

-HeIlo, come get this woman, please. -What, it's no good? Ha-ha-ha.

JOHN: Come on, come on. Come on, baby.

-I'lI thumb wrestle you. -Ha-ha-ha.

-All right, ha, ha. JOHN: One, two, three.

-No, I-- See-- JOHN: Ahh.

-One, two, three. She win. Ding, ding. JOHN: You got it.

I am queen.

-All right, I got one. JOHN: I got one for you.

-You're going to school. -Dad.

Get your lunch.

Hey, Dad, l've got $46 I saved from my allowance.

-You can have it if you want. -Yeah?

We're a family. We gotta stick together, right?

That's right.

But you earned that money, so you keep it, okay?

-All right. See you later. -All right.

-Goodbye, Mike. -Not goodbye. l hate goodbye.

Remember? See you later.

All right, see you Iater. Mike.

Flex Wheeler, 275 pounds, 2 percent body fat.

-Yeah. -Yeah.

Yeah, baby.

[SCHOOL BELL RlNGlNG]

John, you take my frigging grinding wheel?

-What? -My grinding wheel.

-You take my grinding wheel? -I do, don't l?

JIMMY: You do? -Yeah, I have sex appeal.

No, it's not in my locker, my grinding wheel.

Do you want mine?

Only two people know the combination to my locker, John.

-That's my grinder and you know it. -Ha-ha-ha.

John. John.

-A smoke, all right? -All right.

What's with the frigging tie, somebody die?

You Iike? lt's the tie I'm gonna be wearing to my funeral...

-...if I don't get this job at Otisville. -What job? There are no jobs.

-I saw it in the classifieds. They're hiring. -Forget about it.

-I gotta go, though. -Yeah, how come?

Denise will kill me. They repoed her car this morning.

-Oh, boy. -Ouch.

-You want me to go with you? JOHN: Come on.

Fifty-- Fifty cents.

Frigging waste of time.

Four hundred peopIe for one job. One job. Give me a break.

Guaranteed, somebody's son, cousin, uncle already got this job sewn up. Bye-bye.

Why do they put in the paper if they're not hiring, Jimmy?

It's a frigging runaround. Mark my words, it's either:

"We'll keep your application on file." Or they tell you you're overqualified.

Either way, they screw you.

MAN: Archibald.

-Yes. -John.

I've been working heavy machinery for 1 5 years.

I really want the job. I mean, anything you want, l can do.

I see.

I could start today, you know, if you need me.

Well, your résumé is very impressive. You've certainly got the experience.

Frankly, you may be overqualified.

We'll keep your application on file.

[CONGREGATlON SlNGING "JESUS LOVES ME"]

Dad. The game starts in 1 5 minutes. We're going to be late.

Psst. Psst!

-Knock it out, baby. Knock it out. -Come on.

Come on, baby. To the fence. To the fence.

Come on, Tommy.

-Come on, Tommy. Whoo! -Let's go, Tommy.

UMPIRE: BalI four.

All right, Tommy. Whoo-whoo!

JOHN: Go, Mikey. DENISE: Go!

-Mikey, let's go, baby. -Hey, baby.

JOHN: Let's go, son.

Okay, aIl right, all right.

Knock it out. Knock it out.

JOHN: Keep your head down on the ball, son.

DENISE: Come on, baby. Knock it out for your mama.

Come on, Mikey. Come on, Mikey.

-Come on, Mikey. There you go. JOHN: Sometime today, pitcher.

GINA: Come on, Mikey.

-Strike. -What?

-Don't worry about it, son. -Are you blind?

-Keep your head down! -I hate this pitcher. How old is he?

-He's supposed to be 12. -Twelve, my ass. Look at him.

He's frigging beard grew between pitches.

JOHN: Let's go, Mikey. DENISE: For your mama.

JOHN: Put your elbow up, son. Elbow up.

[SCREAMS]

Go, baby. Go!

-Safe. -Safe?

Tie goes to the runner.

Yeah! Go. Go.

Run, run, run!

DENISE: You can do it. Watch, let's go! Bring it home.

Mike?

Mikey. Mikey?

-Michael? -Mikey.

-Mikey, baby. -Somebody call an ambulance.

Mikey, Mikey.

-Michael. JIMMY: Somebody calI a frigging ambulance.

-Get the car! DENISE: Oh, my God.

GINA: Get the door, Jimmy. JIMMY: Come on, hurry. Let's go.

JOHN: Here, take him. DENISE: Give him to me.

Give him to me. Mikey?

Mikey. Go!

DENISE: Please help us. JOHN: Help, please, somebody.

MAGUlRE: Okay, what's wrong? -He's not breathing.

All right, come with me.

He was playing in a baseball game, running to second base.

I don't know what happened.

I need a doctor right away, please.

JOHN: Oh, Jesus. -Mikey? Mikey?

-What happened? MAGUlRE: CoIlapsed playing baseball.

KLEIN: Get him oxygen. DENISE: Open your eyes.

-He's gonna be all right? DENISE: Come on, wake up.

KLEIN: This ever happen before? -No, ma'am.

-Any allergies? -No, nothing.

KLEIN: No medications? -Nothing. Nothing.

-Allergies to medication? -No, he's fine.

-He fell down. KLEIN: His Iiver's enIarged.

-Flip him to me. JOHN: He's gonna be all right, isn't he?

Pulse is 1 50. Pulse ox, 78 percent. BP, 68/34.

-What is the matter with him? -Would you come with me?

-There are procedures we need to go over. -Procedures?

We're going to be admitting your son.

-Fill out proper forms. -What forms?

Your son may need a blood transfusion. We'll need to test your bIood types.

-Mikey, we're coming right back, baby. JOHN: Wait a minute.

WOMAN: First name, Mr. Archibald? -Uh, John.

WOMAN: MiddIe initial? -Q. Quincy.

-Name of your insurance company? JIMMY: John.

GINA: Where is he? Is he okay?

JOHN: We don't know yet. They're running tests.

-We're waiting for the resuIts. -Is there anything we can do?

WOMAN: Your card, Mr. Archibald. -I'm sorry.

WOMAN: Your insurance card. I'll need to make a copy for our files.

It's okay. You can go in now.

Hey, sweetheart.

How you doing, slugger?

I can't talk.

Okay, don't worry about it. Get your rest, okay, buddy?

You're gonna be out of here in a littIe while.

Okay.

We Iove you, son.

I love you too.

What is all this?

This? This is so we can monitor Mike's vitals.

Respiratory rate, pulse oximetry, heart rate.

And this one is bIood pressure.

DiastoIic and systolic.

We'd like this top number to stay above 90.

If his blood pressure drops, we're gonna have to do something.

We can't have him going beIow 70 again.

What would that mean if he went below 70 again?

Seventy and below, he's in heart faiIure.

-Okay. -If you need anything....

Thank you.

KLEIN: How's the family insurance?

He works part-time. She works as a grocery-store cashier.

-We gotta get together, so I'll-- KLEIN: Can we do anything?

I gotta go.

PAYNE: Mr. and Mrs. Archibald.

Hello, I'm Rebecca Payne, hospital director.

-Hi. -Hi there. Nice to meet you.

This is Dr. Turner, head of Cardiology and Michael's doctor.

-Oh, okay. TURNER: How do you do?

Good. My wife.

Hello.

How's our boy doing?

Please sit down.

Okay.

This x-ray shows a normal 9-year-oId's heart.

This x-ray is that of your son, Michael.

There are septal defects.

Here, here and here.

Which have induced myopathy, resulting pulmonary edema...

...and malignant ventricular ectopy.

So as you can see, Michael's heart...

...is approximately three times larger than normal size.

I'm sorry, um....

I didn't understand what you said. Could you put that in layman terms for me?

BasicaIly, there's not enough blood being pumped by MichaeI's heart...

...so it backs up in the lungs like a sponge getting wet.

His heart is trying...

...but it's working too hard.

What does he need, an operation or...?

Well, we're considerably beyond corrective surgery, Mr. and Mrs. Archibald.

Mike's heart is useless.

He's going to need a transplant, or he's gonna die.

-Wait a second. There are other options. JOHN: What options?

To do nothing. Medicate him.

Make him feel as comfortable as possible.

You're gonna have to start thinking about quality of life now.

DENISE: I don't understand.

We were just with him, and he seemed fine.

TURNER: He's going to seem fine.

But as his heart gets worse, he will become increasingIy fatigued...

...and he will sleep more and more...

...untiI one day he wilI fall asleep...

...and he won't wake up.

PAYNE: I know this is difficult.

But you have to face the fact that your son may not live much longer.

You might want to make it a happy time. Say goodbye.

God.

And transplantation is a high-risk operation.

You could lose your son on that table. You might not want to take that chance.

If you, you know--

If he doesn't have the surgery....

If he doesn't have surgery, how long would he live?

Not long. Months, weeks.

Days.

-Come on, baby. -No.

-All right, all right, baby. -No.

Come on now.

[SOBBlNG]

I'm sorry.

This is a lot.

All right. Uh....

Okay.

If he was your son, what would you do?

I'd do the transpIant, absoluteIy.

Okay.

Okay?

Okay, let's do that. Let's do it.

TURNER: Yes? -Yes.

TURNER: Okay. Well, the first thing we've gotta do is get Mike's name...

...on the organ recipient list.

He's B positive, so his name should go to the top of the list.

It's not so simple. There are other considerations...

...before a prospective recipient can be placed on a donor list.

Transplant surgery is very expensive. In most cases, prohibitively so.

Well, we got insurance. I mean, major medicaI, he's covered.

We've already checked with your carrier, Mr. ArchibaId.

There are no provisions for a procedure of this magnitude.

Oh, no, no, no. That's a mistake.

I mean, not that you're making a mistake.

I'm just saying that l'm insured. He-- My son's covered.

-How about you? Do you have coverage? DENISE: No.

I've been working at the supermarket a couple months.

-You don't get benefits-- -It doesn't matter. We got insurance.

Mmm.

Okay, l can see here that you don't own your home.

You have no stocks, no bonds, no investments.

You have a little over a thousand in savings.

-But we got insurance. -That may be.

You're gonna have to check with your carrier.

In the meantime, we're gonna have to treat this as a cash account.

What?

-How much does a transplant cost? -Wait a minute.

How much does it cost?

Transplant surgery, doctors' fees, postoperative care...

...immunosuppressant drugs, you're looking at a minimum of $250,000.

If you opt for transplant surgery, that is your choice.

But the hospital maintains a very strict policy...

...with regard to cash patients.

We require a down payment...

...before we can put a patient's name on a receivers' list.

-How much? DENISE: What kind of down payment?

Thirty percent. Seventy-five thousand dollars.

Seventy-five thousand dollars...

...to put my son's name--?

Our son is upstairs dying and all you can do is sit and talk about money?

PAYNE: It costs money to provide healthcare.

It's expensive for you, it's expensive for us.

I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to guarantee payment...

...before I put your son on the list.

KLEIN: Mr. and Mrs. Archibald? Please wait.

If you people don't wanna treat us, that's fine.

-We'Il take him to County Memorial. -Don't do that.

It's a county hospital. They have to treat him.

No, they don't. Heart transplantation is considered an elective procedure.

Believe me, you're in the right place.

-What are we supposed to do? -You talk to your insurance company.

Check our Human Resources Department for assistance.

There's money there.

There's ChiIdren's State Services, and there's Medicaid.

You find a way to keep him here. You just don't take no for an answer.

Your policy has changed, Mr. Archibald.

Changed to what?

Yeah, we've recently switched carriers from a PPO to an HMO.

It's a less expensive policy, but unfortunately...

...there are some restrictions.

-What kind of restrictions? -Here's how it works.

Non-management, part-time employees such as yourself...

...only quaIify for second tier catastrophic coverage.

No, no, I'm not part-time. I'm fuIl-time.

-It's just slow right now. -Sure.

But your coverage is based on hours worked.

And Iike I said, you only qualify for second tier...

...and that has a maximum payout limit of $20,000.

What?

You've been taking money out of my check every week.

I've been paying into this policy for years.

Right, and that's why we're gonna cover you for the full 20.

You're kidding me, right? I mean, come on.

Let me get this straight. You have dropped me from full-time to part-time.

You switch carriers, now you're telling me l'm not fully covered...

...even though l got a policy that says I am?

-It doesn't seem right. -No, it doesn't.

I mean, my son is very sick.

If l'm not covered, I got a serious problem.

I understand that, um, but there's nothing I can do.

-Look, you can file an appeal. -Yeah?

Here you go. That takes about seven working days.

WOMAN: Says here you already have medical insurance.

JOHN: Not enough. -What little we have is already used up.

-Are you on welfare? -No.

-You should be on welfare. -Welfare? We both have jobs.

That's too bad. I'm sorry, I can't help you.

Try County Medical.

Yes, ma'am, I need to speak to somebody in Financial Aid.

No, I don't wanna hold.

I mean, l've been holding for 1 5 minutes. I don't wanna hold.

[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

-I'm not yelling. -Yes, you're yelling here.

MAN: Next, please.

Wrong line. Window 1 5.

-What? -Window 1 5.

-No. -No, what?

-No, you don't qualify. -My son is dying. l'm broke.

If l don't qualify, who does?

-I'm sorry. JOHN: You're sorry?

I don't need you to be sorry. I need you to help me.

No, no, no. This is an appeal.

An appeal is for an already existing claim.

What you needed to file was a grievance. You filed the wrong paperwork.

-Wait-- -You have to resubmit.

-It couId take up to 30 days. -I don't have 30 days.

-I know you don't. -And I'm sick of the runaround.

-I need my son's name on that list. PAYNE: Mr. Archibald.

Your account is in excess of $30,000.

The hospital has bent over backwards to help you out.

-Is that right? -Yes, it is right.

But there is a limit to our generosity.

Once and for all, your insurance does not cover this.

Jimmy.

Take it.

-Thank you. GINA: Watch your step.

JIMMY: This thing is frigging heavy.

Get out of the way.

PRlEST: Friends, one amongst us is suffering....

This is a good man.

[ALL LAUGHING]

"You can't say that you're not going to pitch.

Bernie frowned, puzzled by Paige's answer."

Hey.

Okay.

God have mercy.

Into your hands, your son, Jesus Christ, commended his spirit on his last hour.

In those same hands....

[MACHlNE BEEPS]

You shouId try that news guy. Does all them special investigative reports.

You know the one, the guy with the frigging hair.

Pretty boy. What's his frigging name?

-Lampley. -Tuck Lampley.

Hey, I give you $20 for the TV.

-It's a color TV. -Twenty dollars.

Call him up, Jimmy.

You don't mind if we walk and talk, I'm up to here today, you know.

-Not at all. -So, what can l do you for?

My son, Mike, he fell into heart failure at this Little League game.

I got fuIl insurance from the job. Now they're telling me they won't pay.

The hospital, don't they have to cover it?

JIMMY: That's what l was thinking. JOHN: They're telling me l gotta pay cash.

Otherwise, l gotta take my son home and watch him die.

-Jesus. -Yeah.

We was thinking you could do one of them special-interest pieces.

Send donations, things like that.

Anything you can do, Mr. Lampley, would help. Anything.

What's happening to your son is outrageous, and l wanna help.

But l gotta run this by my producers. I got bosses.

Okay. All right.

Just leave your number with Karen, okay, up front.

-Okay, thank you very much. LAMPLEY: Okay.

JOHN: Give me a hundred dollars. Give me a hundred.

I mean, come on, it's a diamond ring.

All right, $90. Give me 90, then.

[PHONE RlNGING]

Hello?

DENISE [OVER PHONE]: He's gonna die. -What?

-They're releasing him. -Who?

Dr. Turner just left here.

-And they are releasing Mike this morning. JOHN: Wait.

Wait, all right, baby. Hold on.

No, they're not. I gave them money yesterday.

It doesn't matter, John. Listen to me. They are releasing him.

Come on, now, baby, I taIked to the hospital.

-They said-- l'll take care of it. -John, you always take care of everything.

-I will. -But it's never enough.

Now, you need to do something. Do you hear me?

Do something.

You know, you're doing just great. You've gained, what, about 5 pounds.

Wow!

I think you're the only patient who actually eats the food in this place.

[LAUGHS]

-Doc, Iet me ask you something. -Yeah.

How long before I'm able to play tennis?

You couldn't play tennis before you had a new heart.

-Ha-ha-ha! TURNER: Take up knitting, okay?

-I play tennis. -We don't care.

Okay, would you get back to work?

-Thank you so much, okay? -What?

Heidi, make an appointment for us to have dinner next week.

-Go, go. -I'm gonna cook.

You're not and you're not wearing any lingerie next month...

...because you're not in his will, he told me, you're not, so don't push your luck.

I gave the hospital $6000 yesterday.

-Uh-- -Can l talk to you?

Yes, sure.

Okay.

TURNER: Okay, take care of him. -Take care, thank you.

My wife, Denise, says you're gonna send Michael home, is that true?

Mr. Archibald, I'm a physician.

I don't make policy decisions. That's handled by the Board of Trustees.

You're the head of Cardiac Surgery. You make a recommendation.

-They're gonna listen to you. -I make recommendations.

The final decision rests with the board, not me.

That's it? Send him home?

I'm afraid so.

Can we, uh, take a little walk, just...?

-It won't take Iong, l promise you. -Fine.

-I know you got a lot of stuff. -Fine.

So l'm looking at your brochure last night.

It says that this hospital does over 300 heart surgeries a year.

Three hundred surgeries, $250,000 a pop.

You know how much that is? I know. I did the math.

That's $75 million worth of surgeries, and you're telling me...

...you can't do one for me in good faith? Not one?

John, l waved my fee in your son's case.

-I'm not asking you-- -I know--

Nobody asked you to wave your fee. I can raise the money.

I can come up with the money. I came up with $22,000 I paid you guys.

I swear to God on my life that I will pay for this if you give me the opportunity.

I'm only getting 20 hours on the job, you understand?

I can do this. I can pay.

I swear to God, I'll pay you the money back.

I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I promise l will.

You just gotta trust me. I give you my word as a man, please.

Could you take your hands off me, please?

-I've done everything l can do. l'm sorry. -No, you haven't.

-Yes. -Let's go inside and taIk about it.

[GRUNTS]

I'm not asking you anymore, doctor.

I'm telling you, you are gonna give my son a new heart, you understand me?

Yes. Yes.

Okay.

Um....

Okay. Don't move.

Don't move.

-Don't even think about it. TURNER: Okay, okay, right.

Put your hands down. Just put them down.

-Mr. ArchibaId, I know how upset you are. -Shut up.

But this is not the way to handIe it.

Hey, you can't go through this way--

JOHN: Put your hands-- Put your hands up.

-Put them up, put them up. -Oh, God, oh, God.

Give me your gun.

-I don't have a gun. -They don't have guns. They're not armed.

Okay, aIl right, all right. Put your hands down.

-Sit down, sit down, sit down. No, get up. TURNER: You fail to realize the jeopardy...

-...you're putting your son in. -Shut up.

-We have got to taIk about-- -Shut up. Don't move.

TURNER: John, wait, wait, stop this. Stop, stop, stop.

Okay, look, just stop because if you do this...

...you're on an irreversible course of action.

Put on the brakes and think about this.

-We really need to talk here. -Mr. ArchibaId.

-Back up, back up, please. -What?

-Just do as he says. -Please back up.

-What are you doing? -I'm taking your advice.

-I'm not taking no for an answer. Back up. -Okay.

-That guy's got a gun. -Hey, hey.

Stay right there.

[ALL SCREAMING]

Hey. Hey.

Hey.

What are doing? What are you doing? Get back over. Sit on your hands.

Sit on your hands over there. Get over there.

Turner, everybody, get down. Turner, get down. Sit on your hands.

Put your hands under your butt. Don't anybody move.

-Hey, what are you doing? -I'm bleeding.

Trying to get my goddamn fingers sewn back on.

Mr. Archibald, these people have nothing to do with this.

You have got to let them go. They need treatment.

This is a hospital, you're a doctor. Why don't you treat them, start with him.

What's the matter, doctor? You wanna see his insurance card first?

[CRYING]

-I'lI do it. -Okay, you do it.

Wait a minute. I got a pregnant wife here.

Okay, aIl right. All right.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

Listen, alI right, Iisten, everybody. Uh....

All right, hey, the hospital's under new management now.

Yeah.

Yeah. From now on, free healthcare for everybody.

-How's that? -Oh, righteous, man.

[STAMMERS]

Don't you squeeze it like you're crazy.

-What's your name? -Max.

Max. You and Dr. Turner, come with me.

-You got keys for that elevator? -Yeah.

-Okay. I want you to kill the power. -Right on.

[ALARM BUZZING]

Just keep an eye on him, Max.

MAGUlRE: Sit stiIl, I can't do this if you're moving around.

LESTER: Man, you remind me of Doogie Howser.

Hey, we were here before the black guy.

Hey, everybody's gonna get their turn.

We're not going anywhere for a while, so just sit tight.

[PHONE RlNGING]

Just relax, okay?

Hello? HeIlo?

WOMAN [OVER PHONE]: Hello. Is this Hope Memorial Hospital?

Yeah, this is Hope Memorial, Emergency Room.

Could you give me directions, please? I need to get--

-Uh, no. -What?

Uh, no, ma'am. We're, uh, closed for repairs right now.

-You gonna have to ca-- -What? This is an emergency.

I understand it's an emergency, ma'am, but, um, have you tried Mount Angel?

No, that's too far. I don't know....

-Yeah. -My husband usually drives.

I'm gonna need some directions....

Which way are you coming from?

Okay, go down Flower, make a right turn, go all the way down to the end...

...make a left.

-What? -All l'm asking you....

You're welcome. Miss, come from under there.

Hey, hey, hey.

MIRlAM: Do you want me to have this baby? -Come from out of there. Come on out.

MIRlAM: What? No, what?

-Go sit over there. MIRlAM: What are you doing?

MITCH: UnbeIievabIe. This place is a joke.

Good thing l'm not cut, I'd bleed to death in this joint, am l right?

Excuse me, brother, man.

-For goodness' sake, chill-- -No.

You need to do something, Steve, all right?

You get your butt up, you need to go.

-I want you to get up and do something. STEVE: Sit down.

MIRlAM: No, l don't wanna sit down. STEVE: What is wrong with you?

-Wait a minute. -Get off your butt and do something.

Wait, relax. Don't have the baby yet.

-When is it due? -Any minute.

Okay, aIl right, l'll get you-- Don't have it.

MIRlAM: l'm having it. -Not yet.

-Hang on, she's having a baby. MITCH: Hey, brother.

-Hang on for a second. -Excuse me? Brother, man?

Can you hang on? The woman's having a baby.

-When is she gonna see a doctor? -Sit down.

-Look-- -Sit down.

That's cool.

-Dr. Klein. KLEIN: I'lI be there in a minute.

You and me, we got no problems. Know what l'm saying?

We don't have a problem. Stay in your seat.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

I don't understand what you're saying, ma'am.

The ear? Ear infection-o?

Can you help her with the ear?

-Me? JOHN: You.

-I can't. -Why not?

I don't know anything. lt's my first day.

[AMBULANCE BEEPlNG]

JOHN: All right, everybody in the other room.

Everybody in the other room now. Everybody in the other room.

Yeah, we're gonna take great care of you, I promise.

-Stay focused on me, okay? -What the--?

-Open up. -BP's dropping.

EMT: Open up. We got a gunshot victim here.

He's lost a lot of blood. Let's go.

-Go to another hospital. -Let's go. Open the door.

-You know these guys? -Yeah.

-You sure? -They're here all the time.

Open the door.

-Take your jacket off. -What?

Open it up. Take it off.

Just put it on the ground. Leave him right there.

Just leave, just beat it. Go, go, go.

Just go.

-What's wrong with him? -He got shot.

All right, come on.

Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute. What's in that bag?

MAGUlRE: What happened to you, buddy?

I gave them all the money in the register.

-They shot me anyway. -Oh, Jesus Christ.

He needs to go into surgery. Can l take him to Trauma 1 ?

-Okay. MAGUlRE: All right.

-Okay. KLEIN: What do we got?

MAGUlRE: Gunshot wound to the belly.

KLEIN: Did we get anything from the EMTs? -No.

-Dr. Turner, we're gonna need your hand. -Oh, man.

-Just bug this situation. -Can you heIp me?

Can you give me a hand? On, three, two, one, lift.

Thank you.

Oh, no, l can't handle this. This is a gunshot.

I'm a cardiac surgeon, I'm not an emergency physician.

It's like riding a bike. Pretend you're getting paid.

No. This is apples and oranges, okay?

-I can't do this. -The man is dying.

-HeIp him. -I'd Iike to, l--

Do it.

Seventy-five miIligrams Demerol lV, Lidocaine 2 percent local.

-I'lI scrub now. KLEIN: I'm putting him to sIeep.

When I get out, I'm suing this hospital and your security company.

What makes you so sure you're getting out of here at all?

[HELICOPTER PASSING OVERHEAD]

[SIRENS WAlLlNG]

Go! Right behind you.

Here we go.

OFFlCER: We're gonna need some backup.

All right, sir. You gotta stand behind the line, sir.

-I said stand behind the line. -Wanna move this out of here?

Thank you very much.

-Lieutenant. GRlMES: Sergeant.

-We got a problem. -What's that?

-This guy's in for the long haul. -Right.

Locked down the ER, barricaded himself in and killed the power in the elevators.

If we bust down the door, this son of a bitch might start killing.

There's two video cameras hidden in the walls of ER, sir.

Hospital's on surveillance, we got a video tap being set up now.

-Are you in charge of security? -No, sir, that'd be Wally Pitoniak.

-He's at home, it's his day off. -Not anymore it ain't. Get him down here.

MAN [ON LOUDSPEAKER]: This area's for emergency vehicles only.

-All right, can you get me a secure line? -Yeah.

Lieutenant, we got one of our guys inside.

He's got a walkie-talk. You might wanna try this.

Put a cIamp on alI phone lines to the Emergency Room.

If this guy picks up the phone, I want him talking to me, okay?

Done.

-Now, who's in charge here? -Rebecca Payne, sir.

This is her day off too.

Jesus Christ. Does anybody work at this hospital?

-It's Saturday, sir. -So what?

People get sick on Saturday, don't they?

[MIRIAM YELLS]

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

-Yeah. -No cry.

-No cry. -Yeah, right.

[SCREAMlNG]

Mr. Archibald. I need to do an internal examination on her.

-Where you gonna take her? -Examination room there.

JOHN: Good, go. -Come on.

MIRlAM: Oh, my God. Ooh.

Oh, shi--!

-Just remember it ain't your fault. -Excuse me.

I think my fiancée might've broken her arm.

Wondering if we could get somebody to look at her.

Yeah, sure, what happened?

-A drunk ran a red light-- -Ran a red light and slammed into us.

-Right? -Yup.

-It was an accident. -Yes, it was.

GRlMES [OVER WALKIE-TALKlE]: This is the police department.

I'm speaking to the man in charge. Please pick up the walkie-talkie.

This building is surrounded. There's no way in or out.

So if you hear me, I advise you to respond.

Hello?

Hello? Is anyone there?

Yeah.

Yeah, this is Lieutenant Frank Grimes of the Chicago Police Department.

Are you the man in charge?

That's right.

Who am l speaking to?

John...

...Q.

All right, John Q.

Again, I'm Lieutenant Grimes.

But l want you to call me Frank. Can you do that?

-Sure, Frank. -I'll be the hostage negotiator.

Now, l've been a cop for 35 years, this is aIl I do.

I don't play games, I don't fool around.

So if I say something, you can take it to the bank.

Now, let's get down to it.

Is anybody hurt?

It's an emergency room. Everybody's hurt.

-All right. -They're fine.

Good. As long as it stays that way, we can keep talking.

Now, what exactly is it that you want?

You find Rebecca Payne. Hope Memorial's administrative supervisor.

You find her, you telI her I want my kid's name on the donors' list.

You got that? My kid's name on the donors' list.

-Kid? Boy or girl? -A boy.

I got two boys myself, John. Two girls and two boys.

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.

Don't handle me, Frank, you understand me?

I don't wanna be handled. It insults my intelligence as a human being.

Take it easy, John. The idea's not to get too excited, all right?

I'm going to take it any way I can get it, you understand?

This is what I want. If l don't get it, there's gonna be...

...some dead bodies on your hands, you understand?

All right, l hear you loud and clear.

I'm gonna jot that down. Rebecca Payne, right?

All right.

Now, there's a lot of cops out here, John.

Are you sure you wanna go through with this?

Yeah, l'm sure.

All right, sit tight.

You're in a tough spot, John, a lot of trouble.

But if you work with me, if you're reasonable...

...we'll figure a way out of this, okay?

We have to have a little faith in one another.

-Why is that, Frank? -Why?

Because that's what faith's all about. Believing when you don't wanna believe.

Besides, what else are you gonna do?

MIRlAM: l want my epidural. KLEIN: Too late.

-She's in pain, doc. Can you just give us--? -Out, out.

She'll be fine.

[MIRIAM YELLlNG]

-First child? -Yeah, yeah.

I'm kind of nervous, you know how it is.

Yeah, l was too.

-What do you want, boy or girl? -It doesn't matter, man.

As Iong as my kid's healthy.

That's all l want.

Listen, I didn't mean anything by that, man.

-Who was driving? -Huh?

JOHN: The car, who was driving? -I was.

-What's that got to do with anything? -Why's your girl banged up and you're not?

What do you call this?

[LAUGHS]

-What are you laughing at? -Somebody give this fool a Band-Aid.

-I don't want you to bleed to death. -Ha, ha. Screw you, man. This shit hurts.

His airbag went off and mine didn't.

-What kind of car do you drive? -Mercedes 500.

You drive a Mercedes 500?

-What year? -1 986. lt's a classic.

Mercedes didn't make passenger-side airbags tilI 1 988.

[LAUGHS]

-Busted. -What's your point, John?

-What's yours, Mitch? -Point is, you're from the Slap-a-Ho tribe.

You Iike to beat on that young lady there, and everybody here knows it.

I was drunk, all right?

Don't smoke in here.

Come on, man, give me a break. Work with me here.

I'm trying my best.

Mr. Q., could I get some water?

And l need to tinkle.

LESTER: Man, I've got missed-meal cramps.

I'm hungry, man. Let's get a bucket of chicken or something.

In a minute, okay? How's it going in there?

He's gonna make it.

MAGUlRE: You have any idea how much blood this guy Iost?

It's incredible. You saved this man's life.

-What's that? -Lasix.

It's a diuretic to help get rid of some of the fluid buildup.

But it's potassium-depleting, so he needs this one to supplement.

And those?

Dopamine for his blood pressure. Dig for his heart. Primacor.

-Gosh, it seems Iike so much. -Yeah, it's a lot. This is antibiotic.

-What for? -Well, it's a prophylactic, just in case.

-And those? -These two?

They're for pain.

I don't feel so good.

This is gonna make you feel yucky for a few minutes, buddy.

But l'm gonna get you some of those crunchy ice chips to chew on.

-How's that sound? -Yeah.

Hey, Mike. By the way, there was this guy, he stopped by to see you.

Said he was a friend of yours.

I got him right here.

I didn't know if l should let him in or not. What do you think?

-Yeah, he's okay. -He's okay?

-He said he wanted to hang out with you. -He's okay.

That's great.

-Okay. -Thank you.

[WOMAN SOBBING]

WOMAN: My baby.

Let me hold my baby! Let me hold my baby!

MIKE: Mom?

Is Dad coming?

-Yeah, he's coming. -When?

Where is he?

I don't know, but he's coming.

What are you up to?

Never mind me. You're worthless, you know that?

Some guard. You should have zapped the bastard when you had the chance.

Zapped him with what?

Besides, l'm not sticking my neck on the line. Not for 8.50 an hour, I'm not.

Hey, are you nuts? What the hell are you doing?

Looking out for number one.

Look, you wanna stay aIive? Just sit and wait for the cavalry to get here.

Wake up, dipshit. The cops are coming in shooting.

They don't care about his kid. And once he realizes that, we're all history.

He catches you with that scalpel, you're the one that's history.

-Really? He don't look so bad to me. -Yeah.

"Ethocloride." Just like Mace.

Listen. Put that stuff back before you get us into reaI big trouble.

No, you listen to me, you stupid rent-a-cop. I am not a slob, aIl right?

I have a life and it means something to me.

I'm not going down in this shithole. No, sir.

OFFlCER 1 : Watch out. OFFlCER 2: Back it up, back.

Behind the barricade.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING]

Hey, how are you? How you aIl doing?

Good, good, good. How are you? How are you?

Hey, how are you, fellows?

REPORTER: ls it true the man inside wants an operation for his son?

Hey, how you doing? Everything good? Good to see you.

REPORTER: Know what kind of weapon he has?

-You'Il talk, right? -I'lI let you know when I know.

You'll be the first. Okay? I'll let you know later.

GRlMES: Gus, how are you? -Hi, how are you?

-It's hot. -Yeah, it is.

-So? -A Iittle early for the heavy artillery?

Maybe. Maybe not.

-Tell me, what's going on? -You're looking at it.

Very upset father inside, so we're giving him a couple of minutes to cooI off.

Well, let's not give him too much time. Let's just end this quick and quiet, okay?

-Well, that's the plan. -Good.

Good, in that case, l'm just here to lend my support in any way that I can.

I don't need a babysitter on this, Gus. It's under control.

-Is it? -Yes, it is.

All right.

We can't have people running around the street using guns, Frank.

Makes it look like the city's unsafe.

Besides, l gotta be here.

Police chief doesn't show up, looks like he's asleep.

Well, just stay out of my way.

The TV cameras are over there. It should make you feel, you know, right at home.

Right. Why don't you just relax.

[LAUGHS]

Why don't you just relax. Why can't you relax?

-I'm fine. -Just do your job.

I'm not here to cut your nuts off. We're both cops, right?

-We're on the same side, remember? -Right.

Right? Okay.

[PHONE RlNGS]

It's good to see you. Thanks.

Hello.

Yes, Mr. Mayor. l'll see you in a little bit.

No, we got it. Okay, l got it.

How are you?

The old man looking for his Depends, did he leave him over here?

[ALL LAUGHING]

You know, what I don't understand is why they never found it.

My son has had clean checkups every year since the day he was born.

How could the doctors not pick it up?

He might not have been tested thoroughly enough.

Why not?

-Look, you got an HMO, right? -Yeah.

Well, there's your answer. HMOs pay their doctors not to test.

It's their way of keeping costs down.

Say Mike did need additional testing and insurance says they won't cover them.

The doctor keeps his mouth shut and come Christmas...

...the HMO sends the doctor a fat-ass bonus check.

-Is that true? -Possible.

Not likely, but possible.

These doctors may have known what was wrong with my son...

...and they could have treated him all along?

Who knows? I don't know, John.

Don't take this personal, doc, but you all a bunch of goddamn crooks.

TURNER: You don't know what you're talking about.

What about that that thing you take?

-Thing? -That promise, what do they call it?

-It's called the Hippocratic oath. -More like the Hypocritical oath.

How's it go, doc?

I solemnly swear to take care of the sick, damned-near dying...

...unless they ain't got major medical. Like that?

You got it perfectly. That's it.

It's funny, but it's not that far from the truth, okay?

This shit happens all the time.

Paramedics bring in some victim...

...when the boys in Accounting find out they can't pay, they send them packing.

-Hospitals can't turn people away. -Isn't there laws?

There's aIso ways around those laws.

The only thing we have to do is stabilize them.

After that, we're off the hook.

-That's not how it works. -That's exactly how it works.

Maybe not up there on the 5th floor, but in here, if you don't have any money...

...you get a Band-Aid, a foot in the ass and you're out.

Shut up. Enough already.

I've heard all the bitching and moaning l can stand.

If you wanna regard me as a blood-sucking vampire...

...then fine, great, l'll be the bad guy.

But who's hoIding the fucking gun?

[PHONE RlNGS]

Sir? Lieutenant.

GRlMES: Hello? -HeIlo.

John, this is Frank Grimes.

The line is clipped. You pick up the phone, you get me, okay?

-Now, what can l do for you? -All right, what's going on with the list?

I'm working on it, John. But l need some time.

-Time, I don't have, Frank. -Let's talk about the hostages.

Let's talk about them. What do you wanna know?

What's going on in there? How are they?

They're fine, they're fuIl.

We're eating candy bars and discussing HMOs.

We're sitting here waiting for you.

-I want you to let some of them go. -For what?

I do for you, you do for me. Show some good faith.

A lot of nervous people out here, John.

Make everybody breathe a lot easier if we saw some happy faces.

I'll do for you when you start doing for me.

I want my kid's name on that list, you understand me?

-I'm not kidding around here. GRlMES: Good faith, John.

JOHN: Good faith only takes you so far. -Is that him?

JOHN: I believe in the merit system. So far, you haven't earned any points.

-Excuse me, l need to talk to you. -Yeah.

This woman is six centimeters dilated and the baby is breech.

I've medicated her, but we have to move her up to Maternity immediately.

GRlMES: John. -Hang on, Frank.

Right down here.

-What the hell is going on? -You know this man?

His name is John Archibald. He has a son here in ICU.

Put people on the door. Find the mother, l need to talk to her.

JOHN: Frank, are you there, Frank? -I'm here, John.

-I'm here. -I changed my mind, aIl right?

-I'm gonna let some of the hostages go. -That's the right thing.

But when l do, the clock starts, you understand?

It's 4:1 5.

You got one hour. You got till 5:1 5, you understand, Frank?

If my boy's not on that list by 5:1 5, somebody in here's gonna die.

GRIMES: John, don't be stupid-- -Five-fifteen, Frank.

-Five-one-five, something happens for me. -Okay, got it.

You're a cop. Call the coroner.

This is bad, Frank.

This has just gotta go away.

All right, Miriam.

-And Rosa. -Yes?

Vamos, let's go, vamos.

Mr. Archibald, please let my husband come with me.

Baby, no, l need you to get out of here. I wilI be okay, just go.

-Shit, I'lI go, l'm free. MIRlAM: Stay, baby, no.

-What kind of man are you, huh? -Screw you, Tyrone.

What? Screw me, Tyrone?

-Hey, wait a second, wait a minute. -Screw me?

Just relax.

[SCREAMS]

[GRUNTS]

MITCH: Yeah, that's right, tough guy.

Julie, baby, get the gun.

-Aah! -Pick up that gun now.

Shoot him. Shoot him right in the face, Julie.

Shoot him right in the face.

Get up and get the gun. Get the gun, there you go, baby.

What are you--? Are you crazy?

Where are you headed? What are you doing? Come on now.

[SCREAMlNG]

-Max, you got the cuffs? -Yeah.

Oh, God.

[SCREAMS THEN CRlES]

You stupid bitch.

That's for beating the shit out of me.

And that's for calling-- Being an asshole.

[LAUGHlNG]

-And this, this is for calling me a bitch. -Damn. I felt that one.

[ALL LAUGHING]

JULlE: And I'm not your Barbie anymore. -Oh, shit.

Goddamn, baby. All that ass and muscles to go with it.

-I knew damn welI you wasn't no blond. -Give it to me.

LESTER: I know your mother fucked a brother.

Had to. Look at you.

Come here. Come here.

Let's go, both of you.

Whatever happens, I want you to know everything's gonna be okay.

-Understand me? -Okay. Yes.

-Now, don't worry. -Okay.

Don't worry about anything. I'll always be there for you, baby.

Don't shoot.

I'm letting some hostages go. Don't shoot.

All right, Steve, you too.

-Let's go, both of you. STEVE: Thank you. Thank you.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

MIRlAM: Thank you, Mr. Archibald. -All right, all right. Let's go, you too.

All right, take care of his ear.

LAMPLEY: The gunman has just freed several hostages...

...who wiIl immediately be debriefed by members of the crisis team.

WiIl the man known as John Q. get a heart for his little boy?

Only time will tell. From Hope Memorial Hospital....

Is it true an ambulance dropped a gunshot victim after the gunman took over the ER?

Yes, he unlocked the door and he let him inside.

-Can you comment, sir? -The man was criticalIy injured.

-If he hadn't let him in, he would have died. -Yup.

Ma'am, are you aIl right?

Oh, yeah, I feel good. We're having a baby.

Ma'am, do you have any comments about the gunman?

John Q., very good man.

-The gunman? -Very good man.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]

[YELLING lNDlSTlNCTLY]

They've got a cam. I don't beIieve it, watching a video feed.

FREDDY: How do you know? LAMPLEY: They're looking at something.

I wanna know what it is. Can you get it?

Boss, if they got it, l can get it.

Give in to this guy, there's gonna be guns in every hospitaI.

Do you think Mr. Archibald's the only one who has a sick child?

Ever checked out the HIV ward? There's a floor full of them.

People get sick, they die. That's the way it goes.

I'm faced with decisions like this every day.

Fact is, there's a man threatening to kill people...

...because you refused to help his son.

Fact is, there are 50 million people in this country without medical insurance.

If you'd Iike to change it, you shouId call your congressman.

Excuse me, why don't we just tell him his son's name's on the Iist?

I mean, doesn't that make sense?

How's he gonna know anyway?

Sir, pardon me, can you come take a look at this?

Sarge, chief, this is Wally Pitoniak, head of security.

-How are you? -Nice to meet you.

I got your spot.

There's your site, that's gonna be your perch.

The X there, that's your phone.

-Which phone? -Bring it up, Jeff.

Phone right there.

It is, Tom, but Chief Monroe maintained the police will do whatever's necessary...

...to preserve the lives and safety of these hostages.

TOM: Thanks for that, Tuck.

MITCH: This country, man, can't go anywhere anymore...

...without getting mugged or murdered or stabbed.

Kids killing their classmates, drive-by--

You know, I won't even go into a post office anymore.

-Shut up, Mitch. TURNER: You shut up.

I hate the little bastard, but he's right.

You know how easy it is to get a gun? Five minutes, gun show, boom.

MITCH: l understand that your kid is sick, John, but what makes him better than me?

-I've got a life too. -Yeah, but you've got insurance.

So are you gonna shoot me? Because that's what you're telling the cops.

If your son doesn't get the very first heart available...

...we aIl die.

How's it gonna end, John? What's your move?

I've got no moves, okay? I don't know what l'm gonna do.

I'm....

I'm waiting on a miracle, okay?

Waiting on an act of God.

Mrs. ArchibaId.

Can we have a word, pIease?

This is aIl my fault.

When the hospital told me that they were releasing Mikey...

...l caIled John and I yelled at him and told him to do something, anything.

-But l never thought-- GRlMES: l understand.

-Is he a violent man, Mrs. Archibald? -No.

No, he's sweet and gentle. He wouldn't hurt a fly.

That's not what he's saying. He's talking about killing people.

I wanna know, maybe l'm fishing...

...but has he spent any time in the military or anything like that?

-What is this? -What?

Oh, l see what's going on here.

You're trying to get me to say something that you can use against my husband.

He's in a lot of trouble, ma'am, and we're gonna need you to talk to him.

No, let's get something straight, mister.

You cannot use me to build a case against my husband.

I support him in everything that he does. I'm on his side, not yours.

-Mrs. Archibald-- DENISE: And you don't talk to me.

I would tell you what l think of you...

...but l'm a Christian woman.

Now, you two leave me aIone. I have a sick child to look after.

I've decided to put Michael's name on the recipient list.

The hospital will pay for everything.

Really?

Really.

Thank you.

Oh, God, thank you.

You're good. Ooh. Heh, heh.

-Excuse me? -Quite the performance.

-What are you talking about? -The comforting embrace, sincere look.

For a minute, I actually believed that you cared.

Ugh.

We go now to Hope Memorial Hospital. Live, Tuck Lampley.

LAMPLEY: As you can see, the crowd here in front of Hope Memorial is growing.

The SWAT team has arrived and the situation is becoming very tense.

Standing next to me is James Palumbo, friend of John Archibald.

Mr. Palumbo, what can you tell us about John Archibald?

You know, um...

...l gotta be honest, Tuck.

I mean, this whole thing, uh, sucks, you know.

I mean, it all could have been avoided so incredibly easy.

I mean, uh, none of this had to happen...

...if John had been a frigging millionaire, right?

Or if his name was Rockefeller, but sometimes John don't get it.

He don't understand...

...that what we hold sacred in this country isn't values.

It's value that's important.

We got haves, we got have-nots.

We got white collar, blue collar, and then we got no collar.

Inside there, we got surgery, we got outpatient surgery...

...and we got out-of-luck surgery. There's a lot of people out there...

...a lot of people here who don't got 250 grand in their billfold.

To shame a man like that and back him into a corner...

...seems to me that something is out of whack, not someone.

But hey, what do I know? I'm, uh-- I'm a factory worker.

LAMPLEY: Well, I can see this is making you very upset...

...but if you could speak to John Q. right now, what would you say to him?

I'm there with you and you take care.

LAMPLEY: That's one man's opinion.

Live at the crisis at Hope Memorial, this is Tuck Lampley.

What's going on?

MOODY: Lieutenant. -Where's everybody?

We're sending one of our guys in through the air duct.

Now, if we can get the target to this phone, we got a clear shot.

-Is that right? -Yes, lieutenant, that is right.

MAN: When you're ready, chief.

[MEN LAUGHlNG]

Gus!

-My wife's calling. MAN: Worse than that, it's Father Time.

Come over here.

Not one word, Frank.

-Not one word-- -You son of a bitch, you go behind my back.

What do you want from me? Look at the clock, look at your watch, look at it.

Guy said he'Il start killing people. We don't have a reason not to beIieve him.

-This is so goddamn stupid. -Really? What's your great idea?

-There are no great ideas. GUS: Right.

-Especially this. -Right, exactly.

I've got a shot at this guy and l'm gonna take it.

You always take the open shot. What are you talking about?

The wife has agreed to speak to him. Let her talk him down.

-That's exactly what l'm gonna do. -You use the man's wife to set him up?

I'm gonna use whatever works, Frank. Let me paint a picture for you, okay?

What we have here is a lose-lose.

If this guy starts whacking hostages, it's bad, right?

And if we give in to this asshole, it's also bad.

-Bad for who? -It's bad for everybody, Frank.

-Me, you, everybody. -Come on.

-It's an election year. lt's just bad. -Oh.

However it goes down, this guy's not gonna make it.

So you kill him? That's a PR bonanza, right?

I could live with one dead bad guy.

What l can't live with is one innocent person hurt.

Not one, not on my watch.

-You know what, Frank? You're out. -I'm out?

No hard feelings, but you're officially relieved of duty.

-I'm gonna handle this now. -You?

Yeah, me. You think it's my first time around the dance floor?

How do you think l got these? And watch it, just watch it.

I got a Iot of pressure on me, Frank. There's a lot of eyes watching.

Someone's gotta make the call. You're not gonna do it, are you?

I'll do it.

What about the hostages? The human beings?

Better keep their heads down.

Great.

-What is it? -The air-conditioning just turned off.

I'm counting on you. Don't let me down, okay?

I'll caIl you. Right on.

-Excuse me. MAN: Hey.

Don't touch me, excuse me. Excuse me, thank you.

Tuck Lampley, Channel 8. Right, you got it.

Thanks, officer. Excuse me. Whoo.

-Where's my picture? -I just gotta unscramble the encryption.

-We're almost there. -Hurry it up.

I got a contact in Cardiology.

The cops are gonna set up a phone call between this guy and his wife.

Are you with the wife? All right, let's patch her through.

[PHONE RlNGING]

Hello?

[RlNGlNG CONTlNUES]

Hello?

-This better be good, Frank. DENISE [OVER PHONE]: John?

John?

-Denise? -[SOBBlNG] Hi, baby.

-We're on the list. -What?

Payne just left here. Mikey's name is on the list, baby, you did it.

Really? We're on the Iist?

Okay.

[DENISE LAUGHING]

Oh, wow. Oh, this is great, baby.

Wai--? Yeah.

-Huh, we got sound. LAMPLEY: Good.

Where's the video? Come on, l need picture.

Boss, hang on. I'm gonna make you realIy famous.

JOHN [OVER PHONE]: Well, I'm just-- I'm, uh....

It's okay, baby.

Oh, how's Mikey doing?

[SIGHS]

Not too good.

-I think he's going away. -What?

And they've done everything they can for him...

...but he keeps getting worse and worse.

Oh, God.

My poor baby.

Are you praying for him, John? Are you praying for our baby?

Yes, l'm praying, sweetheart. You know I am.

Checkmate, King, this is White Rook. Copy.

I copy, White Rook.

It's gonna be all right, sweetie. Now, listen to me.

He's gonna make it.

I swear on my life, he's gonna make it. You understand me?

Okay.

You just gotta believe me, you understand?

I believe.

Is he awake? Is Mikey awake? Can l talk to him?

Hold on.

Oh, my God. We got it. Boss, we got it.

-We got it? -Video's online.

-You are a genius. -Gotta get the monitor.

What are you doing standing around? Move your ass, come on.

This is gonna be it. Thank you.

Freddy, I swear to God, I'm gonna-- Nigel, you're moving like lava, hustle.

How's my hair? Never mind, let's get this.

And three, two, one.

This is Tuck Lampley live at Hope Memorial Hospital...

...bringing you exclusive coverage between a father and son...

...he's fighting desperately to save.

DENISE: Honey, your daddy's on the phone.

[WHISPERING] Hello?

Champ.

How's my boy, huh?

You hanging in there?

Uh-huh.

How are you?

Oh, l'm-- How am l?

I'm good, I'm-- Don't worry about me, l'm good.

How come you're not here, Dad?

Well, I'm, uh....

I'm tied up, Mike, I can't get away right now.

But I'm close, real close to you.

Mom says I need a new heart.

Yeah, that's right, champ, you do.

But what's wrong with my heart?

No, there's nothing wrong, there's nothing wrong. lt's just that you--

You just need a--

They're gonna-- You're gonna need--

You gotta get a better heart to be stronger, that's all.

It's just, they give you a new one that's gonna make you real strong.

-Okay. -Okay?

-Hey, Dad? -Yeah?

Am l gonna die?

No, you're not gonna die. Of course not.

How do you know?

Hey, what good would the world be without you?

Oh, my God. This is the greatest thing l've ever seen.

JOHN: Without you, there is no world.

This is my white Bronco.

Hey, Mike.

-Yeah? -Listen to me.

On your command.

You know I love you, don't you?

-You know how proud I am of you? -Yeah.

Yeah, l just wanted to make sure you know that.

JOHN: Just wanted to tell you that in case I forgot.

Take the shot.

SNlPER: Not clear. Holding.

Hey, why don't you give me one of those Chris Cormiers, huh?

-Yeah. -Oh, yeah.

Chris Cormier, he's great.

He's great, and so are you, baby.

I love you, Dad.

Okay, son.

I'll talk to you Iater, okay?

-With all my heart, son, I love you. MIKE: I love you too, Dad.

Oh, shit.

John. You on TV, man. Channel 8.

[ALL SCREAMING]

Don't shoot! Somebody has to answer for this!

He's down. We got him. He's down.

He's not down.

Goddamn it.

-Command. Yes, sir, yes, sir. -This is very bad, Gus.

-Sir. -Not now.

No, sir. lt's the mayor, sir.

We better kill this video, the press hacked our signal...

...and this whole thing went out live over national television.

-Mikey's not gonna make it. -Yeah, but what about the list?

What list? They're shooting at me, they're shooting at us.

They're not gonna help my son.

LAMPLEY: ApparentIy, the sniper gained access to the hospital through--

-You're gonna bust me? -Out of here.

Get real. You just shot an innocent man on primetime TV.

[CHEERlNG]

-That's where they came out. -He's there.

Where's Grimes?

-I wanna see Frank Grimes. MAN: Hang in there, man.

Where's Lieutenant Grimes?

GUS: All right.

-All right, what? -All right, let's go see what he wants.

-You gotta be kidding me. -Don't break my balls, okay?

I screwed up, all right? I need you to save my ass.

I really stepped in shit. Please, Frank. Come on, l'll buy you a steak.

-Peking duck, okay? -Peking duck.

-All right, you got it. -Let's go.

A-R-C-H-I-B-A-L-D.

Yeah, yeah. l'm faxing you all the stuff right now.

Okay, come on in. We're gotta fill this up.

Hold your fire.

Don't fire. Turn them down, turn them down.

GUS: l don't want anybody doing anything. JOHN: Who's that with you?

Who's that with you?

-Sergeant Moody. -John.

Police Chief Monroe.

-What's going on here, John? -Come on, come on.

MAN: He's got no pants on.

JOHN: You Iied to me, lieutenant.

You said you were gonna calI me back, but you didn't call.

I gave you your hostages but you didn't call me back.

Why? Because you want me dead, don't you?

Nobody wants to kilI you, John.

-Nobody wants to kill me? GRlMES: No.

Nobody? None of these guys?

-Not him? Oh, okay, what is this? GRlMES: No.

What is this?

What did you think would happen?

You wanna shoot him, so shoot.

This is gonna end up bad for you, John. There's only two ways out of here.

JaiI or dead.

My son is very sick and he needs some help.

I understand. It's hard to be a man these days.

Hard to know what the right thing is. But put the gun down, John.

You're not hearing me, Frank. My son is sick.

That's it, there's nothing else. End of story.

When people are sick, they deserve a little help.

Yeah!

Sick, help. Sick, help.

I am not gonna bury my son.

My son is gonna bury me.

You think these people give a shit about you? They don't.

You're just the cause of the moment.

Nobody cares, John. That's the real truth.

Nobody cares. Only you.

There's only you and me out here, and aIl these guns pointed at you.

So, what do you wanna do? It's your call.

I want my son.

I want my son inside with me.

Can't do it, John.

JOHN: You give me my boy, I'll give you your sniper, then it's all over.

You bring my son, I give up.

Everybody goes home.

Everybody's safe.

You bring me my son. Come on.

All right.

What do you think, Frank?

Give it to him. He's not gonna hurt anybody with his boy in there.

The object is to get hostages out, not to bring them in.

It's not a hostage, it's his son.

Now all these people, being on the news.

It's your call, Frank.

Yeah.

All right, give it to him.

OFFlCER: Hold it. -No, no, stop it. Listen to me.

I'm his mother, l need to be in there.

Stop. Stop. Stop right there. Stop. Go. Go, beat it. Go, now.

Go, go.

TURNER: We're in trouble, John.

Mike's blood pressure has dropped into the mid-40s.

His atrial blood pressure should be in the low teens.

It's 35. l'm sorry, John.

Without a new heart, he's not gonna make it.

Okay.

Take mine.

-What? JOHN: You heard me.

Take my heart and you put it in Mike.

LESTER: Oh, man. You done lost your damn mind.

-You can't be serious. -You bet I'm serious.

-I'm dead serious. -Oh, my God.

Wow.

-Man, that means you'll be dead. -And my son will live.

-You can't do this. -It's the only way.

No, you don't understand. You can't do this.

Yes, l can. l'd kill myself.

You open me up, you take my heart.

-It's perfect. -That's just crazy.

We can't remove your heart and put it into his body.

There are too many unknowns.

Matching a donor and a recipient is extremely complicated.

There are critical tests that have to be taken.

Cross matches for blood type, chest-cavity measurements.

If both blood tissues are not compatible--

I know all about compatibility, okay?

We've been tested up the wazoo. We're both B-positive, our tissues match.

His heart is three times the size of a normal heart, so mine will fit.

-You know we're compatible. -Out of the question, too risky.

-Doc, l'm telling you, he will make it. -Can't do it, John.

So, what, if l'm laying on the floor dead...

...you're not gonna take my heart to save his life?

You'll let two people die because of a technicality?

-I think what John's trying to do is right. -Me too, l think it's so brave.

MAGUlRE: What do you think Mike would want?

-Your wife? -Mike's too young to know...

...what's good for him. I'm his father, it's my job to protect him.

-Besides, Denise would do the same thing. LESTER: John, look.

I know what's happening to Mike is bad, man.

Matter of fact, it's the worst.

But kiIling yourseIf ain't gonna solve a damn thing.

Sometimes you've just gotta Iet go and let God.

Just accept it, brother.

Accept it?

Accept what?

-That Mike is going to die. -No, no, I don't accept that.

Ever.

No, I reject that out of hand.

I mean, look-- All right, he's a patient to you.

I understand, but if you-- He's a good kid.

I mean, he loves bodybuilding.

He wants to be a bodybuilder, can you believe that? And he's funny--

You'd like him.

You'd like him, doc, if you got to know him.

-I do like him. -All right, then, please, l'm just begging you.

-Step outside the rules-- -I'd Iike to, John, I reaIly would.

But what you're asking crosses the line. It is completely unethical.

I'm crossing the line, you're crossing the line.

Whole system's crossing the line.

Maybe you don't understand what I'm talking about.

All right, l don't give a damn. My son's gonna live.

Maybe you haven't figured that out by now. I'll do whatever l gotta do for him to Iive.

So, what are you gonna do?

You're gonna shoot me if l don't operate?

No. I'm gonna kill myseIf.

All right, let's just see what happens.

This is what this is all about, right? He needs a donor.

Somebody's gotta die in order for him to Iive.

I'm his father. It's me.

-All right. MITCH: All right?

-All right, what? -I'lI do it if that's what you want.

-You're gonna let him? -Once he's dead, why not?

You are the finest surgeon I've ever known.

You cannot throw your career-- Your life away for this man.

But if you do this, you're finished. You know that, right?

What are they gonna do? Sue me?

Disbar me? Evict me from the country club?

No, this is still a hospital.

If there's a heart availabIe, then we'll not Iet it go to waste.

Doctor, Mr. Maguire, let's get ready for surgery.

NURSE 1 : She just came in.

DOCTOR: We're ready to harvest.

NURSE 1 : We're ready for you. NURSE 2: Got it.

Get her on the table.

-All right. All right, ready to lift. NURSE 1 : What's our time?

NURSE 2: Oh-4-5. NURSE 1 : There.

NURSE 2: Well, scalpel's laid out.

Where's his tray? You have the other one?

NURSE 1 : We need another set. Bring the cart around, please.

-Down to the chest. NURSE 2: Another tray available?

[SAW GRlNDlNG]

-We got to be set up. -What do we have?

NURSE 1 : Female donor. -Female donor.

NURSE 1 : Twenty-six years old, 5-foot-7. -She's 26 years old, 5-foot-7.

NURSE 1 : Liver, kidneys, usable. -Liver and kidneys are both usable.

-Lungs? DOCTOR: Okay.

Lungs are okay.

-Heart? DOCTOR: Heart is good.

Heart is good. Blood type?

B-positive.

This is my, uh....

My wiIl.

It says I'm leaving my heart to my son.

And l need two witnesses to sign.

I'm not signing it. I ain't gonna watch you kill yourself.

No, me neither.

The sooner you sign it, the sooner you go home.

Okay. l'Il sign.

Me too.

Okay.

You're just gonna go in there and you're gonna off yourself?

JOHN: Only one thing wilI stop me. -What's that?

-If Mitch is B-positive. MITCH: No, no, no.

-Ha-ha-ha. MITCH: Type O. Swear to God.

[ALL LAUGHING]

Thank you. You be good, huh? Be careful.

Yeah.

See you in the funny papers.

Can l have a word with him?

Thank you.

Hey, Mike.

Mikey?

Heh.

How are you doing, buddy?

[WHISPERING] Hey, Dad.

Did you find me a new heart?

Yeah, we got you one.

Guess you got a guardian angel.

Mike, Mike, just try to stay awake just for a minute, okay?

I just need to tell you a few things.

Okay, Dad.

You always listen to your mother.

You understand?

Do what she teIls you to do.

She's your best friend.

-Tell her you love her every day. -Okay, Dad.

Now, you-- Heh, you're too young for girls right now...

...but there's gonna come a time.

When it does, you treat them like princesses...

...because that's what they are.

When you say you're gonna do something....

When you say you're gonna do something, you do it.

Because your word is your bond, son. It's all you have.

And money. Hey, you make money...

...if you get a chance, even if you gotta selI out once in a while...

...you make as much money as you can. Don't be stupid like your father.

Okay.

JOHN: Everything is so much easier with money, son.

Don't smoke.

Be kind to peopIe.

If somebody chooses you, you know, we talked about this...

...you stand up, you be a man.

And you....

You stay away from the bad things, son.

Please.

Don't get caught up in the bad things.

There's so many great things out there for you.

I'll never leave you.

I'm aIways with you.

Right there.

I love you, son.

I'll see you later.

-Yes? -Make sure the doctor get this for me?

-Okay, I'll try. -Here's the other one.

The second one--

[PHONE RlNGS]

Oh, my sweet Jesus.

Okay, let's do it.

Wait a minute, are you telling me that gun was empty the whole time?

Yeah. Yeah, l'm all taIk.

The only one I ever considered killing was me.

Maybe we should get some towels.

-Miss Payne, Miss Payne. -Yeah?

-You're not gonna believe this. -What?

REGGIE: A match. B-positive, Michael William Archibald.

The only Status 1 in the whole country.

I'll be damned.

I'm thirsty.

Mrs. ArchibaId.

We have some very good news for you.

[YELLS]

[PANTlNG]

Oh, Jesus.

The safety's on.

-Is this for reaI? -The Learjet landed at O'Hare.

The helicopter's gonna be here in 1 5 minutes.

You do the honors, okay?

DENISE: Okay. -Go.

John?

John, baby, it's me.

John?

It's not working.

John?

Please, baby, pick up. John, can you--?

John.

John!

It's a miracle, baby. They found a heart.

John, it's a miracle.

They found a heart.

LAMPLEY: The heart is here. I repeat:

The heart for little Mike Archibald has arrived.

What an unbelievable ending to this incredible, tumultuous day.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Okay, here we go.

MAN: There.

LAMPLEY: The hostages are coming out. MAN: There's two of them.

LAMPLEY: One, two. They appear to be unharmed.

But certainly exhausted from what must have been an excruciating ordeal.

More now. More coming out. Hands waved in the air.

Freedom. Freedom at last.

The police are escorting them one by one to safety.

WOMAN: How do you feel?

LAMPLEY: Somebody else is coming. It's John Q.

John Q. has come out.

Hands in the air, he's putting the gun down.

-He appears to be surrendering. MAN: Way to go, John.

LAMPLEY: The police are approaching cautiously now.

And they've got him. They subdued John Q.

The handcuffs are on, and it appears to be over.

It's all over.

If pictures speak a thousand words, then these images do speak volumes.

And now as the bloody standoff comes to an end...

...we remind you that Channel 8 News was here first...

...with exclusive moment-to-moment, live coverage of "Crisis at Hope Memorial."

I'm Tuck Lampley.

MAN: Is he all right?

WOMAN: John Q!

Open those doors.

Clear out. Coming through. Come on.

MAN: We Iove you, John.

Go, John.

[SIREN WAILlNG]

[LAUGHlNG]

TURNER: Heart.

Thank you.

Can l get some mops?

Prepare for cutting.

Wait for a second.

Put these on for me. Would you do that?

Take your time.

TURNER: Lift it.

Okay. There you go, done.

-Done. NURSE: Pressure up on the heart.

TURNER: Pressure up. NURSE: Pressure up.

Now. One, two, three.

It worked. It worked.

The other big story, John Q. goes on trial today for kidnapping...

...and attempted murder charges, all because an HMO denied coverage...

...for his son's heart transplant.

--more expensive for you in the future, HMOs...

...to deny coverage when people really need--

There are still 40 million Americans uninsured.

Tonight, as the trial continues.

John Quincy Archibald, vigilante or heroic father? You decide.

--is to sue them for millions of dollars, to let them know.

Mr. Jones has helped....

It was known for years this is a crappy heaIthcare system.

Government don't care about us. Country hasn't changed.

John Q. is using one of those faith-based healthcare plans:

You just pray, and the government does nothing.

Who would not agree with that?

The point is the enemy that we're trying to identify is us.

That's the point.

We are the ones who shot down national healthcare.

We're the ones who don't want our taxes raised.

You have to look in the mirror for this problem.

REPORTER: Yes?

John.

Back up. Come on, back up.

-Back. WOMAN: Just one question.

-Back. MAN: How do you feel now?

-How do you feel now? -Back up.

MAN: Over here. WOMAN: How's your son doing, John?

MAN: John, a statement, please.

GRlMES: Out of the way. Let's go.

WOMAN: How are you feeling right now, John?

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor. As to count one, attempted murder...

...we find the defendant, John Quincy Archibald, not guiIty.

GALLERY: Yes.

JUDGE: Quiet, please. -On count two, armed criminal action...

...not guilty.

JUDGE: Quiet.

JUROR: On the final count...

...the kidnapping and false imprisonment...

...of Julie Bird, Max Conlin, Rosa Gonzales...

...Dr. Ellen Klein, Lester Matthews, Steve Maguire...

...Miriam and Steve Smith, Dr. Raymond Turner...

...Mitch Quigley, Debby Utley, we find the defendant...

...guilty.

[GALLERY MUTTERING lNDlSTlNCTLY]

Quiet, please. Sentencing wiIl be one week from today.

BAlLIFF: All rise.

JIMMY: So, what are we looking at? -Well, he's gonna do some time.

Judge's not gonna give him more than three to five. l'll try and get it down to two.

I'm sorry.

JOHN: You alI right, slugger? -Yeah.

You take good care of your mother, okay?

You're the man of the house now.

You have any problems, Jimmy and Gina will be here for you too.

Okay.

I'm so proud of you.

Give them hell, Johnny. Don't worry about nothing.

MIKE: Hey, Dad.

-Goodbye. -It's not goodbye, son.

See you later.

Hey, John. Take care, man.

You're my hero.

Dad. Dad.

Thank you.