Original subtitles

What you need is a specialist.

Who?

Me. He saved your life?

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here now. Any chance he's faking it?

Faking it?

Just a thought. I mean, you know, we get these crazy little insurance claims

every day. Have you seen his chart?

All his tests are negative. According to this chart, Mercer should be discharged

immediately. Let me decide that, okay?

Great. Just great.

If I prove he's okay, he comes out a fake. If I prove he's sick...

He may lose his kid. I'm telling you that you seem to be protecting your

friend. I want this matter settled by morning.

I'm buying this glove for my grandson.

He's in San Francisco Memorial Hospital having his tonsils removed.

Wait, what do you know? San Francisco Memorial, I got an old army buddy who's

a doctor there. Really?

Yes. If Gonzo Gates operates on your grandson, you are home free.

Oh, well, I don't know who the doctor is. Well, just in case, you tell him

that Danny Mercer says hi.

I'll remember.

You have a good day now. Thank you. Bye-bye.

Danny.

Ah, personnel wants to see you. You're being transferred to hardware.

Hardware?

You mean screws and bolts and all that? What do I know from that stuff?

You're temporary, remember?

Be a little enthused.

You want boredom? Wait till you're stuck in fabrics, yarns, and patterns.

George, talk to you later.

Easy, Danny.

Try to lie still.

I'm okay.

Just as soon as I catch my breath. Move back, please.

Everyone.

Will somebody call an ambulance?

God bless you, my son. You are a true hypocrite and a credit to your own. Come

on. You're a credit to you. Thank you very much.

Steel bands are coming back.

I don't...

I don't know about your hospital care, but your method of transportation is

fantastic. Mr.

Danny Mercer, Dr.

Riverside, Mr. Mercer seems to have injured his back. Actually, I fell down

an escalator. Can you believe it? As a kid, I had ballet lessons.

Hey, is Gonzo Gates around?

I'd like him to take care of me.

Well, Dr.

Gates is in surgery. I'll have to examine him.

Just warm up your stethoscope. I have very sensitive skin.

Hey, pick me up in an hour.

Starch, you changed my emergency committee meeting to Friday instead of

Wednesday. That's right. You play racquetball on Wednesday. You need the

exercise. Don't we all?

Dr. McIntyre, this is Mr. Mercer, a friend of Dr.

Gates. Oh, really? Another nasty foe.

Where do you know him from?

Nah, I'm 52nd Hospital Unit, right up the name.

52nd, your doctor?

Me? No.

No, Gonzo's the doc. I'm the medic. Part of the bedpan battalion.

Right. We made a hell of a team.

Were you there?

Was he there?

Boy, was he there. Only then they called it Korea.

There's a bit tender around the iliac crest. Nothing serious.

Yeah, kind of a nasty fall. Some welts and a few bad bruises.

Any fractures? Not clinically, but I think we should take some x-rays, run

some tests just in case. All right. Got to protect the patient.

I was thinking of protecting the hospital.

X-ray technician to Gore West.

Stat.

Congratulate me.

I just took out my 114th appendix.

Wait, Dr.

Gates. There's a message here for you. A patient in 412 would like to see you.

Who's in 412?

Somebody named Mercer.

Mercer. Mercer.

Danny Mercer?

Yes.

Danny?

Hey, there he is, the jolly green giant, eh?

Hey, man, it's great to see you. Same here, man.

So, how's it going, Gonzo?

It's great. It's just great. But what about you? What are you doing in here?

It's pretty dumb, huh? After all these years, this is some way to run a

reunion. Well, what happened, Danny?

Ah, can you believe it? I go through NOM with not much more than a heat rash, and

here I about kill myself falling down an escalator.

Well, according to your chart, nothing's broken.

I hope not.

You know, I get this kind of a jolt every time I twist or turn.

I'm sure it's no big deal.

Yeah, well, we'll check it out.

Hey. Now, I want to know why it took four years and an escalator for me to

hear from you. Four years, man? You didn't even answer my Christmas cards. I

thought about calling you, but we've been traveling, moving around.

We've only been in town for a month. We?

Yeah, Joanie.

Oh, hey, that's right. You don't know. I'm married.

You're kidding me. No, it's the truth.

It's been almost three years now. No. Oh, wait till you meet her, man.

And we got a kid. A little boy.

Wild man Mercer's a family man. I can't believe it. I tell you, Gans, it's the

best move I ever made.

Yeah? Yeah.

Hey, you remember that guy, Durgin and Charlie Company?

Sure. The comedian. He used to put food coloring in all the specimen shirts.

Right, right. That's the guy. I saw him the other day over at the Four Aces. You

did? Over on Fourth Street, yeah.

It's a great little spot. Anyway, you know what Durgin is doing now?

You know what?

Running a fish market.

Can you beat it?

Durgeon selling sturgeon.

Danny.

What about you? What are you doing?

Me? Well, a little everything, you know.

Like what?

Sales, mostly.

Right now, I'm kind of looking around for a good business opportunity.

Yeah? Yeah.

Hey, well, look, Danny, if you need any help... No, no, thanks. No, no, I mean

it. I want you. I know that, Gonzo. I know, and I really appreciate it.

Really.

Okay.

Excuse me.

I'm Mrs. Mercer.

May we see my husband?

Hi, Mrs. Mercer. I'm Dr. Gates.

Gonzo Gates?

For heaven's sake!

Danny has talked about you so often.

I'm really happy to meet you, Doctor.

Gonzo. Right.

Gonzo. This is our son, Ricky.

Hi there, Ricky. Nice to meet you.

Hi. My father okay?

Oh, yeah. He's fine. Except for a few bumps and bruises.

Really? It isn't serious?

Well, all the test results aren't in yet, but I'm pretty sure he's going to

be all right.

He's been telling me all about you, Rick.

Did he tell you I'm adopted?

Ricky.

Those kids, they picked me.

Not bad, huh?

Not bad.

That's terrific.

Look, why don't you take your mom on in there to see your dad? I'll catch you

later. Okay.

Come on, Mom.

Thanks, Gaza.

Room 412.

Dad!

Hey, troops, how's it going?

The store called. We came right over.

Does it hurt very much?

No, no, everything's cool. How's my freaky kid, huh?

We met your friend Gonzo right outside, Danny.

Terrific guy, huh? Yeah, he is.

Back in Nam, we were the best medical team in Southeast Asia.

He did all the work, and I cleaned up after him.

Hey, Rick, you want a drink?

I'm buying.

Come on, give your folks a chance to be alone.

Yeah, he's right. Get out of here, kid.

I want to make a pass at your mom.

Now that is a real friend. Don't. You'll hurt your back, Danny.

It's yours.

Chocolate.

Strawberry's better.

No way.

Strawberries always get stuck in the end of the straw.

I know how to drink them.

Where'd you learn?

My dad taught me he's very big on strawberry sodas.

You know, I'm real lucky getting adopted by them.

They're lucky to have you.

Your dad was in the army. He was always talking about having a son like you.

Did you guys go through that war together?

Mm-hmm.

Did he ever tell you how he saved my life?

He saved your life?

That's right.

He never talks much about the war.

We were stationed at a forward field hospital in Vietnam, outside of Da Nang.

And there was a lot of heavy fighting.

Suddenly the whole base was overrun.

With the enemy?

That's right.

And we managed to evacuate all the patients, most of the personnel.

And I was in a jeep getting ready to leave when this mortar shell hit.

And it left me with a hunk of shrapnel in my leg.

What shrapnel?

Shrapnel.

It's, uh...

Piece of metal.

And I figured it was all over for me.

Then the next thing I knew,

your dad was dragging me into a ditch.

And he sat there with me all night.

And the next morning he carried me piggyback all the way to the rear area.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here now drinking this soda.

Here's to you, old man.

Yeah. Hey, honest, it's no big deal. It just hurts a little bit when I twist or

turn. Then why are they keeping you here?

They're just running some tests.

Just routine stuff.

Hey, honey, I promise you there's nothing to worry about.

I can't help it, Danny.

It's not just this.

It's everything.

You mean Ricky?

Okay. Okay, I'll make you another promise. This won't affect the adoption

at all.

How can you say that?

You know our final papers are supposed to come through in less than a month.

What, you think this is going to change anything?

Danny, I am not blaming you.

It was an accident.

But accidents mean hospitals, and hospitals cost money.

And let's face it, the adoption agency has never really been impressed with our

savings account.

Come on, Joanie, you're making a big deal over nothing.

In the last six months, you've had three different jobs. We've moved twice. And

now this.

Look, everything is going to be okay.

How?

How is everything going to be okay?

Well, Joanie, do I look sick, huh?

If I had to, I could take you to a disco right now.

Danny, I want to know how everything's going to be okay.

There's always a way to work things out. Just don't worry about it. Just let me

take care of the details, okay?

What details?

Danny, is your back hurt?

Hey, now, wait a minute. You don't think I took that fall deliberately, do you?

No.

But I have a hunch you're trying to take advantage of it.

Well, so what? They're insured for it.

Danny, that's a fraud.

They could put you in jail.

It's my word against theirs.

But they'll have medical reports. And I'll have Gonzo. If it comes down to

push and shove, I know he'll back me up.

Danny, it won't work.

They'll find out the truth and we could lose everything.

Come on, Joanie. It's done all the time. I'm just... Joanie!

Joanie! Ah, yes, yes, of course I can. You see, Willard, when patients come to

us with certain alarming symptoms, we can't very well turn them away. We are

obligated to admit them for tests.

But if the tests are negative, the insurance companies lose interest in

paying the bills, we end up with our beds full of deadbeats.

Well, you know, Willie, there are times when we can't be precise about our

diagnoses. And let's face it, we'd rather be wrong than sorry.

Wouldn't we?

Running a hospital's a business, Stanley.

Not an exercise in love and compassion.

We can't afford to waste our facilities on the healthy.

Uh, Wood, wait a minute. Listen to me. Now, you know, I'm really not all that

compassionate.

Trapper John's always complaining that I'm not compassionate enough.

Good. Maybe hope for you.

Trapper, what the hell is this all about?

Won't you come in?

It says here you're discharging Danny Mercer.

That's right. He checks out tomorrow.

Why? Well, he's not sick.

We need the bed. What do you mean he's not sick? The guys have been having a

lot of pain.

Have you seen the orthopedic consult?

Look, Trapper, the guy is in misery. Take a look at it.

Go on, look at it.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with him. A little lump of sacral strain, but

no need to hospitalize him.

It doesn't make any sense.

Just an hour ago, the pain was so bad, I had to sedate him.

Could be some muscle spasm.

It's got to be more than that. Maybe the ortho man overlooked something.

Possibly, but I doubt it. It's a pretty complete report.

Now, here's one for you.

Any chance he's faking it?

Faking it?

Just a thought. I mean, you know, we get these crazy little insurance claims

every day. Look, Danny has been a friend of mine for years. He wouldn't pull a

stunt like that.

Have you examined him? No.

Maybe you should, just to put my suspicious little mind at ease, okay?

How you doing, Dan?

Oh.

Well, food isn't too bad.

It sure is warm in here.

How's the pain?

Well, the sedative you gave me helped out for a while, but now, I don't know.

You know, I hate to complain about this.

What you need is a specialist.

Someone I highly recommend.

Who?

Me.

Let's take a look at your back.

Feels like I went ten rounds with Godzilla.

Well, the initial shock's wearing off, I guess.

How about there? Did it hurt? Yeah, it's pretty sore.

Ow!

It's even worse.

It hurts here and here.

Okay, lie down now.

I guess I better give you something for the pain.

Another sedative?

No, this should give you almost instant relief.

Thank you.

Thanks, Guns.

You try to relax now.

Hey, Guns.

You know, you made quite an impression on that kid of mine. What kind of lies

did you tell him?

Mostly about you.

Yeah?

I'll check back in a little while.

Hi, Stanley.

Hi.

Oh, just the man I want to see.

That Mercer fellow in Portobello, have you seen his chart?

All his tests are negative.

That's right.

Well, then, why is he still here?

Because I'm running some tests on my own.

Dr. Gates, this hospital cannot afford to waste time, money, and facilities on

healthy people. You've been talking to Willard Hornsby? No.

Yeah.

Well, he's been talking to me.

After all, most of the patients in this hospital come through my service,

through my department. Now, I'm not going to be responsible for your little

peck of billows.

According to this chart, Mercer should be discharged immediately.

Let me decide that, okay?

Dr. Gates.

Dr. McIntyre would like to see you in his office right away.

Okay, thanks.

I am going to the mat on this one, Gates.

If you don't discharge this Mercer immediately, I am going directly to my

father. He's chairman of the board, you know? Be sure to give him my love, will

you?

That's what I hate about this job.

When you get past the facade, sometimes you come up with the truth.

Isn't it what you're after?

Sure, when it's good, I love it.

But when I come up with facts like these... I heard you were looking for

me? Dr. Gates, this is Elva Clay, social worker on the Mercer case.

She's here to learn some more things about your friend Danny's condition, so

I thought I'd let you explain it to her, okay?

I'm working on the Mercer's adoption report, Doctor.

What I'm really after is some good news.

What kind of good news?

Well, I started with a seven-year-old boy who needed a home and an attractive

young couple who wanted a child.

The chemistry was perfect.

Oh, it is perfect. They love each other like crazy.

Well, that would be great if I were writing a song, Doctor.

But I'm writing an adoption report, and what I have now is a desperate couple

with no money, no job, no permanent residence, and a breadwinner who's in

the hospital.

I can't release Ricky to a family like that.

I'm sure that their financial problems are only temporary.

What about the health problem, then? Well, Mr. Mercer's test proved negative,

so he should be discharged very soon, right, Dr. Gates?

Yeah, right, very soon.

Well, that's good. I hope so.

You see, at this point, Mr. Mercer's condition is a determining factor.

I'm going to give you my card.

Will you please call me if you have some news?

You bet.

Good news, if you can manage it.

The last thing I want to do is to put Ricky back in that orphanage.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Just great.

If I prove he's okay, he comes out a fake. If I prove he's sick, he may lose

his kid.

Why are you resisting this?

I mean, you know perfectly well the man is all right. I don't know.

Not yet, anyway.

Unless you come up with something startling, I'm discharging him tomorrow

morning.

Looks like Hornsby's been putting the pressure on you, too.

Hornsby? Yeah, our noble hospital administrator. He's been pushing

Riverside to empty more beds. He's obviously been doing the same thing to

you. Listen, Willard Hornsby does not tell me how to practice medicine.

But I'm telling you that you seem to be protecting your friend. Now, I want this

matter settled by morning.

Hey.

How you doing?

Man, that pill you gave me was magic. It's like some kind of miracle.

No pain?

No, not even a twinge. You know, a guy can get hooked on a painkiller like

that.

That was no painkiller, Danny. It was a sugar pill.

What do you mean, a sugar pill?

They're called placebos.

They're as phony as your backache.

What the hell are you trying to pull?

I'd like to ask you the same question.

There's not a doctor or a test in this hospital that says you are anything but

100% healthy.

Well, that's a lie, man. I know how I feel.

Why are you doing this, Danny?

What? Doing what?

I take a bad tumble, make a mess out of my back, and you stand there and try to

tell me I'm not hurting? Well, you're wrong, man. Dead wrong. Look, Danny.

We've got a lot of history between us. A lot of good things to remember.

No, I want you to pack up your bags and go while we're still ahead.

Oh, just like that, huh?

That's what I get for pulling you out of the fire. Oh, come on, Danny.

Don't you think I'm aware of that?

Yeah.

Okay, maybe...

Maybe I got a little something going here.

You know, things haven't been too good for me, man.

I thought with your help I could maybe pick up a few bucks.

With my help?

Look, Danny, if what you need is money, I'll be glad to... I don't want your

lousy money. All I want is a favor. A simple little favor.

Look, the insurance people are going to be coming by pretty quick. All you got

to do is tell them that I'm hurt. Maybe sign a little paper that says... Oh,

come on, Danny. You know I can't do that. I could lose my license.

Your license?

You were too worried about your license when we traded that box of antibiotics

to Saigon Sammy for a case of bad booze. That was Vietnam. It was a million years

ago. The other side of the universe.

This is another life, Danny. Another world. Things are different here.

Guns.

Please, man, you gotta help me with this one.

This time, I'm the guy that needs saving, all right?

Gons!

If I lose this one, I lose it all, man.

Everything.

Gons! I lose Joanie, Ricky, everything.

Please, man.

All I need is a little bit of help.

Pack up and go.

First thing tomorrow.

Lonzo! You in there? Yeah, come on in.

Morning. How'd it go?

Wonderful.

You enjoy kicking your friends in the teeth.

What happened?

You know damn well what happened.

He was doing a number on me.

Why?

He's broke.

Scared and desperate. He's willing to try anything to pick up some bucks. Look

respectable.

He needs help, Trapper.

Not that kind of help.

Yeah.

Problem's not in his back.

Got it.

Meantime, we're understaffed and short of beds.

Relax. He's on his way out.

Stop worrying.

You did the right thing.

Yeah, the right thing. A guy pulls my biscuits out of the fire and I just

leave him hanging there, twisting in the wind.

What about therapy?

For him or for me?

Well, knowing you, you'll think of something.

Come on, we've got rounds in ten minutes.

Willard! Hi.

Listen, I just wanted you to know that I was instrumental in getting rid of one

of those malingering patients we were talking about.

Yeah, a chap named Mercer claimed he had a bad back, but I saw through it

immediately.

Well, thank you.

You know my motto, Willard.

Anything for the sake of the hospital.

Listen, if you see Dad at the board of directors meeting, would you tell him?

I'm sure he'll be pleased.

Thanks. Bye-bye.

Nice work, Gonzo.

I'm busy, Den. Yeah, you're busy, all right.

I just performed surgery on my marriage.

Joanie's gone, walked out on me, and I hold you responsible.

You want to run that by again? Oh, yeah, Dr. Innocent, right?

You didn't discuss my little insurance deal with Joanie, huh?

You didn't sit down over a drink somewhere and rake me over the coals?

Come on, you know that isn't true.

You know, you've been making me look bad ever since I got here, and I was your

buddy, remember?

Your buddy. I tell you what, why don't you just pick a story that makes you

comfortable? Isn't that your style? When something doesn't go your way, be sure

and blame the other guy. Well, I know where the blame belongs. When I walked

into this hospital, I had a wife and a kid.

Right now, I'm walking out of here with nobody.

Nobody.

I just want to thank you for that, Dr. Gates.

Well, hi, hello Jim I'm sorry Gonzo, but Danny's not here. I know you told me

what happened.

I wonder if we could talk for a minute or two Come on it

Can

I get you something to drink we don't have much of a selection

no, thanks Ricky here

He went to the movies with a friend.

Makes it a little easier for me to pack.

Danny's hurting, June.

He's at rock bottom.

And somehow he's blaming me for this breakup.

I could have predicted that.

He'll blame anyone but himself.

The point is...

I want to do something. I need to know in my own head that I've done everything

possible to help him when he needed it.

You're a friend, Gonzo.

The best one he ever had.

But it's like trying to put Humpty Dumpty together.

I've heard all his promises about straightening out and settling down.

The next job...

There's always the good one. The next apartment is the place we'd live

permanently.

I don't know.

I'm not able to have children.

And I hoped that this adoption would give us a sense of family. The need for

accepting responsibility.

But it hasn't worked out that way.

Ricky hasn't gotten a father. He's gotten another playmate.

Sometimes I just want to shout, will the real eight-year-old please stand up?

You must have loved him once.

Yes, I did.

I still do.

At least I want to.

So what are you going to do?

Well, I've talked it over with the social worker.

And it's possible now for single people to adopt children.

My father's got a business in Michigan. I can go back there and get a job and

keep Ricky with me.

You say you still love Danny.

I don't know. I'm not sure of anything anymore.

Take the time to be sure.

You've invested three years of your life in this marriage. Now, one more day, a

day to think it over, shouldn't be too painful.

What's that?

They're calling me back at the hospital. Can I use your phone?

Sure.

Your page operator, please.

Hello, this is Dr. Gates. Is there a call for me?

Okay, thanks.

Yeah, what's up?

When did you discover that?

No.

No, there was nothing on Mercer's chart.

Well, that's just great.

Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll be there.

What is it?

Just the usual doctor talk.

I heard you mention Danny's name, Gonzo.

And they wouldn't have called if it wasn't serious.

Now, please tell me what's wrong.

Well, they just got a call from physical therapy.

And it seems that when they were putting Danny in cervical traction, the

therapist noticed a small lump in his neck.

What does that mean?

Well, it's just a preliminary finding. It may be nothing at all.

But you're worried about it.

Why?

Please, Gonzo.

Well, there's a chance. It's just a chance that it may be Hodgkin's disease.

Well, the x-rays are all negative.

But with the night sweats, the enlarged cervical node, and elevated sed rate, it

could be Hodgkin's.

We'll need a biopsy.

We've got to get him here for surgery.

Damn, how'd we miss it?

Well, we were looking for back trouble.

The therapist didn't notice the node until she put him in cervical traction.

It's pretty ironic, you know.

He comes here to convince us that he's sick, and now that he's gone, we've got

reason to believe him.

How soon can you get him back?

First I gotta find him.

I think I know where to start.

Fingers crossed.

Hi, doll.

Hi.

I'm looking for this guy. He's a friend of mine.

Oh.

No, his name's Mercer, Danny Mercer.

Oh. He mentioned that he hangs out in your life.

Want to buy me a drink?

Scott, straight up.

So, you know Danny?

Yeah, yeah, I know him.

Not professionally, of course.

You got any idea where I might find him?

Maybe.

You a cop?

No, I told you, I'm a friend of his. I've got to find him.

Well, Danny was in here a couple of hours ago.

Then his wife came in and they left together.

His wife?

I thought they were separated.

They didn't act separated.

Okay. Thanks a lot.

How much do I owe you? Twelve dollars.

For two lousy drinks?

That includes validated parking.

Just my luck.

I took a cab.

It's Gonzo.

I'm sorry to call so late, but I'm trying to find Danny.

Well, I had dinner with him this evening.

After what you told me, I... Well, I had to see him again.

Does he know anything about it yet?

No.

I thought it would be best if you told him.

When can I see him?

Tomorrow morning, probably.

Where?

if it isn't the old matchmaker.

She only told me that to find you here.

Yeah, yeah.

Listen, I really appreciate you speaking to her yesterday. She told me about it.

I don't know what you said, but it sure did help.

Does this mean you're back together?

Well, not yet, but we're working on it.

Good.

Danny, is there someplace that we can talk?

It's important. Yeah, sure. Hey, Phil, can you take over for me? I'll be right

back.

Go ahead.

Things are really looking up, man.

Joey and I are working things out. You know what I just found out? I got a

permanent job here at the store, huh?

Tell you, buddy, things are really starting to come around.

Danny, did Joan mention anything else about our conversation?

Well, no. She just said, you want to talk to me?

Yeah.

About that lump on your neck.

What? This thing here?

Uh-huh.

Does it ever bother you?

Sometimes.

Usually after I've had a couple of belts, you know. Why?

Well, we don't know for sure.

But there is a chance that you may have Hodgkin's disease.

But it can be controlled, Danny.

And we're not the least bit sure you've got it. We won't know until we do a

biopsy.

Wait a minute.

You're talking surgery.

No way, man. No, no. If the adoption people even suspect that I've got

cancer, it will never get Ricky.

Danny, you can't ignore this thing.

We can wait, can't it? I mean, a month.

Just until after the papers are signed. We could be treating it. Gons, look,

Gons.

I've put Joanie through enough misery already.

Now, after everything's been signed and sealed, then we'll talk about surgery,

not before.

Now I've got to go back to work. Excuse me.

Get lost, will you?

Get lost?

What kind of sales pitch is that?

Salesmen are not supposed to make small talk with customers.

You gonna check into the hospital?

I told you not until you die. I did not steal this bicycle pump. Who do you

think you are accusing me of stealing bicycle pumps? What do you mean? What

are you crazy?

No, I want an apology.

You hear me? An apology. Nobody accuses me of stealing bicycle pumps without an

apology. All right, hold it.

Okay, I'll do what you want.

Just put it down, okay?

Will you check in tonight right after work?

Guns, I don't know. I want that apology. Okay.

Tonight?

Okay, tonight.

Yeah, tonight.

I'll schedule surgery for tomorrow.

Yeah, yeah, tomorrow.

Okay.

Feel that at all, Danny?

No.

No, just a little pressure.

Okay, let's tie this off.

Starch I'll need for a chromic here. Oh, you're so good to me

Looks

like you've isolated the lymph node

Let's get it out and over to

pathology

There's the specimen.

All right, let's close.

Is that it?

That was quick.

Sure. In this business, it's all who you knowed.

The

doctors

just told us the good news, Danny.

The lymph node was benign. Hey, you see, I was right. Things are looking up, huh?

Does that mean you could come home soon?

Well, it sure does.

After all, no nodes is good nodes.

Is that another bad joke?

The worst.

But what can we do? We're stuck with him.

Anybody for a soda?

Can I, Mom?

Sure, go ahead.

Later, Dad.

Nose is good nose.

I just got my lungs today. The drinks are on me.

He's richer than both of us.

Want a soda, Trapper?

Sure, why not? Great, you're buying.

Good figures.

What kind of sodas do you like?

Strawberry. Me too.

Not me, I like chocolate.

Strawberry is better. No, the berries always get stuck in the end of the

straw. A lot of you know how to handle them, right, Rick?

Right. Maybe we should teach them how.

Well, I don't know. It takes a special kind of man to cope with a strawberry

soda. A man of strong character, indomitable spirit.

The kind of man you might find as a chief of surgery at a San Francisco

hospital.

Gentlemen, a scholar, reader of fine books, champion of football.