Original subtitles

Until recently, Western medicine held

that our bodies have only two circulatory systems.

The cardiovascular, which pumps blood, and the lymphatic, which drains fluids.

But in 2021,

scientists discovered that tattoo ink somehow travels from the skin

-down into the fascia. - Oh.

Hey.

Why are they still damp?

Well, we needed the dryer. You were not home.

Yeah, because I was up late prepping your elective cases for the week.

What was Lucy Miller's ICP this morning?

-I'm not on the floor yet, so-- -She's also going to need a follow-up CT.

Wait, wait, are we rounding now?

Just, please, will you try to read the notes?

Um, okay, last bites and sips.

-Mama... -Mm-hmm?

Can Daddy use the baby spray on you so I can have a brother?

Yeah, I meant to tell you, uh, this guy asked me where babies come from.

-And you went with baby spray? -Yeah, yeah.

You know, like Spider-Man.

Yeah, I was trying to work with, uh, what he knows.

-I... I'm gonna... ICP? Got it. -Mm-hmm.

This finding suggested a third circulatory system

connecting the skin to the fascia and organs beneath.

Hey, how's your group paper going?

You'd think having more people writing would make it easier.

It's due tomorrow though, right? I'm just saying, at least it's over.

Mmm. If only I could finish my part.

-Hey, hey. I will take care of that. -I--

You just go on and get back to work, okay?

-You just call me Dish Daddy. -I most certainly will not.

What... you know that silverware won't get clean like that?

Uh, yes, it will, and I won't stab myself when I go to unload it.

But... Do you do it blindfolded? See, this is why I do the dishes.

No, move over, but see, look, this needs to be up like this, up.

And all those bowls need to come down.

It's called the interstitium,

and the function is, well, we're still figuring that out.

Hey, have you seen my tramadol?

Well, I threw it out.

Well, I thought that you weren't in pain anymore.

Well, I just... I get sore after operating sometimes,

and I've got that spinal tumor patient today.

-Okay. -You wanna meet up after your meeting?

I wasn't planning on sticking around.

It's annoying that I even have to go in at all.

When I said I quit, I meant it.

You spent years training.

- They just want to make sure you're sure.

I was sure two weeks ago. You know, can you take over?

-I have to go change. -Yeah.

- Okay. - But we know this much:

When it comes to support systems,

life is a lot more complicated than we thought.

Good morning.

They didn't have ginger, so I got you mint and something called "rooibose"

or "roo-ee..." I still don't know how to say it.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

You sure you shouldn't take the day off?

I'm fine. A little crampy, but that's to be expected after the pills, you know.

-Okay. And how are you feeling about the-- -I'm okay. I'll be okay.

-I know it was the right decision. -Okay.

-There you go. -I can open my own door.

I don't know what to tell you. I'm a gentleman, okay.

-I'm seeing you later, yes? -Yes.

Okay.

What are you doing?

Some people punch punching bags, I stab suture trainers.

And now, on his first day back from Central Michigan, Benson Kwan.

-You should take this. -Mm-hmm.

Do you know any apartments for rent not at a retirement home?

Then no.

Good morning, everyone. Good morning.

Uh, so for those of you considering sub specialties,

it is time to look for research opportunities.

If you want to be competitive for fellowships,

you'll need to line something up within the next few weeks.

I just posted open positions to the portal.

If you have any questions or you need anything at all, just come find me.

Let's have a good day.

Great. One more thing to do.

-Still thinking cardiothoracic? -I'm thinking it's none of your business.

-She's just having a bad-- -Personality? Yeah.

You want to cancel the weekly chiefs' meetings?

If you do the math, 14 people in a two-hour meeting,

that's 28 man hours wasted each week on something that could be an email.

-I'll, uh, I'll think about it. -Okay.

Morning. It appears that I'm on your service, Dr. Webber.

-Sir. -He requested you.

Oh. Well, I saw that you had a Whipple on your schedule.

I've been practicing my hepatico-J technique at home and--

Uh, that won't be necessary.

I've got a VIP patient that needs post-op monitoring.

No problem. I-I can... I can do that before I scrub in.

I don't think you understand.

There is no scrubbing in.

You will not set a foot in my OR.

You will monitor my post-op patient on the VIP floor.

End of assignment.

Give him time, or expensive chocolate works too.

Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Adams, meet Pauline Darnold.

Please call me Polly Dart.

-She is a Dolly Parton impersonator. -You don't say.

Uh, what brings you in?

Oh. It feels like my head's heavier than my hair.

-Can you be more specific? -Worst headache of my life.

-When did it start? -This morning during my sound check.

A tech company hired me for their corporate retreat.

It hurt so much I could barely see, but I'd already cashed the check

so I put on my lashes, hiked up my boobs,

and sang the best I could.

Well, hopefully, we can get to the bottom of this

and get you some relief.

Dr. Adams, why don't you start on the exam?

Mind if I take a look? All right.

All right, a little slower.

All right, follow my finger.

-Extraocular muscles are intact. -Mm-hmm.

Symmetric smile.

Puff your cheeks. Raise your eyebrows. Any ringing in your ears?

-Not a peep. -Okay.

Uh, cranial nerve seems stable, no facial weakness

which rules out a stroke or a bleed.

-Let's start with a non-contrast head CT. -All right, call the order in.

Okay.

He's a keeper.

The app says the water purifying kits arrived yesterday.

Well, there's a village in Sierra Leone who would argue otherwise.

-Will you-- -So either I'm...

-Sorry for interrupting. -Don't be.

We're just talking about work.

Ken started a nonprofit that brings clean drinking water

to developing countries.

I'm Jasmine, cofounder of said nonprofit/Ken's ride/ex-wife.

We like to keep things complicated.

-Are you taking me to surgery? -Soon.

Griffith. We're on a schedule here.

Ken Nguyen, 37, history of osteosarcoma in the spine at L3,

here for a vertebral resection and spinal reconstruction.

I will replace the cancerous vertebrae

with a titanium cage filled with bone graft material.

And then I will cover it with paraspinous muscle

to make sure that the spinal cord and implant are protected.

How long is the recovery? When will he be back to his old self?

What's that supposed to mean?

It's a normal question.

You mean, when can I get back to work?

- I didn't say that. - You didn't have to.

All you care about is work. You're controlling and overbearing and--

Okay, you need to be calm right now, and clearly I'm an impediment to that.

So I'm gonna go answer some emails. Call me if he croaks.

-Should I get him prepped? -Yeah, feels right.

Have you looked

-at the open research positions yet? -Mm-mmm.

Saliman's studying mitral regurgitation in dogs.

I could get paid to pet dogs,

which frankly, is something I could use.

-Something wrong? -It's just cramps.

You shouldn't still be in this much pain after a medication abortion.

-Have you followed up with your OB? -When am I supposed to do that?

Hey, uh, are you okay?

-Fine, yeah, just a little discomfort. -You're sure?

-Mm-hmm. -Okay. Well, you missed an epic battle.

It's just like, why get a divorce if you're gonna keep working together?

-Does it-- -Oh, catch her, catch her.

-Oh. Simone. -I'm... I'm good.

-We need to get her to a room. -I'm okay.

Come on, okay.

Let's go in here.

Ms. Bromley in room 1409 needs a bolus of LR, okay.

I'll be in the conference room if anyone needs me.

Uh, Dr. Bailey, can I ask you a quick question?

- Besides that one? - Yeah, it's about the schedule.

Um, have you ever extended a rotation to cover a request for bereavement leave?

Rarely, uh, but let me see.

Wait, what am I looking at?

What... what happened to my spreadsheet that I gave you?

Oh, uh, a med school friend recommended this app.

Residents input their requests,

and it optimizes the schedule for everyone.

Mmm.

Well, does this magic app account for,

you know, who needs protected time for research,

or who's behind on their case logs,

or whose uncle, coincidentally, needs to be driven to dialysis

whenever the Mariners make the play-offs?

-Probably not. -Yeah.

See, no computer can optimize better than a residency director

who knows her or his residents.

Try my spreadsheet. You'll never go back.

I will take a look.

Here. If you're ever in an accident

or suspect you might have been in an accident, call me.

Hey, you're that lawyer with the ads.

"If you're injured and you need a pro called Lloyd Fazio, lawyer."

Guilty. And you are Dr...

Kwan. I am assigned to you today. May I take a look at your incision?

I'd love an Arnold Palmer first.

Well, I'm a doctor, but I will check with patient services.

Yesterday, the head doctor up here mixed it for me himself.

I'll see what I can find.

But first, may I take a look?

-Fine, have at it. -All right.

So how are you feeling?

Any pain?

Only the kind that comes with having your stomach cut open.

Don't worry, I won't sue you.

Fortunately, everything looks good.

Do you have to put that back on? It's so uncomfortable.

It supports recovery. You want it on. Trust me.

All right, I will be back.

-Sixty-forty. -What?

60% iced tea, 40% lemonade.

Right.

Oh, it's Lincoln.

-You should go. -But what about you?

I'm sure everything is fine,

and no offense, but I don't want you here for this part anyway.

-You sure? -Please just go.

-All right. -Thank you.

Okay.

-Scoot down. -Do we really have to do this?

Make sure that you don't have any residual tissue making you septic?

Yes, we do.

Just kill me, you know.

Get over it.

Light touch,

- and you'll feel a bit of pressure. - Mm-hmm.

Aren't you in plastics today?

I told them I ate a bad salad and maybe had that diarrhea thing.

Let's see what we have.

What is that?

I don't know.

It's not normal.

- We should get OB. - No.

We can figure it out. Just get a textbook.

Please, I don't want more of my coworkers looking inside of me.

Okay.

Don't go anywhere.

How's she doing?

Mad. She did not want to take this wig off.

Yeah, I'm looking at the application for your lab.

Where it says past experience,

does that just mean neuro research or any research?

-You're applying to my lab? -Yeah.

-Uh, is... is that a problem? -I'm just surprised.

I didn't.. I didn't realize that you were still thinking

about switching to neurosurgery.

Yeah, I'm just keeping my options open, yeah?

You know, it's not like casually scrolling on a dating app.

It's a commitment. I mean, neurosurgery is incredibly demanding.

You'd be starting over at seven more years,

and there's just no room for error or doubt.

You need to have the skill and the desire, or you just can't make it.

Thanks for the TED Talk.

I'm not saying you shouldn't do it. I'm just, I'm just saying--

Wait, is this because I told your kid

that human beings were made with baby spray?

The scans are up!

Sorry, uh, the scans are up.

- You see that? - Damn it, grade-four AVM.

-What's the fix? -Endovascular coiling.

That works for me. Okay, let's get Polly out and give her the news.

- Bryant, you're late. - Sorry.

Hand me a basin. Vertebra is removed.

Let's prep for the cage.

Take this.

Hey, here's a question:

If you're putting a scalpel in the dishwasher,

would you put it in handle side up or down?

Why am I washing the scalpel?

I have a spine in my hands. Let's cut the chatter.

Something wrong?

I've never seen this before.

Is that more tumor?

Well, it's extended to the vertebral bodies above and below.

You didn't see this in the scans?

The MRI was last month.

-It must've spread fast. -Well, can't we just use a larger cage?

We can't replace a defect this large with just a cage.

It's too big and it carries too high a risk of not healing or failure.

What do you want to do?

I-I don't know yet.

Well, we already did the resection.

We can't just close him and send him to the ICU--

- You think I don't know that? - -Lincoln.

Look, we're not closing. I just, um... I just need a damn minute.

I have a tangle of blood vessels in my brain?

Yeah, that's what's causing your headaches.

I'm supposing it doesn't go away with a couple of ibuprofen.

No.

And because it could rupture at any moment,

I would urge you to get it fixed right away.

I'm supposed to go to a festival in Nashville tomorrow.

- Can I think about it? - Sure.

Uh, it's a lot to process.

If you need a little time, we can give it to you,

let you consider all the options.

But I would strongly encourage you to make a decision today.

AVMs are impossible to predict.

You could bleed out or have a catastrophic stroke.

You could die.

The three of you would do my surgery?

Today, if you like.

I just might.

-Like the Dolly Parton song. -Exactly. You a Dolly fan?

My mom, she used to make me sing "Islands in the Stream" with her

at karaoke at the...

You know, it-it wasn't really appropriate.

-Book an OR. Mm-hmm. -Yep.

-Hey, hey, do these look the same to you? -Huh?

Uh, I don't know what part of the body I'm looking at.

We're in OB. Take a guess. What are you doing here?

My VIP patient wants socks with fuzzy grips.

So you're stealing them from pre and postpartum mothers?

No, Webber exiled me to the Olympic Floor.

I think he's waiting it out to see if I quit.

Hey, what do you know about the new chief?

- Ivy League, great hair, loves money.

Probably has a hobby where he swims in a pool of cash.

Uh... well, duty calls.

Oh, uh, Dr. Wilson, thank God.

Um, could I have you look at something for me, please?

I don't work here anymore.

But you have your Grey Sloan ID badge.

Yeah, I'm about to hand it in.

Well, before you do, can you please, please look?

Is this your patient?

It...

It's Dr. Griffith. She made me promise not to get anyone to help,

and I don't know what to do.

Anesthesia's wondering how much longer you wanna keep Ken under.

If I knew, I'd be operating. - Just the messenger.

I keep staring at these screens hoping for an answer.

You know, this guy brings safe water to people all around the planet

while the rest of us destroy it.

Because of me, he could spend the rest of his life sedated

and flat on his back.

Well, can you use the cage you have and try chemo

- to shrink the remaining cancer? - -That's not a cure.

The cancer could spread even more and then he's no better off.

- Yeah, clearly, it's spread fast before. - -Exactly.

No good options.

Damn it.

And this is why I like plastics. Soft tissue.

We can move it around to restore form and function.

Bones aren't skin.

It's harder to get them to do the job of other bones.

Well, don't we do fibula grafts all the time?

A fibula's too small.

You'd need a much bigger bone for a defect this...

Bryant, run down and tell the nurses

to bring back a few frozen cadaveric femoral grafts.

-On it. -Isn't a femur too big?

Not if I can sculpt it to the size we need.

Her temp is 38 and she's tachycardiac.

- I said get a textbook. - I know.

-I'm sorry, but I don't speak OB. And-- -Okay, okay.

Dr. Millin showed me your ultrasound. You need to get checked out right away.

What'd you see?

- Okay, um... - Sorry.

-Do you see this? -Mm-hmm.

We call that "The snowstorm sign."

What does that mean?

It's a molar pregnancy.

A mass of aberrant cells where a fetus would be.

It's rare, but it does happen.

I was never actually pregnant?

Not with a viable pregnancy.

So when I was agonizing over what to do about this baby...

No baby?

No. I'm sorry.

What do we do now?

-May I feel? Okay. -Mm-hmm.

So, the medication that you took, mifepristone, only targets pregnancy.

But you still have trophoblastic tissue in your uterus

and you're getting septic.

Okay. Ready?

If we don't remove it...

I could die.

Luckily, we've caught it early.

I'm gonna call someone from OB to give you a D&C.

Oh, you can't... you can't do it?

I'm not working today, but Dr. Collins is, and she's very good.

Is there any way you can do it?

I don't know, Dr. Collins, but I'm comfortable with you.

Okay. Okay.

I'm gonna change into my scrubs.

-You get her prepped. -Okay.

Thank you.

S-Sorry, it took me a minute to find a warm blanket.

- I missed that day in medical school. - -I appreciate that.

But does this look like a problem?

I need sterile towels.

Page Dr. Webber!

Do you all have a favorite Dolly Parton song?

"Jolene," obviously.

What, you don't think there's other good answers?

It's a perfect song.

Make sure you pull back on the syringe as you get close to the artery.

- What do you see? - Bright red blood. I'm in.

Grab the guide wire at the skin as soon as the needle comes out.

- You don't want to lose it. - Yeah, I know.

This isn't the first time I've accessed a femoral artery.

Just making sure.

- Now nick the skin and place the dilator. - -Yep.

All right.

All right, insert the sheath. Make sure not to advance too aggressively.

- Do you want to do it? - Keep going.

Some might say "9 to 5" is a pretty perfect song too.

Isn't that from a movie where they kill their overbearing boss?

Huh. Imagine that.

All right. You think you wanna be a neurosurgeon?

Let's see how far you can get.

Just follow the femoral artery and take your time.

Fluoro.

These towels weren't warmed.

Your insides are on the outside. The towels are the least of your worries.

Kwan, do I need to remind you

that part of the draw to this floor is that it's quiet? Shut the door.

The nurse said that you were screaming.

He removed his binder and his incision dehisced.

Those things are uncomfortable.

-That's what I said. -I paged Dr. Webber.

Webber's in surgery, so you've got me. Can I see?

Mr. Fazio, you didn't have to go to all this trouble to get my attention.

-Don't make me laugh. -No, really, don't make him laugh.

We're gonna have to get you to the OR. Kwan, prep the patient.

You heard what Webber said. I'm not supposed to operate.

Webber's not here. Get him down there.

Ndugu. Glad I caught up with you. You have a moment?

Uh, actually, I was about to--

I just heard that you're considering group feedback sessions.

Uh, yeah, my residency director did them and they're, you know, interactive.

I found it useful to learn from peers.

Ah.

'Cause personally, I find that doing things in groups

can be more difficult than doing them individually.

Noted.

To be continued.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, how you doing? You okay?

Just worried about a patient.

-What's going on? -Can we not do this, please?

-Do what? -This.

The thing where I tell you my deepest, darkest feelings,

and then you look at... you look at me like that, like you care,

and then I feel like everything's going to be okay

when in reality everything's a nightmare.

I need this elevator to move faster.

I do care about you--

Please don't.

I hope your patient's okay.

Me too.

I changed my mind.

My favorite song is "My Tennessee Mountain Home."

Glad you cleared that up.

How's it going?

I'm passing the left internal carotid artery...

- Contrast. - What do you see?

I see the middle cerebral artery.

I don't... I don't think I can make this turn.

What are your options?

Uh, I could keep advancing the coil...

And risk her stroking out if you damage the vessel.

I could use a more rigid catheter.

Congratulations, another stroke. Try again.

Uh...

Dr. Adams?

Okay, I'll take over from here.

Okay, I'm gonna come around

through the anterior communicating vessel

and catheterize the AVM feeder retrograde.

- It's too big. - -Looks like a perfect fit to me.

No, his defect is too big for a dead bone to heal in it.

It might stabilize him for now,

but the chances of failure are too high without a blood supply.

So all form no function. - Yeah.

It's too bad we can't use a fibula. It's got a great blood supply.

- It's Wright's to go-to. - -What if we could use it?

- I thought you said it's too small. - -No, no, what...

What if we take Ken's fibula and we put it inside the femur

to vascularize the graft, throw in a little BMP.

A bone in a bone like an orthopedic turducken.

- Yeah. - Yes.

Warren?

Well, I mean, it's absurd, but it might work.

Okay.

-Hey, is she ready? -Uh, yeah.

Um, I'm just gonna make a call.

Can you have, um, anesthesia give a second dose of antibiotics, please?

Sure.

Hi, you've reached Atticus Lincoln. Leave a message. Thanks.

Okay, how can I help you?

Do you want to talk about it or...

-do you want me to distract you? -Distract me.

Okay.

Okay, this is a good one.

I looked into all of the cardiothoracic research programs,

and the one that gives me the best chance of getting a top fellowship is Ndugu's.

What about the dogs? - I was lying to myself.

I'm a cat person.

Simone, how are you feeling?

The morphine's helping.

Okay, it'll be over soon.

Okay, let's have two units of blood ready.

It's just a precaution.

It's been a while since my med school OB rotation.

What are the chances of uterine perforation?

Low. Less than 1%.

Molar pregnancy can increase risk slightly,

but overall, it's very safe.

-And you've done a lot of these? -Tons. I'm not worried.

Hmm. Okay.

If you're ready, we'll start sedation.

No, take it off! Take it off! I'm sorry. I can't. I can't do this.

Please don't make me do this. I can't do it. Please don't make me do it.

Please, I can't, I can't. I can't do it.

-Okay. Okay. -I can't, I can't.

I can't do it.

Femur's ready for the fibular graft.

Can I get a brow wipe?

Okay. Take two.

Perfect alignment. - You did it.

It's not over yet.

Let's secure the spine, and then we can begin the anastomosis.

You know you want to.

- Lawyer. - Lawyer.

All right, fascia looks good.

Kwan, how about you help me dissect the lateral plane.

Well, I probably shouldn't.

Are you still worried about Webber?

Yeah, he's the chief of the whole system.

Yeah, because he's married to it.

This morning you said you wanted to cut. Are you a surgical resident or not?

Bovie.

All right, release the external oblique above the fascia. That's it.

That's right.

What the hell is going on?

Kwan, I told you no surgeries. Put that bovie down now.

Dr. Norton. I thought I made myself clear.

My resident has been out of commission for more than a month.

He needs time to work his way back into the OR.

Dr. Kwan was there when your VIP patient's bowel eviscerated.

He called for help and applied pressure to keep it from further eviscerating

while you were occupied elsewhere. I'd say he has worked his way back.

And by the way, he's doing an adequate job with this sublay placement,

which is about as good of a compliment as a resident gets from me.

I'll take over from here. - Won't be necessary.

- I'm about ready to close. - -I see my patients through.

You can step out.

Uh, do you still need me to--

Which residents are on general today?

Baxter, Ford, Goodwin--

Page Baxter on your way out.

-Oh, Dr. Ndugu. Dr. Ndugu? -Yes?

Yeah, so I was looking at the residency portal, and I--

Okay, if this is about me doing away with resident office hours,

-let me stop you right now. -I...

I will meet with them by appointment, but I don't have time to sit in my office,

because in addition to doing my own job, I'm covering for Altman, Hunt, and you.

You, you have no idea how much this favor I'm doing for you has cost me.

So if you take issue with how I'm doing things,

find someone else to do them.

Did you have something to tell me?

No, I... ... I was...

Carry on.

- I can't do it. - -Okay, just look at me.

- All right? I got you. - I got you, okay?

I know what it's like to be the doctor on the table.

You know too much.

It's impossible to let go, but I need you to try

so that I can be in control and you can go to sleep.

But what if I don't wake up?

What if there's a complication?

If there is one, I'll know how to fix it,

and if I need help, my colleagues are right outside.

Okay.

-Okay? -Okay.

Okay.

-No, I can't, sorry. -Okay.

Okay.

I'm sorry.

- I can't. - Okay.

Simone, you need this procedure.

I can't. I can't.

Okay. What if I did it without general anesthesia?

Does that make any difference to you?

-I'd be awake? -Is that safe?

It's usually more comfortable for patients if they're asleep,

but we could use a local nerve block if that's what you want.

You'll be awake and know what's happening the entire time.

And I'll be with you the whole time.

-Yeah. -Yeah?

Yeah. Yeah, I want that.

Okay.

All right, everyone, change of plans.

We're going to do a paracervical block.

I need 20 cc's of 1% lidocaine.

-I'm gonna go scrub. -Thank you.

Okay.

-All right. -Okay.

You'll be awake the whole time.

The torquer's tricky. Don't beat yourself up.

You set me up to fail.

Well, I gave you an opportunity to try.

Is that how you see it?

You're a resident.

I didn't expect you to get it right on your first try.

Yeah, you don't seem to expect me to do anything right, ever.

That's not true. I think you're very talented.

Yeah, but you don't think I have what it takes to clean up my crap,

or-or answer your kid's questions, or do my job, or be a neurosurgeon.

I didn't say that. The people who have what it takes to pursue neuro

don't keep their options open. They zero in.

They think about it every minute of the day.

Derek did. I did. You're not--

Because I'm not you. Or him.

And maybe I don't want to be, okay?

My way isn't wrong or defective just because it's different from yours.

You know, for someone who claims she was an underdog growing up,

you sure like to tear people down.

It could be the drugs,

but it sounded like you said the cancer has spread,

so I have a leg bone in my spine.

We removed all the cancer, but, um...

Well, yeah, that's basically what happened.

I'm still here, so, thank you.

I placed an order for physical therapy.

Now it'll take some time and a lot of work,

but you should be able to walk again.

And we'll monitor you for a couple more days

and keep a close eye on the pain,

and then you can get back to saving the world.

Is there anyone else that we should be speaking with?

No. Just me's fine.

-You came back? -I never left.

I know you. You lash out when you're scared.

I forget you're doing it every time until I remember.

King of the jungle to help you with your strength.

You know I'm allergic to cats?

Just take the dumb stuffed animal and say thank you.

We--We'll give you some privacy.

-Yeah. -Uh, thanks.

-What am I supposed to do? -Can't you just say thank you?

-Is it that hard? Just, "Thank you." -Come on.

How does clean water come from such a toxic relationship?

No one knows how other people's relationships work.

-True, true. -Okay.

I've got to go handle something, but, uh, I'll check on him in an hour or so.

Yeah.

It's a big win today.

We got lucky.

I should have scanned Ken yesterday.

I was stupid and careless.

You still found a solution.

You know, let's, uh, let's grab a beer at Joe's.

Uh, no. I got to catch up on some charts.

How long till I can get back on stage?

Oh, it'll be a few weeks. I'm sorry.

It'll give me time to work on my act. Always room for improvement.

How do you work on your act?

Do you have to perfect all of Dolly's mannerisms?

I did at first, but the reviews were terrible.

Then finally, I realized audiences think they want a good mimic

but what they really want is a good character.

And that comes from me,

knowing who I am and what I bring to the stage.

What do you bring?

I'm a kindergarten teacher with roots, a mom,

I volunteer at the food bank, and I've got killer gams.

When you are recovered, I would love to come and see you perform.

Now Dr. Adams is gonna to be in shortly to take your post-op labs.

You did great.

We completely evacuated the molar pregnancy with minimal bleeding.

Think I can go home soon?

Well, they are going to monitor you overnight,

but you should be discharged in the morning.

And I gave them strict instructions, no unwanted guests.

Thank you.

And thanks for letting me stay awake.

It meant... it meant more than you know.

My mom had a complication here years ago.

I just...

just needed to know what was happening to me.

I get it.

I'm glad it all worked out.

- Get some rest. - Yeah.

Sorry you didn't get to see the surgery through.

-I tried. -It's okay.

-His JP output looks good though. -Ah, that's what matters.

Hey, help me with this, will you?

-You know he can't tell that it's warm. -He's VIP.

He gets what he wants even when he's asleep.

- Sounds like one of his ads. - -I'll pitch it to him.

You think he'd be more successful if he spent more time on his cases

and less time filming commercials?

You don't think he's successful?

The guy owns a ginormous house in Laurelhurst, plus two boats.

He may be a tacky ambulance chaser with an annoyingly catchy ad,

but he doesn't take a dime unless his client wins.

You know, say what you will about his tactics but he fights for them.

And gets them what they want.

Dr. Berse, it's Atticus Lincoln.

Well, I'm, uh...

I'm having some pain again and, uh...

Yeah, I'm trying to push through, but, uh...

Could you...

call in a refill?

Hey, Lucas.

Stop.

Just stop walking.

You're not a failure.

Is that an apology?

I was the underdog in my family.

What am I saying?

I don't have to tell you that, you know the stories.

But now I am an accomplished surgeon.

And your mom and your aunts still treat me like I can't get anything right.

You don't deserve that.

It is true. You don't do things the way I would.

But that doesn't mean you wouldn't make an excellent neurosurgeon.

I want to help you find your path.

Even if it doesn't end up being mine.

So come work in my lab.

I will be more open-minded, I promise.

-I'll think about it. -Okay.

And I'm moving out.

It's time.

Dr. Webber.

Look, if you're here to make excuses about what happened, don't bother.

I wasn't planning to.

I thought I made myself clear about my expectations for you today.

-Yeah, you definitely did. -Good. You're dismissed for the day.

Kwan, I just said you could go.

-I know, but the Chief said that-- -The Chief...

-The Chief? -Chief Norton.

He said that I could scrub in on his latissimus flap tomorrow

and to put my name under his.

Good night, Dr. Webber.

Hi.

Hi.

- Everything go okay with your patient? - -Yeah.

She's doing fine.

Good. I'm glad to hear it.

Our lives are full of mysteries.

You could round a corner and meet your soul mate or your death.

- I'm home. - How'd it go?

Well, the paper is done.

Plus, I got a reminder of what it's like

to cram five people into a studio apartment.

-Did you at least get some cheap pizza? -You know, I did.

And I'm sorry about this morning.

You have taken on more around here to help me,

and I micromanaged the way you were doing it.

- Whoa. - I just... Stop. No, look,

oh, just going back to school is making me feel like I don't know what I'm doing.

You know, viral disease trends,

descriptive epidemiology, like everyone's speaking another language.

I'm just racing to catch up.

I think I just wanted to feel like I was an expert at something.

When I should have just said thank you.

You're welcome.

Mmm.

And I got something for you.

-For me? -Mm-hmm.

Bam.

No children were involved in the loading of this dishwasher.

Well then, how did you know--

Because I am an expert in you, Miranda Bailey.

Expert in me.

There's no way to predict what's waiting around the bend.

Your meeting ran late?

The meeting never happened.

I got pulled into a D&C that was more complicated than expected.

-Are you okay? -No.

I'm sorry. You never should have gone into that meeting.

-You wouldn't have gotten pulled in-- -No, it's not that. I'm just...

I'm really good at this.

I'm extremely skilled at these procedures.

I listen to my patients, I treat their heartbreak and their pain.

And this field needs every doctor that they can get and I love it.

I really love what I do, but I can't practice medicine anymore

without reliving something that almost killed me.

-Do you think it'll get better with time? -I don't know.

I just want to go home.

Yeah, let's get out of here.

All you can do is put one foot in front of the other

and lean on what supports you.

And trust it's there...

even when you can't see it.