Original subtitles

Previously on "Brilliant Minds"...

I reconnected with one of my old team doctors.

- In Texas? - He offered me a spot

in his residency program.

This is, like, my dream job.

Then what's keeping you here?

The hospital gala's tonight. - It's kind of last minute.

Why do I feel like you're trying to wreck this

before it even starts? - I don't know

if I could handle another heartbreak.

- You're it for me. - When I was 10 years old,

my mother was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

I remember her doctor not because he saved my mom,

but because he dangled the possibility that he could.

- What is this? - It's where your father is.

- You got stood up? - I think so.

Is anyone here?

- ...over here. - We're getting in there now.

We're getting the jaws out.

Make the hole! Coming through!

What are the injuries?

Two-car collision, no passenger.

First driver seems a little shaken,

but mostly just bumps and bruises.

We're breaking out driver number two right now,

but she's been unresponsive since we arrived on the scene.

- Steady her neck. - Hold on! I got it!

All right, easy. Great.

- Here we go. - Bring her out.

Just a second. Let me get in here.

I have a pulse, but it's thready.

- We have an I.D.? - Negative.

We haven't found a wallet yet. Cops are running the plates.

Andy, come with us. I need another medic back there.

I'm losing her pulse.

I don't hear breath sounds on this side.

She's down a lung.

Looks like 14 gauges right in front of you.

We got it back.

Attagirl.

30-year-old female in an MVC,

extricated with a thready pulse. - Coming through.

Got ROSC after I needled her tension pneumo.

- Ready? - 3, 2, 1.

All right.

Airway intubated with normal end tidal.

Breath sounds bilaterally.

Look at her chest deformity.

There we go.

There's blood around her heart. She's gonna lose her pulse.

Give me a thoracotomy tray right now!

- Yes, Doctor! - Neuro team, checking in.

Standby until she's stabilized.

It's Michelle.

Dr. Wolf, um, we need you back in the E.D.

It's an emergency. - Come on, man.

Pick up, man. Pick up.

- What are her vitals? - I can't tell

what's happening yet, but Ericka's trying

to get a better look. - Where's our Uber?

Hey! Uh, it's four minutes out, but trying.

Hello? Why is there a pause?

There's E.D. no vitals recorded yet.

- Hey! - She's not hooked up anymore.

Okay, what about her neuro exam?

We're not able to get one because there's too many

trauma surgeons around. - It's a thoracotomy.

They doing an E.D. thoracotomy.

- Get me an intracardiac epi! - Yes, Doctor.

Van...

Bronx General. Now.

Thought you were off for the night.

What's up with your hand?

Uh, no, it's just the art of motorcycle maintenance.

Hey, Michelle Lambert got brought in.

Terrible car accident. - What?

Dr. Markus' Michelle? Is she okay?

Uh, we don't know for sure yet. They won't let neuro

anywhere near her until she's out of surgery.

Okay, well, you can join me on my consult.

Must be the other driver. Nic Bozic. 19 years old.

The E.D. couldn't get any answers from him during intake.

I can't believe this is happening.

It's not real.

Hi, Nic.

I'm Dr. Pierce. This is Dr. Wolf.

And we're here to help y--

I'm sorry.

I-I just can't stop laughing.

Let's go a UTOX and get him upstairs for an eval.

Yeah.

- Where is she? - She's in the O.R.

She just went in. - Take me to her. Take me to her.

If you haven't yet, it's time to call her family.

Her mom's busy watching Liam.

I need you to look at me, Van.

Her family needs to know.

The sooner, the better.

Hey, bud.

What are you in Sharkie doing here?

It's way past your bedtime. - What did you expect me to do?

Leave Sharkie home alone?

Um, this actually isn't really a conversation

to have around little ears. - Hey, you want to go play

with Auntie Dana? I can show you

how to draw on the walls without getting in trouble.

I wanna draw a pirate ship!

Uh, Michelle's injuries required her

to have immediate surgery, but the thoracotomy

to repair her aortic injury should be wrapping up.

Once she's out, we'll expedite scans

to assess any other damage.

Is she gonna be okay?

Well, what I do know right now is that your daughter

made it through the surgery without any complications.

And she has a team of doctors who care about her deeply.

After imaging, I'll have more to share.

What should I do until then?

The neuro waiting room is on the third floor.

Dr. Markus can show you if you want to wait

somewhere more quiet and comfortable.

I'm sure I can find it on my own.

Thank you.

Did you see that?

She hates me. I can feel her resentment.

Everyone wants the same thing right now, Van--

for Michelle to be okay.

Just channel all of your energy into that.

Yeah.

Your UTOX and alcohol labs came back clean,

which is good news. - I told the police I was sober,

but they breathalysed me anyway.

I never drink the night before a game.

- What's your sport? - Hockey.

I was driving upstate for a tournament.

Nic, have you called your parents?

No.

No, I don't want to freak them out.

I just want this to be over. Can I go?

Well, we aren't out of the woods yet.

Your reaction-- it may have been shock,

but it could point to something more serious.

That accident could have caused some real harm.

So let's eliminate all those options

and not give your parents anything to worry about.

- Deal. - Okay.

Can I ask--

how is she?

The other driver?

Uh, she's in surgery,

but there's room to hope.

Whatever happens to her it's--

it's my fault.

I mean, this is gonna ruin my life.

Is that the guy? Who hit Michelle?

Van, let's not. Come on.

I'm so...

sorry.

- Okay, come on. Come on. - You're laughing?

Come on, Van. Come on. Let's go. Let's go.

Let's get out of here.

See? We're drawing on the walls,

but without getting in trouble.

My sister and I used to do this all the time growing up.

It looks pretty cool, right?

- Hey. - Hey.

Thanks for sticking around after your shift.

I can't believe that you knew her.

I did everything that I could.

I just wish there was something we could do

to make it better for V-A-N.

Van. That's my dad.

You can spell!

Love that for me.

Are you the janitor?

Uh...

Oh. Not quite.

I'm a paramedic. And this is to my ambulance.

Cool. Can we go for a ride

and go real fast through red lights?

- Yeah. - I don't think so, Liam.

Oh. Okay, well, Auntie Dana

is a rule follower.

But I like to live a little dangerously.

You want to go turn on the lights?

- And the sirens. - You got it.

Auntie Dana just likes it

when everyone she cares about is safe.

And Auntie Katie likes that about her.

Oh, okay. Yeah.

Wait a minute.

We've never had a shark in there.

Hey, Dr. Wolf.

If this is about Van, don't worry about it.

I calmed him down.

He's just eager for her to wake up.

We all are. But this is not about Van.

This is about you.

What's up?

The residency director of a Dallas medicine program

reached out about a referral.

For you.

I'm really sorry.

I meant to talk to you about it today, but then--

You're not actually leaving us, are you, Dr. Nash?

Being in the E.D. made me realize

how much I missed the rush of the field.

This job is my way back.

Do you know the thing I value most in my doctors?

Strong bedside manner.

It allows patients to feel safe, to open up to us.

You're the best at it, Jacob.

I would really hate to lose you.

Michelle's in the scanner.

There is a massive subdural.

Diffuse severe contusions and evidence of herniation.

All consistent with our post-op exam.

Would you consider a decompressive hemicraniectomy?

Like with Jorge Torres? - Van, she's already herniated.

There's nothing surgical that can help her.

Respectfully, that is complete bull.

She's young and she's healthy.

There's always something to do.

Her pupils are already fixed and dilated.

These injuries are not survivable.

I am so sorry, Van.

I don't need an apology.

I need you to do what only you can do, Dr. Wolf.

Fight.

Michelle only stands a chance because she's here with us.

Hey, Van...

Does Van have a case?

Is there a reason to hold out hope?

You saw for yourself how catastrophic those scans were.

False hope is dangerous at times like this.

I'll update the family, and then I'll perform

the brain death exam later today.

Cardiac death would have been way easier.

That way, he could see it, but her heart's still beating.

She looks alive. - But when doctors

declare brain death, it allows for organ donation,

which otherwise wouldn't have been possible.

Saves countless lives. - Well, It certainly saved Sam's.

We'll approach van the way we approach any resistant family.

We'll tell the truth.

We conducted a complete brain death exam

and the person he loves is gone.

It'll be difficult, but eventually he'll come around.

I get why he's in denial.

We've all heard horror stories of people

being declared brain dead prematurely.

When the test is done correctly,

we can trust the diagnosis.

Brain death is absolute and irreversible.

You know that.

I need one volunteer to assist with the exam.

I will.

Like you said, Dr. Wolf, Sam is only here

because a neurologist somewhere decided

to have an honest conversation with a family.

How is shutting me out having an honest conversation

with Michelle's family?

You don't get to make decisions without me here.

If you want to do something more,

you can start by respecting my wishes.

Van wants to be present for Michelle's brain death exam.

I often allow families in the room, but with Van,

a big part of me wonders if it's the right call.

Maybe this will help him process the loss.

Accept what happened.

Yeah. Why you hesitating?

Maybe more information isn't always better.

Maybe there are things better left unseen.

But if it helps him process, I can allow it.

Are these Nic Bozic's scans? - Yes. The other driver.

His tox screen came back clean,

so I'm wondering whether his symptoms are neurological.

What, you don't think this is Psych?

It's too hard to tell.

Too lucid for psychosis,

too upbeat for Major Depressive Disorder.

And no life events point to complex trauma.

It's possible the accident caused some subtle damage

that we aren't appreciating on CT,

but with this clean of a scan and history,

it would seem related to the accident.

Well, in his defense, laughing at distress makes sense,

neurochemically speaking.

It releases a dream cocktail of endorphins,

dopamine, lowers cortisol.

Somehow I don't think low cortisol

will do him any favors on the ice.

- He plays hockey? - Yep.

Interesting. Maybe we should

bring Dr. Nash in on this. - Hmm.

Dr. Thorne told me he got a job offer.

Is this your way of

running through the airport, begging him to stay?

Begging people to stay isn't exactly my style, Carol.

Just ask my dad. Or Josh.

Well, I'm, for one, I'm happy for Dr. Nash.

Yeah.

Sometimes we gotta let our fledglings fly.

She's been off sedation long enough.

Her hemodynamics are good.

There's no fevers.

Nothing that will affect the results of our exam.

Do you have any questions before we start?

No pupillary response to light.

No corneal reflex.

No oculocephalic reflex.

No oculovestibular reflex.

No gag. No cough.

I know you have to do the response to pain test.

Go on.

There is no response to painful stimuli.

Can you call in her family?

They want to be here for the apnea test.

No. Dr. Wolf, she's not ready

for the apnea test. If she fails that test,

then she's proclaimed brain dead.

Are we-- Are we sure the sedation's out of her system?

- We are. - What if she's locked in or--

You've seen her exam and her imaging, Van.

This is not like Roman.

Okay, then we give her more time.

We do the second brain death exam,

and if she fails that, then you can do the apnea test.

That used to be the recommendation anyway.

It's not anymore.

You know nothing is gonna change over time, Van.

I need more time.

Okay?

Please.

Okay.

We can wait until later to do the second exam.

So, what happens next?

We will repeat the brain death test,

and then we'll take Michelle off the ventilator

to see that she doesn't breathe on her own.

That's the apnea test we talked about.

I don't know if this is the right time to ask,

but I trust your opinion.

Please ask any questions you have.

Michelle wrote out her advanced directives.

She wanted to be sure that everything was set up for Liam.

And she was very clear that she wanted to be an organ donor.

It was important to her.

It's-- It's too early to be discussing donation, Shauna.

Professionally, I'd advise we hold off until the second--

Van. Van.

Please.

I need to hear what Michelle's doctor thinks.

An EEG, Van?

Well, I'm grasping at straws, but I have to try.

If I don't, how else will Liam know

that I did everything I could to try and save his mom?

You want company?

I'm good. Thanks, though.

We obviously have a lot to discuss,

but today Van is our priority.

Nothing else matters.

Do you understand? - I completely agree.

So, you are aware that he's putting EEGs on a dead person?

Yes, I am aware, Dr. Porter.

And it won't change the outcome for Michelle,

but it may change the outcome for Van,

so let's let him have his process, okay?

I get it.

Grief looks different for every person.

I wouldn't wish that loss on my worst enemy.

Have you asked him about his mirror touch?

I mean, surely he would--

Hey!

Ask me about my mirror touch now, bitch.

'Cause I know that hurt.

Hey. Hey.

Ah. Dr. Wolf, this is Rachel.

She's a family friend. And a rabbi.

It's nice to meet you. Shauna filled me in.

I'd like to offer spiritual guidance however I can.

Michelle isn't religious.

Can I ask who won?

Oh, no, Rabbi.

When it comes to violence, nobody ever wins.

It was a lapse in judgment,

But Van knows he's better than that.

Can I interest anyone in a smoke, hmm?

This is a non-smoking hospital, Rabbi.

Pretty sure most hospitals are.

Oh. Figures.

You can get away with so much more in Hoboken.

Should we take this chat outside?

In my experience, a smoke break

makes hard talks a little easier.

Hoboken...

New Jersey has religious exemption for brain death.

Michelle can't be declared dead

if we claim it goes against her religious views.

You just said Michelle isn't religious.

Religious exemption? Is this true?

That law was created out of respect for religious beliefs.

It would be unethical and highly disrespectful

to use it as a loophole.

I think the rabbi has a point, Van.

But what we can do in this moment is breathe

and listen to each other and join together in prayer.

It could be very powerful.

Nic, there's somebody I'd like you to meet.

This is Dr. Jacob Nash.

Before he was a neurologist, he competed D1--

Dude, my dad went to Notre Dame.

"Nash The Smash" is a legend in our household.

- "Nash The Smash?" - God, man.

That was the one nickname I was glad to retire.

If it makes you feel any better,

my nickname is way worse.

My teammates call me The Joker.

Like the villain.

I can't help but lose my mind

anytime things get intense-- or violent.

If I ever went against somebody named Joker, I'd be shook.

You ever got in one of your opponents' faces

and was just like

"Why so serious?"

Nic, what are you feeling right now?

I don't know. I-I meant to laugh.

Can you tell us how you feel about the car accident?

I feel horrible.

I-- I--

I hear the other driver isn't gonna make it.

I tried to brake,

but it was raining,

and the roads were ice

and I didn't see her.

I can't go to jail.

It's okay. It's okay.

No one's blaming you.

Let's practice grounding.

Just breathe.

Okay.

I think I know what it is.

In the movie, Joaquin's Joker has Pseudobulbar Affect.

His feelings were sound. His reactions are the thing

that were out of sync, like Nic.

And how do you know that?

My incredible neuropsych mentors

taught me how to think outside the box...

and Reddit.

His nickname is The Joker.

So the accident didn't cause this.

It's unlikely,

especially since no damage showed up in the scan.

The cause could be more insidious.

- Mm-hmm. - ALS, MS,

a traumatic brain injury. - Mm-hmm. Concussions.

Too many head shots or hits from playing rough.

So his emotional incontinence is from hockey,

not the accident. - Bingo.

It's rare, so we'll need an MRI and PBA exam, but--

There is hope.

Well done, Dr. Nash.

We are really losing a good one with Nash.

Mm.

You think you can sway him? - Oh, one can only hope.

I could use all the allies I can get around here.

Dr. Porter's speech was about me at the gala.

I'm the doctor who treated his mother.

The woman you told me about at Halloween?

The one who haunts you? - Elizabeth Asher.

When I tried to apologize, he told me

what I did caused his father to drink himself to death.

He blames me for ruining his life,

and he came here to return the favor.

You say you cared about his mom, right?

Now, how do you think she would feel

if she knew her son was hurting this bad 20 years later?

Okay, fine.

I'll keep trying for her.

Anything else you want to talk about?

Well, I already told you I was fixing my bike.

On days like today, we're all hurting.

Even Charlie.

I have a good friend who's an even better therapist--

Dr. Rosenthal.

Mm.

Charlie doesn't really strike me as the therapy type,

but be my guest.

I was talking about you, Wolf.

The deeper you bury something,

the harder it'll fight to come out.

There was a case study in med school

about a woman who was misdiagnosed with depression

for years till they figured out it was Pseudobulbar Affect.

Nice catch.

Thanks.

Nic's a good kid. I feel for him.

Can't be easy having a condition like a Batman villain.

Well, I have the same disposition

as another Batman villain, and yet Dana

still won't let us get a cat.

But I fully support your right to wear a Lycra bodysuit.

Now, see, I can get behind that.

Halle Berry, Hallelujah.

Oh, my God.

I'm taking Michelle to New Jersey.

Okay.

Um, but why? And how?

New Jersey has a religious exemption for brain death.

And I don't know the how yet.

That's why I'm looping in the Fantastic Four.

Can we borrow Katie's ambulance?

I don't think borrowing ambulances is a thing.

But I can ask.

All right, Van, slow down.

You're not thinking straight. This could get us all fired.

What do you care? You're leaving?

Look, I'm getting Michelle out of here

before Wolf can perform a second brain death test.

If you want to help, this is your chance.

Is it just me, or does that uniform

really bring out your eyes?

It's because I'm a deep autumn.

- Mmm. - What do you want, babe?

What, a girl can't pay her girlfriend a compliment

without an ulterior motive? - Not mine.

Van wants to take Michelle to New Jersey,

and obviously an ambulance is the safest way.

That sounds just a tad illegal.

What happened to your rule-breaking spirit, Rodriguez?

There is no way that you would be this reckless.

Uh...

You're banking on me saying no, aren't you?

So that you can tell Van that you tried?

What would you do if I said yes?

I would say, "Thank you.

Let's go to New Jersey."

A sentence I rarely utter with such enthusiasm.

But, honestly, Van is desperate.

And maybe this is just a way of postponing the inevitable,

but he needs to know that we are here for him.

I wish I could help, but I can't.

Sorry, Dana. My hands are tied.

Thank you for coming in, Mr. and Mrs. Bozic.

We've diagnosed your son with a neurological form

of emotional incontinence

which causes him to have a reaction

contrary to what he's actually feeling.

It's called Pseudobulbar Affect.

You remember when I was grounded

for cracking up at Nana's funeral?

Well, we always thought you had a--

a strange sense of humor.

Undiagnosed concussions from playing hockey

are the culprit.

It'll take some time, but with SSRIs,

mood stabilizers, coupled with therapy,

he can regain control over his emotions.

Another silver lining is that we've ruled out

negligence for driving under the influence.

The accident was deemed no fault due to the weather.

Thank you for not writing me off.

Could you give this letter to the other driver's family?

I, uh...

I wanted to tell them I was sorry in person,

but any time I'd think about it, I'd laugh.

By the time I'd written it down, it was too late.

The doctors had already put her in the ambulance.

Ambulance?

Nic, can you tell us exactly what you saw?

Okay, so, since we have

no accepting hospital on the other side,

I guess we'll just find the nearest E.D.

when we cross state lines.

Unit 242, what's your location?

Please respond. - Um...

Nice.

What a mess we're in.

Wolf taught us well.

So then what's this about you leaving?

And when were you gonna tell me?

Because it didn't seem to come up when we were kissing.

Look, I was gonna tell you, but then you kissed me,

and I gotta be real with you, Kinney.

I'd been waiting a long time for that to happen.

But, uh...

It's a sports clinic in Dallas.

And, uh...

Your dream.

I'm really, really happy for you.

And really, really sad for us.

You know, Wolf tried to convince me to stay.

A part of me was hoping he would.

Well, he can't do that.

As much as he wants to.

As much as he'll miss you.

As much as he might wonder

what would have happened if you'd stayed.

We can't ask people to stay

because then what if they resent us if they do?

Neuro's really gonna miss you, Jacob.

And I'm really gonna miss Neuro.

Is it okay if I talk to her?

You know, in case she can hear me?

I keep thinking about the day Liam was born.

You were so angry at me 'cause I could barely handle

being in the delivery room.

I just couldn't explain to you

that I could literally feel your pain.

It didn't help that you waited six hours to get the epidural.

The whole time, I was holding your hand,

blown away by how calm you were.

You remember what you said to me when they put Liam in your arms?

You said, "I wish I could live forever

so I could see his whole life."

He's still so little.

He needs you.

We need you.

Please don't leave us, Michelle.

Oh, my God, Van.

Jacob! Turn the ambulance around!

She's alive!

Hey. Hey, Michelle.

You're okay You're okay. You're okay.

Oh!

♪ You sleep ♪

♪ But your soul ♪

♪ Your soul ain't sound ♪

She's awake.

- You never gave up. - ♪ You scream ♪

♪ 'Cause you know it's a long way down ♪

- Mommy! - Hi, honey!

Ooh!

Hi.

Ah. Mommy was in an accident,

but everything's okay now.

By the power vested in me,

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Van, you may now kiss your bride.

♪ Please ♪

♪ Tell somebody ♪

She's never coming back, is she?

Tell Jacob to turn the car around.

Hey, Jacob, we can turn around.

Let's head back to Bronx General.

And now we wait 10 minutes.

Thank you.

Her carbon dioxide climbed above 70.

There were no spontaneous breaths.

Time of death-- 2:11 p.m.

I love you.

Is it that good?

I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now.

And I'm sorry for what I said earlier.

It was, uh, thoughtless.

But I do have to say something.

I was Liam.

When you lose a parent at a young age, it's confusing.

Everyone showers you with attention and gifts.

They're sad,

and they're trying to be so happy around you.

Honestly, I didn't really fully grasp

the reality of it until my dad died, too.

But the-- the point is,

dying of a broken heart is not as romantic as it sounds.

Don't give up.

Liam needs you now more than ever.

Don't let him lose you both.

Unless you, uh, want Liam to turn out like me.

No, that's my bite, Sharkie.

Come on. Sharkie, I want my bike.

I don't want Sharkie to have it.

Hey, kiddo.

I know everything didn't happen

the way you and Michelle wanted it to,

or the way I wanted it to for that matter.

But she always said what an amazing dad you are.

You don't have to say all that, Shauna.

She'd want you to know.

She told me that every time Liam looked up at you,

she'd fall for you all over again.

I'm glad she had you.

I'm glad Liam has you.

Thank you.

Wow.

It was Liam's idea.

He wanted to do it for his mom.

Oh, that's beautiful, buddy.

Yeah, she would have loved it.

Hey. Can I tell you something?

So before Mommy died,

she said that if anything were to ever happen to her,

she wanted to help people who were very sick.

So we're going to do something called an honor walk.

It's very special.

It's for people like Mommy who are so brave

and chose to help others. Okay?

- Mm-hmm. - Yeah?

All right. Yeah.

This is great. Look at these jellyfish.

Did you do this one? - Yeah.

You can tell because it's your favorite color.

Great.

Wow.

♪ Tell somebody ♪

♪ Tell somebody ♪

♪ Tell somebody ♪

The stolen ambulance wasn't reported,

so it's not on your records.

You have Katie to thank for that.

Well, luckily, you only made it a few miles.

Dr. Wolf I've been thinking,

and I need to step away from the department.

Of course. Take as much time as you need.

Two weeks, a month?

I was thinking longer than that.

I need to be there for Liam.

I don't know when I'll be back.

Well, we need you.

Dr. Markus, you have a gift.

I always thought my mirror touch

would make me a better doctor,

that it was my purpose.

But I was wrong.

I need it to be a better dad.

Well, if I were in your shoes, I would stay.

Work can be a stabilizing force.

Don't cut yourself off from that.

I'm not you, Dr. Wolf.

I need time for myself and my family.

I understand.

How about you, Nash? Can I convince you to stay?

When I got injured, doctors were in

and out of the room telling me what was best for me.

No one ever took the time to get to know me.

Not the way you take the time to get to know your patients.

I want to give athletes

the kind of care you taught me every patient deserves,

the kind of care I wish I got when I was a kid.

I've gotta go.

Okay.

I don't start for a couple of months,

so I'm gonna help Van and Liam for a while.

Well... Bronx General will miss you.

I'll miss you.

My door is always open.

Wolf pack forever?

Don't be alarmed. I know Noah.

I know.

I knew we'd meet sooner or later.

Who are you?

Sofia.

You look just like him, Oliver.

Greg, move your head.