Original subtitles

Last week on St Elsewhere:

This is my wife! If you want me out of this room, arrest me again!

Joan Halloran, the new city Health Services Advisor.

What are you doing in here without scrubs on?

I'm sorry I called so late last night, but...

Don't be silly. If there's a problem,

the best solution is for us to find out.

I've only got two options.

I can let her die or do a heart transplant.

Tonight on St Elsewhere:

♪ Twinkle, twinkle, little star. ♪

Ehrlich, I am not choosing a resident for this transplant on his ability

to stand around looking stupid!

You don't know who Dr Caldwell is?

Why, these are great hands for a plastic surgeon.

God.

You know, getting kicked out of a residency

is a pretty high price for a doctor to pay these days.

As far as I'm concerned, you got what you paid for.

Jesus!

Honey?

'Elliot, where are you?'

Elliot? Elliot.

Yes, sir?

Come here.

What are you doing in there? Dissecting her?

Well, no.

Actually, I misplaced my stethoscope.

This is an emergency room, Elliot, OK?

You've got to be thorough but fast. Follow me.

This is Mr Yates.

He sprinkled his cornflakes with angel dust this morning.

So hurry up with bed one and he's all yours.

Is there anything I should, like, concentrate on during the exam?

No, we don't know anything about him. Do a full exam and report back to me.

(INTERCOM) 'Mr Rennelli to physical therapy.

'Mr J Rennelli to physical therapy.'

Wow, did you pass your driving test

or did they flunk you for the good of the Commonwealth?

Didn't stay. Line was too long.

Found this great doughnut shop next door. Cute waitress, too.

You're supposed to be here 30 minutes ago.

I have 12 patients to see before rounds. Have a little consideration.

If you look in the on-call room,

there's a bag with two delicious crawlers in it just for you.

I don't forget who my friends are, OK?

OK. Do you need any help with her, otherwise I'm going to go?

No, I'm going to go to x-ray and call plastics.

Wait a minute. Don't tell me Wayne The Insane is chickening out?

You know I'd love to sew it up,

but she's young, she's a girl, it's her face. You know.

Besides, I can always inflict myself upon her later.

Dr Eric. >

Victor.

Victor, yes.

Mr Yates, on that full exam...

Er, do I have to do a rectal?

Yes, Elliot. Everyone gets a rectal.

OK, I'll remember that.

Good.

Elliot, when you do the rectal, use a glove.

I guess it's too late to go to law school, huh?

Yeah.

(INTERCOM) 'Nurse Daniels to nurse's station four west.'

Dr Westphall.

Hello, Barry.

Hi. Lisa told me where I could find you. May I walk with you?

Sure.

I've been thinking a lot these last two weeks

about my dismissal from the residency programme.

And I've decided to appeal my case.

What do you think about that?

Well, you're certainly entitled to an appeal.

I thought I'd get one or two people

to change their valuations, like Dr Cavanero, for example.

Do you think that would help?

Really can't say, Barry.

You know, your evaluation was based on an entire year,

not just one or two rotations.

Yeah, but when I was in gastroenterology,

Dr Cavanero really came down hard on me.

If I can get her to change her evaluation,

the review committee might reconsider its vote.

Maybe, but in the meantime, you ought to look

for another residency programme.

I'm still willing to help you, Barry.

The longer you put it off, the tougher it's going to be.

With all due respect, Dr Westphall, I appreciate your offer.

But if there's any chance at all,

I'd like a certificate of residency from St Eligius on my record.

Nobody can blame you for that.

Thanks a lot. I'll let you know how it goes.

OK.

♪ Twinkle, twinkle, little star. ♪

(TRIES TO REPEAT)

Honey -

♪ Twinkle, twinkle, little star. ♪

(TRIES TO REPEAT)

Honey, twinkle.

Twinkle.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Hello, Dr Morrison.

Morning. Is the singing helping?

Yeah, it was a good idea.

Her pronunciation's getting better and her voice is getting stronger.

Good.

How are you feeling?

(TRIES TO SPEAK)

Hard... week.

How come?

Singing.

Can you squeeze my fingers?

How about this one?

Not yet?

It's OK.

How about your feet?

We've been working on that. They're getting stronger.

Can you move it from me?

Huh? Come on.

A little bit.

That's OK. That's good.

Your progress is amazing.

A... maz... ing.

You ought to get another CATscan, doctor, see if the swelling around the brain has gone down.

You sound more and more like a neurologist.

You haven't been out of this room in a week.

Don't you want to take a walk around the block or something?

No, no.

When she walks out of here, I walk out of here. Right, honey?

(MISPRONOUNCES "RIGHT")

Right. Right!

Right.

That's better.

What else is on the programme, doctor?

Well, in a few minutes,

you've both got a meeting with Dr Condon from occupational therapy.

Then we'll send you down to physical therapy

to improve on your motor skills.

And what do I do then?

Well, there's a meeting for stroke patient families at 11.

It's about the kinds of things you'll need to have once Fran goes home.

Can we see the nutritionist today?

You can't see her until tomorrow.

OK, what else?

Mr Singleton, that's enough for one day.

Listen, the sooner she's better, the sooner I'm out of your hair.

Can you believe this guy?

I...

like...

him.

Me too.

See you later.

OK.

Back to work.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star...

Come on.

Twinkle...

Come on. Twinkle, little star...

'Dr Chandler, please see the cashier.

'Dr Philip Chandler to the cashier.'

Mr Sirkin.

I'm going for my X-ray now.

Good. Strictly routine.

We get them from all bypass patients before they go home.

I expect to release you tomorrow as planned.

Sounds fine to me.

Who has Mr Sirkin?

I do, sir.

What was his body fluid this morning?

Um, I don't know, sir.

Why not?

I was helping in the ER and I didn't have a chance to see his chart.

Were his lungs clearer?

I don't know. I didn't get to examine him either.

I suppose as he's going home tomorrow,

there's no need to check on him today?

That's not what I mean.

Next time, see your patients before rounds, or don't bother to show up.

LIFT BEEPS

Tell her to come back in two days for a wound check

and not to wash it until then.

(SPEAKS IN JAPANESE)

Well, I'm glad we called for reinforcements.

Yeah, the alignment's almost perfect.

What do you mean almost?

Do you always use interrupteds?

Yeah. I think if you use continuous sutures, you get in more trouble.

Of course, plenty of people would probably say,

"What the hell does he know?"

I doubt it.

Now you've seen me do one, you can do the next.

I wish. I love plastics, I just don't have the hands for it.

Let me see those.

Why, those are great hands for a plastic surgeon.

God!

My best friend from residency used that line to propose to his wife.

I do, I do!

Excuse me, but the mother wants to know your name.

Sure. It's Dr Caldwell.

C-A-L-D-W-E-L-L.

Unless there's a scar, and then it's, uh... Fiscus.

(LAUGHS)

Good work, guys.

Thanks. Come again.

Great hands(!) Is that corny or is that corny?

You should be so corny!

Man, my feet. I've got to sit.

What's your problem?

I need to go to the bathroom.

How come women have so much trouble controlling their bladders?

There's something pressing down called the uterus.

Maybe you've heard of it(?)

Heard of it? Babe, I've seen it.

Shirley was right. You're a pig, Ehrlich.

So there's really nothing more we can do

in terms of just giving you medicine, Eve.

What you need is a new heart muscle,

a new pump.

In other words, a new heart.

The old one still has its good points.

You can trust they won't be disturbed.

What are my chances of surviving the surgery?

Very good. You have two important things in your favour.

One is that, other than your heart, you're basically in good shape.

Second, you're relatively young.

Isn't he charming?

When you talk like that, you know my heart is yours.

I guess we really don't have much choice.

You always have a choice.

Now, do you want more time to think about things?

No, let's do it.

The sooner the better.

OK. I'm going to want some other doctors to see you,

just to make sure you're in the best possible shape for the operation.

I also want to move you to a special sterilised room

to minimise the chance of you picking up an infection.

With my luck, I'll get the transplant,

walk outside and get hit by an ambulance.

Eve...

We've been here far too long.

I think my feet are numb.

This is ridiculous. After four hours of rounds?

This has nothing to do with medicine, nothing.

I can't hold it any longer.

Sorry, sir, my feet hurt.

Oh, I see. Your feet hurt.

I suppose if you become a surgeon, you'll tell all your patients

to expect you to sit down during their surgery

whenever your feet hurt.

No, sir.

Ehrlich, do you know the utility room on the surgical floor?

Of course.

There is a chair in there.

Before I do this heart transplant, I want you sitting in it,

because I don't want to be distracted

by the thought that your feet might hurt. Is that clear?

Yes, sir.

Kiley, I want a full copy of tissue typing on my desk in an hour.

Yes, sir.

Menzies, tell Pulmonary, they need to evaluate her lungs.

Wade, talk to Dietary. Find out every meal they plan to give Mrs Leighton.

Where the hell is Jacobson?

He got beeped.

What are you standing around for? Let's go!

Ehrlich. Yes.

Go down to cardiology, bring me all her angiograms,

if you think you can handle that.

MONITOR BEEPS

What's the BP?

Still holding around 95.

Dr Cavanero?

Let's send him to ICU and put in a chest tube.

OK. I'll get a bed.

I'll get it.

How have you been, Barry?

Not so good. But I'm appealing my dismissal

and I wanted to talk to you about my gastro evaluation...

Listen, I'm sorry you got kicked out

but I don't think I said anything in your evaluation that was unfair.

You weren't unfair, but some of what you said was harsh.

Barry, I don't...

Do you think we could talk a little later? It's very important to me.

All right.

After lunch.

Thanks.

Thanks very much.

So, in the last two weekends of the city health awareness Expo,

you'll be there both Saturdays 8-4

and then noon to 3 on the closing Sunday.

I said I'd do it.

You heard him.

Is that all?

I think so.

Oh, that television interview about the transplant is tonight at 10.

Tonight?!

I told you it would be some time this week.

How about a little notice, for Pete's sake?

I just got the patient to sign a consent form!

My understanding is you have to be ready to operate at any time,

as soon as a heart is available, right? I mean, any minute.

At any second.

Seems to me anyone who can perform open-heart surgery

on a moment's notice can certainly answer a few questions

on a local newscast.

Certainly.

Good.

Well, I think that takes care of everything.

Don't forget our meeting about the outpatient surgery clinic later.

How could I?

Have a nice day.

You too.

It's women like that that give the X chromosome a bad name.

Come on, one more time.

Hard...

I know it's hard. Raise your leg one more time. One last time.

Come on. Push it!

Much.

No, it's not too much. Push it, sweetie, push!

Raise your leg. Come on. Get it off the bed.

Up, up, up!

You can do it. Up!

Push it. Hit my hand. Hit my hand.

There you go, terrific!

Terrific. You'll be walking by tomorrow.

Lunch.

Ah, about time you got here.

I'm sorry. When shift changes around here, things get so screwed up.

Yeah? I thought you people would've worked that out by now.

I run a business, certainly not as crucial as what you people do

and I don't have any trouble with lateness.

Jerry, please...

You can go now. I can take care of this.

Mmm! Looks good.

What do you want to start with, honey?

Milk.

Milk? OK.

Go get it.

Come on.

Jer...

You can do it.

Doesn't help if I get it for you. Come on.

Good, good. Open your fingers.

Open them, open them, open them!

There you go. That's it. Good.

You got it, you got it.

Terrific. Terrific!

There you go.

Good girl, good girl.

Hey!

(LAUGHS)

Helen. Make sure everyone knows.

Mrs Leighton's room is under full isolation precautions, and if...

Yes, I know. If there are any problems at all,

call you immediately.

Right.

Mark?

Does Mrs Leighton really need to be in isolation?

She's a compromised host. She's had a temperature spike.

Any infection would delay surgery.

If I get a heart, I want my patient to be as ready as I am.

I think you're putting both of you under tremendous pressure.

Daniel, I'm a surgeon. I thrive on pressure.

If you'd like to take your mind off things for a while,

I've got a court reserved at six.

Can't. I've got this meeting with that Halloran woman.

She wants to close the outpatient surgical clinic.

I've got to be there to put up a stink.

Why not get somebody to take your place?

With your transplant preparations

and the interview tonight, you've got enough to concern you.

Yeah.

Isn't there some young surgeon

eager to make his way into the world of hospital politics

while we engage in combat on the tennis court?

You still play singles, don't you?

You haven't got a prayer.

Dr Craig here.

Get me Dr Robert Caldwell.

Hi.

Hi.

Well, how did it go?

Not so good.

Westphall was friendly, but noncommittal

and it was all I could do to get Cavanero to agree to meet with me,

let alone change her recommendation.

Yeah, well, she can be pretty inflexible.

Inflexible? She wouldn't breathe

if there was a rule against it in the residents' handbook.

You know, even if she changes her mind,

it may not help. I mean, she is only one vote.

Maybe you should forget about St Eligius.

Try for a fresh start someplace else.

Where? What country?

If they kick me out of here,

I'm going to have a real rough time getting another internship.

Cavanero's my last shot.

Barry, I don't know what to tell you.

Listen, I know I did a lousy job in her service

but I was under tremendous pressure.

You know that.

Yeah, you were in pretty rough shape

but nobody can abuse themselves the way you did and not have it show.

What can I do to help?

You can talk to Cavanero and explain things.

At least if it's coming from you, it won't sound like a bunch of excuses.

OK, I'll do what I can.

Thanks.

I'm not as good as straightening out administrative affairs

as I am at straightening out noses.

I didn't bring you to St Eligius just to do facelifts

and ski Vermont on the weekend.

The sooner you get your feet wet, the better.

Here I am.

Don't get up. You said this would only take a minute.

I wanted you to meet Dr Caldwell here

since he'll be taking my place at the meeting.

Dr Caldwell, Joan Halloran.

Hello.

Robert, hello.

I saw your picture in the hospital news.

Oh, they just did that because I'm new here.

How did I look?

Oh, fine.

Dr Caldwell is our newest plastic surgeon.

I personally brought him here from Duke.

She's involved in funding the outpatients clinics

so she knows all there is to know about plastic surgery.

All I know is, we're spending too much money down there.

In case you haven't guessed,

this meeting is supposed to be a confrontation.

I warned you.

How about it, Miss Halloran? Let's settle it right here.

Best two out of three falls.

Well, I'm afraid you're out of my weight class.

Nice to meet you.

It was nice to meet you.

There you go.

Thank you.

(LAUGHS)

That line about two out of three falls,

I could barely keep a straight face.

I think you're going to cut that woman down to size.

Any last-minute advice?

It's going to get nasty. Wear a protective cup.

I like the technical aspects of surgery

but this competitive atmosphere, it's just not for me

and it's ten times worse with this transplant.

Heard you got killed during rounds.

What are you doing now, Ms Bladder? Public broadcasting?

I was late because of you, Fiscus.

I'm sorry. Why not go up to paediatrics and punch out a few kids?

Thanks for the suggestion.

Victor, you take things so seriously.

Big deal if you don't get to do the heart transplant.

What's the worst that can happen?

The worst? OK.

I'll be so upset my work will deteriorate.

I'll get thrown out of the residency

and I'll wind up in some diet clinic passing out amphetamines.

But at least we'll always have Paris.

How's it look?

He's got a little subcutaneous air, which is OK,

but look at all that tumour.

Oh. What about the tube?

The tube's all right. Unfortunately, the patient isn't.

He's probably going to die tonight, Phil.

We shouldn't have transferred him to ICU.

We should have left him on the floor and... let him go.

It's bad form to let your patient die of a pneumothorax.

All right. Hi, Wendy.

Phil. Annie, can I talk to you?

Sure.

Oh.

Um, listen... Barry Dorn spoke to me this morning.

You too?

I'm sure you evaluated him fairly.

There were other things happening while he was on your service

and I thought you should know.

I can't imagine.

A girl he was going with had a nervous breakdown.

A girl? He went through half the Gastro floor.

In fact, I was doing endoscopy when the lab-tec and the secretary

discovered he was sleeping with both of them.

Listen, Annie, all I'm saying is that his work may not have been up to par

because he was under a lot of pressure.

Well, it was all self-inflicted.

People make mistakes.

When it comes to being a doctor, there's no room for his kind

of mistakes. His exams were sloppy, his orders were haphazard.

His attendance at lectures was atrocious. Everybody knows that.

Why do you have to be such a hard-ass?

Let's face it, Wendy.

The only reason you're defending Barry is because you slept with him.

I resent that!

What I meant was...

At least I have feelings for the men I make love with.

What you put me through, Frannie! What you put me through!

A guy like me, buying fashion magazines!

You're doing it all wrong.

Hi, Dad.

It's too slow, it's too slow. Your mother's way past that point.

Dad, she's tired.

I know she's tired. We're all tired.

Like this. If you're going to do it, do it right.

You know, nothing ever changes you. Not even this.

You've been negative about your mother's recovery since the word go.

I have not.

What's the problem, here?

Why don't you ask him?

You're negative, you're arrogant, and you're selfish!

Mr Singleton, take this outside.

Get out of here, mind your own business!

Just forget it, OK?

Hey, I didn't even do anything!

You know how physically debilitated your mother is.

It's had the same effect on your father, emotionally.

Dr Morrison, if you buy that line,

then he's really got you snowed.

The only thing he cares about is being the center of attention.

If my mother just happens to get better, that's OK too.

All I care about is your mother getting better.

I know your father's difficult, but that's because he cares.

If you can't keep from fighting with him,

don't come to the hospital when he's here.

Fine.

OK!

Oh, you think she's a finicky eater?

I realise that you dieticians spend a whole two or three months

studying the science of eating.

But Eve Leighton has to be well nourished

at the time of her transplant.

What? Cater the food in from Locke-Ober's!

This is one patient that's going into surgery

in positive nitrogen balance.

Ehrlich, what is this?

The angiogram films on Eve Leighton, sir.

I asked you to bring me her films,

not the entire cardiology department!

Well, I know that, sir.

But they were on the machine and I couldn't get them off.

So I brought the whole thing.

Ehrlich, I am not choosing a resident for this transplant

on his ability to stand around looking stupid!

KNOCKING ON DOOR

What?!

Mrs Leighton's tissue typing, sir.

Ehrlich, don't you know how to do this?

I have been a boxer, a soldier and a heart surgeon, Ehrlich.

I have managed to conquer most of life's most dreaded fears.

But the thought that one day, some unsuspecting person

may actually put his life in your hands.

Really squeezes my adrenals.

Yes, sir.

Would you be careful, please?

Treacherous things, those pails.

It isn't my fault, Dr Auschlander. I did the best I could.

I was number one in my class.

I got THE highest score in the surgery section of the boards.

I spent hours sewing chicken breasts together, perfecting my knots.

My hands still smell like chicken!

I believe you.

Listen, I didn't have time to learn about audiovisual aids.

In fact, I can't stand audiovisual aids.

Since high school, I've despised kids

who worked for extra credit, with their mindless smiles

and keys dangling on their belts.

Now it's all come back to haunt me.

Instead of assisting Dr Craig in the transplant,

I'm going to be changing a colostomy bag.

All because I couldn't thread the projector!

And you know something? It's not fair! Am I right or am I wrong?

Undoubtedly.

Really? Do you really mean that?

Absolutely.

That's fantastic. I appreciate that. I was thinking nobody understood me.

I was all crazy, here in my little cosmic crisis.

And then you came along. Thanks, Dr Auschlander.

Do you think your evaluation was fair?

It ticked me off, the way he let his personal life

interfere with his profession.

You know, when I was in med school,

the chief of surgery, Ernest Rockenmier,

accused me of the very same thing. He was a terror, this guy.

He used to hold these vicious interrogations, you know?

If you got any questions wrong, he really came down hard on you.

If you got them all right, he'd make you take call.

What a nice reward(!)

Which he offered me the night I decided to ask my wife to marry me.

Just as he was writing my name on the call schedule I said,

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to deny myself that privilege."

It got very quiet.

But I hung in there and I said,

"Sir, I'd be more than happy to make up the call,"

"but tonight I'm going to ask a young lady to marry me."

And without skipping a beat, Rockenmier says,

"Never cross the path of a man headed for hell."

Hm!

Well, I got engaged and I got the second-highest score in surgery.

So, what you're saying is medicine is wonderful,

but don't forget you're also human?

You never know, Annie.

Some night, some fellow might skip call and ask you to marry him.

Doctor, do you have time to talk now?

Sure. But I'm on a pretty tight schedule.

Dr Craig, we're not convinced this transplant is absolutely necessary.

We'd like a second opinion.

Fine.

After all, it is your first, and even if you're right,

what makes you the one to do the operation?

Oh, now we're getting to it.

All right.

One, my years of experience at all the transplant centres

from Palo Alto to Cape Town.

Two, I have the right facilities.

And three, I've already been inside her chest once.

I know it better than anyone else.

Even so, we still want to get another opinion.

Fine. Whom do you have in mind?

A close friend of my wife's was operated on in Philadelphia

by a Dr Waliskof.

Oh, yes. Charlie Waliskof at Rittenhouse Hospital.

You know him?

Very well.

I understand he's one of the best.

He'd better be. I trained him.

I've got it. The chart's right over here.

Elliot?

Elliot, it's OK now. The patient went up to surgery.

I'm so sorry, Dr Fiscus.

I just got so scared when I saw that blood coming out from his chest.

The name is Wayne and it's OK.

I'm embarrassed I got so upset.

Medical school students should be stronger.

Look, Elliot, people get upset down here all the time.

When you see as much carnage as we do, you'd be a zombie if you didn't.

That's why we kid around so much, so we don't go crazy.

I know I'm afraid of this kind of stuff,

that's why I signed up for ER duty.

I wanted to see something really frightening,

so I'd be able to handle it.

Just give yourself some time. When you get a little experience,

you'll realise that nothing is really that frightening.

I don't know.

I've heard of some pretty disgusting stuff.

Give me one.

A friend of mine works the ER at Boston General.

They brought in this woman that got her leg caught

in a motorcycle wheel. He went in to check on her, pulled up the sheet...

Her foot was sitting on her chest. Urgh.

A severed limb is no big deal.

You just pop in an IV, pack the foot in ice

and support the blood pressure till the surgeon gets there.

Wow. You make it sound so simple.

It is.

It's got to be for a dummy like me to learn it.

Look, Elliot, there's just a few basic rules you have to know

and I'm going to teach them to you, OK?

Gunshots, stabbings, fires, car wrecks, none of that is scary stuff.

Really?

Really.

You promise?

I promise.

What is scary?

What is scary?

Scary is when you wake up in the morning

and it burns when you urinate.

Ohhhh!

(ON TV) 'Why should taxpayers' money be spent on a statistically'

unsuccessful operation that requires

unusually demanding surgical technique?

The problem with most heart transplants

is not surgical technique, but tissue rejection...

TV CONTINUES IN BACKGROUND

Hand me the soap.

Now, isn't this better than watching Craig get interviewed?

You didn't tell me he brought you up here from Duke University personally.

Well, I did most of the driving.

Oh.

You did a nice job at the meeting.

I especially liked that noble offer to go to the health expo,

seeing as how I'm dragging you with me anyway.

No-one else knew that.

I was hoping for a few sympathy votes.

Believe me, it was the hair transplant line

that won you the room.

You managed to keep the clinic open two days a week

and be Craig's fair-haired boy.

Think it was wise to pretend we didn't know each other?

You want to give them the sordid details of the past year?

Shuttling back and forth between Boston and North Carolina.

Maybe I'll just let them read my diary.

What diary?

Well, I kind of like to keep a record of everyone I've worked on.

Oh.

Listen, since I'm not really in the market for follicle plugs,

you see anything that needs correcting?

A couple of toes are pretty crooked.

No way you're giving me a toe job.

(THEY LAUGH)

MACHINE BEEPS

BEEPS CONTINUOUSLY

Code's over.

Call the time of death 4am.

'Dr Cavanero, fourth floor...'

Will you notify Dr Golder the patient's dead?

Who's paging me at this hour?

Good morning, doctor.

Barry. >

Armstrong told me you're not changing my evaluation,

but I wanted to hear it face-to-face.

The evaluation stands.

You know, getting kicked out of a residency is a pretty high price

for a doctor to pay these days.

As far as I'm concerned, you got what you paid for.

I will now.

(GROANS)

That ought to do it.

Hang on just a sec. Let me put some of this on.

Is it all right for me to sit up now?

Sure. Let me go find something. I'll let you take a look at it.

So, let's see how you did.

At least she sewed the right lip.

I'm going to sue that Barry Dorn SOB.

I'd like to smack him in the head with a two-by-four.

Oh, I think it gives you character.

Best I could do.

Annie, I don't know what to say.

I'm really sorry, I feel terrible.

It's not your fault.

I encouraged him to talk to you.

I feel sick about the whole thing.

Forget about it.

I bet you're happy. Now you have an excuse to talk to Dr Caldwell.

Who's Dr Caldwell?

You don't know who Dr Caldwell is?

Maybe we ought to keep him to ourselves.

He's this new plastic surgeon and he is primo.

Oh, really?

Mm-hm.

Think he'd go for a woman who can take a punch?

(LAUGHS)

(GROANS)

Sometimes I think it's a lost cause.

What is?

Relax, Claire. These test papers...

Poor Vinnie Belmont. No matter how hard he tries,

he can't seem to remember the first thing about the American Revolution.

But then again, why should a bunch of 15-year-olds care

who won the Battle of Bunker Hill?

Why should you?

What do you mean?

I went by the school to pick up those tests,

I got a lovely glimpse of the halls. Phoebe, that place is a nightmare.

Claire, you've been saying that for the past 22 years.

Well, look what teaching there has done for you!

First, you had an awful by-pass.

Now, they're going to cut your heart out. Are you trying to tell me...

Oh, boy.

Lie down. You're not supposed to get up.

Why are you trying to give me an anxiety attack?

I didn't mean to upset you.

TRAIN RUMBLING PAST

Does that subway keep you awake?

No, I like it.

Oh, did you check the garden?

Rod covered all the vines with plastic.

Did he water them first?

(LAUGHS) Yes!

Thanks.

When the tomatoes come up next June,

you have first pick.

I guess I'd better get back to the revolution.

I'll see you tomorrow.

No doubt about it.

Here, let me help you with that.

That's all right. I've got it.

Someone needs to talk to my sister.

Why? What's the matter.

She has just agreed to this whole thing much too quickly.

I'm sure Dr Craig gave her all the time she needed to think about it.

I know but she just doesn't talk about the transplant at all.

That worries me. She acts as if nothing has changed...

like she's just going to have a tooth pulled.

Have you told her how you feel?

No!

I'm not good at things like that.

I'll have Dr Westphall talk with her.

You know, I think this kind of situation makes everyone

feel a little apprehensive, but let's focus on the positives, OK?

She'll be fine.

Well, I hope so. Hospitals scare me to death.

I know.

Oh. Thank you.

Here you go.

OK. Time to go.

It sure is.

My driver's on his way.

Great.

Well, this is one trip I'm really going to enjoy.

We're going via Brooklyn

so I can pick up a nice fat piece of cheesecake.

(CHUCKLES)

Look at him! He looks like he's seen a ghost.

You keep eating cheesecake and you'll be one.

Dr Craig...

I wouldn't do anything to mess up the job you guys did.

It was just perfect. It really was.

Well, that's the way we run things around here.

I want you to see your cardiologist next week and me next month.

Thanks for everything. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Oh, er, there is just one thing.

I think perhaps you forgot to remove this stitch here.

I've got a suture set right here.

Sir, do you want us to go on to the next patient?

Rounds are over.

I said rounds are over.

I forgot to tell you, honey.

Dave and Maggie called while you were asleep.

They want to come up and see you this weekend.

Driving up from Philly. They want to know the address of the hospital.

I said don't come here, she's going to be home.

Right?

Let's go for a walk.

Give me your hand.

Hang on. Pull up.

OK.

Now, get your feet on the ground.

Push this down.

There you go. Now stand.

Push up.

Push up. Plant your right foot.

Plant your right foot.

OK. Now put your weight on it.

Stand up.

Get your balance.

OK.

Let me get your robe.

Honey.

(CRIES)

You OK?

You didn't hurt yourself, you just fell down.

Come on. Get up, honey.

(SOBS) No!

Come on, sweetie, let's get up.

Come on.

You're OK, honey.

Come on.

No!

(SOBS)

I'm really glad you saved the clinic.

Even if you did cut the hours.

We reached a mutually satisfying arrangement,

don't you think, Ms Halloran?

Very satisfying.

I'm a good deal more receptive than most people give me credit for.

Now that I'm through with all you doctors and administrators,

I have to go down town and meet with some really important people.

Nurses.

Whatever you do, don't let them strike.

I'd hate to think what would happen if some of the doctors

had to learn how to take care of patients.

Bye.

Bye.

All right, Bobby. I give up. How did you do it?

I was losing hope, I was sure they were going to scrap that clinic.

I didn't do anything special. While everyone was throwing

their weight around, I just tried to get myself in a position

that a mature, professional woman would relate to.

How's that?

On my knees.

I'll see you later.

CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS

Mrs Leighton?

Oh, hello, Dr Westphall.

Wonderful music for a beautiful autumn day.

What more could you ask for?

Ten minutes of your time.

Ten minutes is yours.

What's up?

Well, Mrs Leighton...

as a kidney specialist, I've been involved in a lot of transplants.

If you have any problems, I'd like to talk them through with you.

My only problem is instead of lying around here,

I'd rather be in my classroom dazzling my kids

with Lincoln's words at Gettysburg.

My father was a teacher in Southy.

Then you know what I'm talking about.

I've got a pretty good idea, yeah.

You know, Dad used to say

that teaching was like the fountain of youth.

Exactly.

Just when you think you've seen it all,

a whole new crop of kids comes in wearing safety pins in their noses.

That's what I love about teaching.

Even before my husband died, it added something to my life,

something I couldn't find anywhere else.

That's terrific, it really is.

But you haven't told me how you feel about the transplant.

Well...

I don't care what it takes

or whose heart is pumping blood through my body.

When I get on the T to go to school, I don't care who's driving,

just so long as it doesn't break down.

What if it does break down and you don't make it back to the classroom?

Then I die.

Look, I know there aren't any guarantees but...

I'll do anything to keep living just as long as I can.

Me too.

Well,

that didn't even take ten minutes.

Do me a favour?

Sure thing.

Tell your sister what you just told me.

I will. Right after the next concerto.

OK.

Bye.

How is she?

She wasn't injured in the fall, but emotionally...

She doesn't want to see you.

I'm going in there.

I wouldn't.

Look, if it wasn't for me, she'd be dead by now.

Hi, honey.

You're fine. Just got a little scare, that's all.

Go away.

I know you're upset, you have every reason in the world to be,

but I'm trying to help you. You understand that, don't you?

I don't want your help.

You want to get better?

Not better.

Don't talk like that now.

Mr Singleton, I really don't think now... >

You want to be a vegetable?

You want to end up lying flat on your back in a hospital room

for the rest of your life? Is that what you want?

It's me.

No, it's not you.

Let's get a cup of coffee.

I don't want a cup of coffee.

You shouldn't be saying...

Don't tell me how to talk to my wife!

You're not a quitter, Fran, you never have been

and I am not going to allow you to start becoming one now.

Do you understand that?

I...

hate you.

Help.