Original subtitles

They told me there was no chance of a radiation leak. I'm sure they believed

what they told you. I'll remember that when I'm dying of leukemia. This

radiation thing has to be kept very hush-hush. As far as I'm concerned, the

place should be shut down.

You're asking for a lot of trouble, pal. You're moving into somebody else's

territory. Oh, that's a cop-out. You're looking for excuses.

There are hundreds of people working there. Do you want to put them all out

of work?

It's better than killing them.

If Dr.

Gates gets canned because of your politics, I'll go with him, and I'll

take every doctor on this staff with me.

The earth just moved.

I'll have it fixed.

What time is it?

Early.

Not that early.

Chuck, we're here.

I better get dressed.

Thank you for a beautiful weekend, Dr. Gates.

Thank you, Dr. Taylor.

I've got to get to work.

Mm-hmm.

Me too.

Well, I'll see you tonight.

You've got to get going. You're seeing Linda this morning.

Linda?

The patient I sent over to you with the pulmonary nodule.

Oh, yeah, Linda.

Ran some tomograms on her Friday. She'd know something today.

Gonzo, it's really getting late.

Not that late.

is that the hearse come on come on this is the wrong department for a

hearse yeah will call us in the basement holy melinda gypsies come on

come on papa

Here's your patient.

Bring him over here.

Nicholas Bulgari, our leader and our papa.

What seems to be the problem?

Oh, pain.

Oh, terrible pain.

Let's get him inside.

John, get Uncle Theo.

I told you, Papa, Uncle Theo's at the state fair.

Then take me to him. Better I should be with him. It's terrible.

I can't see. Everybody, come.

Trapper. Welcome back. How was the weekend?

Terrific. We found the most beautiful lake in the world about a hundred miles

from here.

Absolute paradise.

How was the weather?

I don't know. We never got out of the Titanic.

Hmm.

That's understandable.

How long you known each other?

Since medical school. We shared a cadaver in an anatomy lab.

Now, after all these years, here we are again.

Now, when you get back down to Earth, sweetheart, there's a patient waiting to

see you in my office.

Linda Whitman. Oh, right. Valerie sent her over. She's got a nodule in her left

upper lobe.

Well, that's not all.

Take a look at these lab reports.

Her weight count is low.

Lymphocytes are practically nonexistent.

All the symptoms of radiation exposure.

Radiation?

Oh, man. Does she know?

No. And don't tell her until the lab double-checks those blood tests.

We'll be damn sure we're right before we deliver a bulletin like that.

Uh-huh.

A little tender there, are we?

Sorry.

Looks to me as though we have a gallbladder problem here.

Your palm.

Pardon? Your palm.

Oh, doctor.

Oh, you have a very interesting lifeline.

You should live a very long life.

Really? Unless you hurt me again, in which case I will snap you like a twig.

I'm sorry. It's nothing personal. I'm just doing my job as a physician.

Uncle Theo could do it better.

He could cure me with one frog's eyeball.

Frog's eyeball.

Miss Brancusi, I'm admitting Mr. Bulgari. Order a CBC, an amylase, a

liver panel, a gallbladder series.

And a frog's eyeball.

If his insurance covers it.

Yes, sir.

Look in on you later.

You have frog's eyeballs?

No, sir.

But the place down the street delivers.

August 14th. That's when Steve and I are getting married.

Congratulations. That's a great idea.

What about that nodule thing?

It's not going to ruin all our plans, is it? Not if I can help it.

Linda, I'd like to keep you here a little while and run a few more blood

tests, do a needle biopsy.

A biopsy? That's to see if it's... Benign.

And if it isn't?

Then we'll deal with it.

Cancer can be cured, you know, especially if we catch it early.

Linda, how long have you been working at Bay City's power company?

About two years.

Why? Oh, routine stuff at the admitting office.

What sort of work do you do?

I'm a technician for the nuclear reactor division shortstop for women's softball

team You better check in today. This hospital can use a good shortstop.

Oh and one more thing I'm expecting an invitation to your wedding Well, do you

dig soul food?

I hate it.

So do we you invited?

There is no such thing as a little radiation poison I think we should start

immediately

Yes, sir. I want a full-scale inspection for radiation leaks and physicals for

the employees.

Mr. Barton, as long as I'm medical advisor for this company, I expect my

advice to be taken. Now, I want a meeting with you and your staff first

thing tomorrow morning. Thank you.

You drive me crazy with all this bureaucratic nonsense.

Who's Barton?

Director of Operations.

World famous for his perpetual grin and clammy handshake.

Wow. Thank you.

Is this the first radiation case you've had?

Since I've been there.

There may be more, Val.

It might be a good idea to run the employees through the hospital clinic.

No. It's just going to cause panic.

Press gets a hold of this, they're going to treat it like Three Mile Island.

Maybe they should.

Gonzo.

This may be one isolated case.

Look, I can handle Mr. Barton. I can give the physicals quietly and

discreetly. The workers will never know what I'm looking for.

We still have to tell Linda.

They lied to me.

They told me the job was safe.

They told me there was no chance of a radiation leak.

Well, I'm sure they believed what they told you.

Oh, that just makes me feel a lot better. I'll remember that when I'm

dying of leukemia or giving birth to a malformed child.

You're thinking in extremes, Linda.

Those problems are usually the result of prolonged or massive exposure.

Well, what about having children?

Linda, there is a chance, a slim outside chance,

that your problem may cause temporary infertility.

Oh, that's great.

That's just great.

These are our wedding invitations. I've been getting them ready to be mailed.

And what about this thing on my lung?

What about that?

The biopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. Dr. McIntyre will be doing it.

And if you have to operate?

Well, then I won't proceed with any surgery until your blood problem has

been fully evaluated.

I've been rousting around all my life.

I mean, nothing's ever come easy.

Except for this job.

They just hired me on the spot. They didn't even quibble about the pay. And

now I know why.

They couldn't get anybody else to do it, so they had to settle for a patsy like

me.

Do you really believe the Bay Cities wanted you radiated?

Of course not.

It's a big inconvenience for them.

Otherwise, they wouldn't give a damn, and you know it.

Looking on you later.

Mr. Borgari.

Well, I understand that you're getting rid of that nasty old gallbladder

tomorrow. Yeah.

Dr. Hollis will be doing the operation. He's an excellent man, Hollis. Very big

on gallbladders. I want Uncle Theo.

Uncle Theo's still in Fresno.

So bring him down here.

He can't afford the ticket.

Can't afford the ticket.

You're punk.

You have a very strong money line, doctor.

What is that?

I see a great mountain of gold.

Where? Oh,

you are a man of great wealth and influence, doctor.

I have done fairly well with my investments.

So why don't you donate the money for Uncle Theo's fair?

However, all of my capital's tied up right now. I'm not in a liquid position.

You're afraid. You're all afraid of Uncle Theo.

He can do more of it. Get all of your friends to doctors.

Trapper, I've been trying to reach you.

The hospital administrator just called. He wants to see you and Gonzo as soon as

possible.

I told him you were busy in radiology.

He says it's urgent.

Yeah, Gonzo too.

Okay, bye-bye.

Call starch, I assume it was about the radiation case or radiation case No

need to play down with me starch I know all about it after all my father is

chairman of the board.

Look Stanley. I'm busy I Bay City's power company is a major contributor to

our hospital fund.

So this radiation thing has to be kept very hush-hush I'll call like that means

something big is developing. Mm-hmm, and I'll just bet you know all about it

So come on. We're buddies. You can tell me.

Oh, Stanley, excuse me.

I would never be rude to you, but 503 just went to bed again.

Oh,

there you are. Come in, gentlemen. Dr.

McIntyre, Dr.

Gates. It's Mr. Barton of the Bay City's power company. Sorry to disturb you,

doctors. We have a rather delicate matter here. One of our employees, Linda

Whitman by name, filed this medical claim today stating she was a patient

here. And she is. Is she suffering from radiation sickness?

Correct.

Radiation sickness? That's a very serious matter.

Mr. Barton, Linda Whitman is the girl that Dr. Tatum called you about.

Dr. Tatum called me?

Last night. She had a long conversation with you about the whole problem.

Oh, forgive me, Doctor, but I think you're mistaken. I haven't spoken to Dr.

Tatum in days.

Maybe she talked to somebody else. No, she spoke to Mr. Barton. I was standing

right there in her apartment listening to every word she said.

Now, don't tell me you weren't on the line.

I was not.

You're lying.

Gentlemen, please, I'm sure there's an answer to this.

I have absolutely no reason for lying, Doctor. This is the first I've heard of

your radiation case.

Maybe you should talk to Valerie. But I heard her make the call. I was right

there. Talk to her?

I'm terribly sorry about this, Mr. Barton.

So am I.

Believe me, gentlemen, Valerie Tatum did not call me.

It was you, wasn't it?

I'm beginning to wonder.

It doesn't make any sense, Val. Why would he lie about a thing like that? Do

you want some coffee or drink? No, thanks.

I know why.

See, there were two other cases of radiation before Linda.

About six months ago, both from the same department.

You told me she was the first.

I know. I didn't want you to find out. I was afraid you'd get so angry you'd burn

down the power plant or something. Oh, come on, Val.

It's true, Gonzo. I know how you get when you're on a crusade.

Anyway, I found out about the cases, I went to Barton, and he promised to make

sure it'd never happen again.

But it did happen again.

Exactly, and that's why he's scared.

And it's safer to claim ignorance and admit negligence, and I'm not going to

let him get away with it. Okay, get dressed. Let's confront him right now.

No, there's a better way, much more effective. I'll simply go right over his

head, right to the president of the company.

Great, I'll go with you.

This calls for a literal...

Tact and diplomacy.

You are going to run in there with bugles blowing and flags flying and

scare the poor man half to death. Maybe that's what he needs.

No.

He's not like Barton. He's a decent, reasonable man, and he'll understand

it's a unique situation.

Will you please stay cool, Dr. Gates, and let me handle this in my own

inimitable fashion.

How are you feeling?

Losing.

This is going to hurt, Doctor.

No, ma'am, we have a rule against that sort of thing around here.

Is Steve here?

He's right outside.

Okay, ready? I'll need... Five cc of 1% lidocaine for the local.

Right, and? A small boar needle for the biopsy.

Let's go, Trapper. We don't have all day.

I love you, kid.

Sixth floor nursing supervisor.

Please call your office.

Sixth floor nursing supervisor.

Call your office.

May I help you? Yeah. Are they still operating on my father?

Oh, no, sir. He's in the recovery room. They'll be bringing him up here shortly.

Radiation poisoning. That looks like pretty heavy stuff.

Who's the patient?

Sorry.

Miss Rothbaum, please report to Chief Nurse's office.

Miss Gretchen Rothbaum, please report to Chief Nurse's office.

I don't think we should mail the invitations yet.

Why not?

They're all addressed and ready to go.

Let's just wait a day or so, until we're sure.

Sure of what?

What are you trying to say, Steve?

Linda, honey, I'm just worried about you.

I mean, with all these things going... Uh-oh.

Bad news, huh? No, not really.

It is a malignant?

We don't know, Linda. The results of the biopsy were inconclusive.

Oh, that's just beautiful.

Well, what do we do now?

Go and take a look.

If it's malignant, we remove it.

Wow, that sounds like major surgery.

Well, at this point, Steve, it's the only answer.

But we're going to wait a few days and evaluate Linda's other problems, make

sure her blood count is where it should be.

No, wait a minute.

Are you saying that you might not operate because of the radiation

problem?

Well, we don't want to take any unnecessary risks.

Yeah, but this thing on my lung could be malignant.

It could be getting worse and worse, and we're going to sit around here and wait?

Well, now, we're not going to wait that long.

Well, what happens if my blood count doesn't do what it's supposed to do?

What then?

You're thinking in extremes again, Linda.

Well, what am I supposed to think?

I mean, what am I supposed to do?

Be thankful to everybody for this glorious opportunity?

Take it easy. No, you take it easy, Steve.

I mean, look at all these things. Look at this.

Candy, and there's flowers.

All from Bay City Power Company.

I suppose I should be thankful to them, too. I mean, if they hadn't poisoned me

with their lousy radiation, I never would have gotten all these lovely

things.

Hi there. I was just leaving.

Not yet.

My father's dying.

No, he's not. I just wanted to look at him. He's doing beautifully.

He thinks he's dying.

That's as bad as death itself.

Not exactly as bad.

What he needs is Uncle Theo.

Really, a gypsy's in you.

Superstitions. This is not a gypsy superstition. This is my father's

superstition, and it should be respected.

I'd like you to arrange for Uncle Theo to come here.

Arrange?

How?

Pay for his plane ticket. Absolutely.

Look at that money line.

Are you going to tell me you can't afford it?

That's not the money.

No,

it's not the money.

This is a modern medical facility. We can't have practitioners of folk

medicine performing weird tricks with frogs and lizards.

What's this?

I see a very beautiful woman in your life.

Really? Where?

But she's very ill.

Suffering from... Can it be?

It is.

Radiation poisoning.

Where did you hear about that? I'm a gypsy.

I hear all sorts of groovy things.

And like a good gypsy, I plan to tell the entire world what I hear. No.

No, you can't. You can't. There's only one person who can stop me.

And he's in Fresno.

You busy?

No, come on in. You want some coffee? No, thanks.

Listen, I've been thinking it over.

I think we should pull the plug on Bay Cities.

How?

Turn the whole story over to the press.

It's about the only way to force them into action.

I thought Valerie was taking care of that.

Well, she's trying, but I know damn well they're going to drag their feet.

And the longer they wait, the more people get exposed.

I had a little meeting this morning with Hornsby.

I suggested the same thing. And?

Well, he wants to proceed cautiously.

Apparently he's getting some pressure from upstairs.

I don't understand it.

Everybody's tiptoeing around, complaining about pressure from

upstairs. Meanwhile, people on that planet are getting radiated.

As far as I'm concerned, the place should be shut down.

I agree.

But I think we should let the boys upstairs make that decision.

Why?

Because we're doctors, not businessmen or politicians.

You're beginning to talk like a politician.

Well, I'm taking it to the newspapers and TV stations. Fine, as long as you're

willing to pay the price.

You're asking for a lot of trouble, pal. You're moving into somebody else's

territory. Oh, that's a cop-out. You're looking for excuses.

You're the last guy in the world I ever expected to say that to.

What in the world are you doing here?

Having my morning coffee.

You want some?

I don't think you came here just for a cup of coffee.

You're right. I came to see you. Come on inside.

Gonzo, I've got to get to work.

In a minute.

Gonzo, for heaven's sakes, will you be realistic?

I mean, there are hundreds of people working there. Do you want to put them

all out of work?

It's better than killing them.

Look, the job's getting done. It takes time. I mean, there's more involved here

than just medicine, you know? That's a matter of economics and political

decisions. I can't believe this.

First Trapper and now you.

The two most important people in my life are talking like a couple of mealy

-mouthed bureaucrats.

I think I'd better go.

Maybe you can live with those excuses, but I can't.

I'm going to the press tonight with the whole damn story.

Will you come with me?

Please don't do this, Gonzo. Please.

What are you afraid of? Everything.

Those people out there are bigger than you are. Okay, so I lose my job. I'm a

doctor. I can work anywhere in the world. And so can you.

You know what you are.

You're a fool.

You're a big, dumb, idealistic fool.

If you can be stupid, so can I. I'm gonna go with you. Will you pick me up

at six?

You're still throwing things?

No, you're safe. Come on in.

I'm sorry about that tantrum yesterday. I guess I just had to get it out of my

system.

How are you feeling, baby?

Encouraged.

The anemia wasn't as bad as they had expected, and they hope to operate

tomorrow.

That soon?

Well, yeah, I'm kind of glad to get it out of the way.

After all, we've got some big plans ahead, right?

Right. Right.

Suppose your blood count stays normal.

Does that mean there's no damage from the radiation?

I don't know.

From what I understand, there's no telling what might happen down the line.

Steve.

Steve, I'm sorry.

I know how badly you want kids.

It's okay.

It doesn't bother me.

Well, it's a dirty trick.

You want a wife that can give you a family, and I can't promise you

anything.

For all we know, you could end up with a basket case on your hands.

Quit talking like that.

No, I want to be realistic about this.

For your sake, I think we should call the wedding off for a while.

At least until we know what's going to happen with me.

What do you think?

What are you doing?

Testing me?

Testing you? Yeah, checking out my reactions.

I don't like that sort of thing, Linda.

You haven't answered my question.

Should we call off the wedding?

I really don't know. Never mind.

You just answered it.

The wedding invitations are over there.

Would you throw them away on your way out?

No, Steve, you're right.

I was testing you.

But you want to laugh?

I'm the one that flunked.

Come in.

Busy? Oh, hi, Willard. No, come in.

Trapper, I am very concerned about this radiation case.

Well, we're doing everything we can to help her. Some people in this hospital

have preconceived ideas about radiation. They'd enjoy publicizing the case, and

that could be dangerous.

To the patient?

To all patients.

Could jeopardize the funds we received from the Bay City's company without the

facilities that money pays for have to turn sick people away So what do you

want me to do find some way to control the troublemakers anyone in particular?

Hate to put this on a personal basis force yourself Gonzo Gates His lack of

discretion at that meeting with Barton was reprehensible. He needs to be

controlled What do you suggest?

Massive doses of Thorazine or a simple lobotomy.

You know what that kid is like.

We should make it crystal clear if he oversteps his bounds on this matter.

Wait a minute, Willard. I hired him as a doctor.

Now, if he doesn't happen to agree with your politics, there's nothing I can do.

Then I'll do it. Do what? Fire him. Cancel his contract.

Not a chance.

Look, you take care of the business end of the hospital, and I will hire and

fire the doctors, okay?

I'll discuss that with the board of directors.

Before you do that, Willard, you listen to me, and you listen good, because I'm

only going to say this once.

If Dr.

Gates gets canned because of your politics and control madness, I'll go

with him, and I'll take every doctor on this staff with me.

Now, you go and tell that to your board of directors, okay?

Hi, Dr. Gates. Hi, is Dr. Tatum inside?

No, she's gone.

Oh, great. I was supposed to pick her up at 6 o'clock.

Look, I'll try her at home, but if she calls in, tell her there's been a change

of plans. We have an appointment to meet the editor of the San Francisco

Telegraph at noon tomorrow.

She won't be here.

She left the company today.

Resigned.

Resigned? Yes, she's on her way to Montana.

In fact, she may have left already.

All right.

Just a minute.

What's this all about?

I'm going back to Montana.

My father's ill. He needs me.

Why the sudden decision? Gonzo, I really don't want to talk about it.

No, I quit.

Resigned. It was my idea, not theirs.

I don't believe that. They found out that we were going to the press. No,

they didn't even know anything about it. They didn't know about Linda until she

filed that medical claim.

But you told them. No, I didn't.

You made that phone call to Barton. It was a fake.

A charade to impress you.

He wasn't even on the other end of the line.

Barton wasn't lying, I was.

I never told him or anybody else about any of the exposure cases.

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Let me get this straight.

Your patients were being poisoned by radiation and you didn't do anything

about it?

I hope to God you've got a damn good reason.

It was really very simple.

I was afraid of losing my job.

That's crazy. You're a good doctor. You can work anyplace. If necessary, you can

always go back to private practice. No, I can't.

See, I had this marvelous little practice in Montana, just out of school,

doing beautifully, until I was clobbered with a malpractice suit.

Malpractice suit, huh? It was unfair and messy and very expensive.

I won the suit, but I lost everything else.

My patients drifted away. My insurance almost tripled.

My practice just died.

I spent a whole year going into debt trying to get back on my feet.

The job at BC's was the only thing I could find.

And that job... That, uh...

that lousy job was more important to you than the lives of your patients i

thought it was yes until you with your high-minded principles well i

couldn't face them or you or myself anymore and i just had to quit

gonzo

I'm sorry. I know how you must feel about me.

I have an appointment with the San Francisco Telegraph tomorrow at noon.

You can still go with me.

No.

I'm not looking for redemption. I think it's a little late for that.

You're assisting me in the Linda Whitman case?

You put me on the schedule, didn't you?

Well, you seem a little uptight. Anything I can do?

Yeah. Things being what they are, you probably won't.

I see.

Oh, Dr.

Riverside. Welcome. Come in. Come in.

Well, he seemed to be feeling much better this morning. Oh, yes, Uncle Theo

was here. Oh, and thank you so much for arranging it.

Well, from all indications, I misjudged the man completely. He seems to be a

legitimate practitioner.

As a matter of fact, he's illegitimate.

Second son of my wife's cousin.

But he does good work.

Hey, look.

Let's get rid of this filthy thing.

And here we have a patient who's in his second day of post-op. Hello, Mr.

Bulgarian. Hello.

What have you got there, Stanley?

Actually, John, it's Pacific halibut.

Uncle Theo thinks it works better for healing than even frog's eyeballs.

How do you feel?

Oh, like a new man.

Thanks to my friend Stanley here and Uncle Theo. I had nothing to do with

this, John, nothing at all.

You see, there was this gypsy folk healer, this wild-eyed primitive.

And my friend Stanley brought him to me. You did?

Well, you have to understand the circumstances, John.

Well, gentlemen, we have here a perfect demonstration of professional insight

and perception.

Perception? Dr. Riverside here recognized that Mr. Bulgari's needs went

far beyond simple medicine, and by restoring his faith, he made him well.

Congratulations, Stanley.

If you lose much more blood, Trapper, I'll have to transfuse her.

Okay. Self-retaining retractor.

Oh.

I've been looking all over for this. Where'd you find it?

You were using it for a doorstop in your office.

Very funny. Very funny.

Suction?

And here's the nodule right there.

All right, after we get this out, I want a frozen section.

Is the pathologist around?

Out in the hall reading a girly magazine.

Samiko, get him in here, will you? I want him to take a look at this before

we remove it.

This is what I hate.

Once it's out, we wait for the decision.

The longest few minutes in medicine.

Dr. Olin, report to the burn ward.

Mr. Prentice, Linda's awake now.

Was the surgery okay? It went very well.

Thank you.

Inhalation therapist, do I see you?

Inhalation therapist, do I see you?

You forget something?

Yeah. That I love you.

Honey, I'm sorry, but you know how I am about hospitals and sickness and all. I

guess it just kind of overwhelmed me.

But I thought it all through, and I know I was wrong.

Hooray.

The nurse told me the surgery went well.

You're going to be fine.

Did she tell you the natural was malignant?

Malignant?

It was small and self-contained.

They got it all.

Can they be sure?

Yeah.

But you can't.

Do me a favor, will you, Steve?

Hey, anything.

Get lost.

Ready for lunch?

Thanks. Got an appointment across town.

Okay, see you around. I found this in the parking lot.

Throw it away for me, will you?

Hey, Trapper, wait a minute.

Trapper!

I thought you'd left town.

My plane leaves in an hour.

Well,

you want to come in?

Still got it, I think.

I never got around to putting it away.

Did you see this headline?

Yeah.

According to information supplied by Dr. Valerie Tatum, resident physician at the

Bay City's power company.

Former resident physician.

And later confirmed by Dr. John McIntyre, chief of surgery at San

Francisco Memorial Hospital.

I reported it. Trapper backed me up.

I just wanted you to know.

I better go.

I wish you'd stay, Val.

Oh, no.

If I stayed, we'd probably fall in love or something ridiculous like that, and

I'd make a complete fool out of myself.

Why do you say that?

I just need to learn a little more about myself.

You know, why such a bright young lady like me does such stupid, unforgivable

things.

Fear.

Insecurity, lack of self-confidence. Duly noted.

Now I've got to find some remedies.

Maybe I can help.

You already have.

And now it's up to me.

Bye, Gonzo.

Belle.

I want you to stay.

Please don't.

Don't do this. If I don't go now, I'm never going to go at all.

Please let me go.

I hope so.

Just give me a little time to grow up.

Lunchtime!