Original subtitles

Everyone thinks change is not possible until it is.

Dr. Ripley, who will assume the position of interim ED chief.

I-I will?

I have a faster way to see if we're on the right track.

I remembered that it's red under a Wood's lamp.

Nicely done.

You kind of just made it sound like

it was all your idea.

If you want to stay at Gaffney,

you're gonna have competition.

What you working on?

Uh, application for chief resident.

Hope I'm not too late.

Looks like we've got ourselves a race.

Hey, where are your parents?

Oh, what happened, little man?

Hey, where do you live?

Can you at least tell me your name?

I'm Annie. I'm a doctor.

You know what a doctor is, right?

Well, doctors help people who are hurt.

Let's get you to my hospital

and we can make you better, okay?

Big Dog.

I told you not to call me that.

Yeah, but you're wearing the Big Dog coat... come on.

Bagel?

I'm not hungry enough to eat a-a sad bribe.

Okay, so what I'm hearing

is that you are going to have my back today

when Dr. Heart announces chief resident, right, roomie?

Oh, I'm afraid I'm still on the fence.

See, Dr. Wu really does bring a lot to the table.

Hmm.

-Dean! -Hmm.

-Bagel? -No.

Uh, but I do have a baby you can kiss.

Do you know Dr. Wu rescued an abandoned child

on her way to work?

-Seriously? -Yeah.

CPD's on their way now.

Now, that's chief resident material.

Yeah.

Hey, why didn't you, uh, loop me in?

I am the peds EM resident.

You were busy with your campaign bagels.

You could've brought in doughnuts or something.

I'm just saying, you're pretty shameless.

-"Shameless"? Really? -Mm-hmm.

More shameless than you taking solo credit

for a two-person solve the other day?

Oh, really? You're still thinking about that?

CPD will be here soon, Dr. Wu.

No AMBER Alerts matching your little boy,

but they're already doing knock-and-talks

in the neighborhood where you found him.

-Did you get a name? -No, not yet.

-He still hasn't said anything. -Hmm.

Well, why don't you let Dr. Frost take a shot?

-He's got the magic touch. -Hmm.

Magic touch.

Get over your magical self, truly.

I didn't say it.

Don't feel like talking much?

That's okay.

Hey, have you ever seen one of these?

They're not the biggest deal anymore,

but when I was your age, I was obsessed.

That's so not a surprise.

Check it out.

Place your thumb here

and just let the pages flip like that.

It's pretty cool, huh?

Here, give it a try.

It's yours now.

Do you have a favorite toy?

Mommy and Daddy said never to talk to strangers

'cause they might follow you home.

Well, that is good advice.

And while it is true Dr. Wu and I are strangers,

we are also helpers that take care of people

and make sure that you find your parents.

I bet they're really worried about you right now.

And we could find them a lot faster

if we knew your name.

Max, Max Merritt.

Well, it's nice to meet you, Max.

I'm Dr. Frost.

Hey, buddy, what's wrong?

Mommy and Daddy are gonna be so angry with me.

Why would they be?

For running away.

I broke the rules.

I get in so much trouble when I break the rules.

You're seven?

Wow.

I mean, that's a whole lot more

than a little scratch you got on your cheek there.

You're pretty brave for a seven-year-old,

I'll tell you that much.

How'd that happen?

I was running, and a big dog barked at me.

I tripped and fell and hit my head.

-Wow. -Well, that sounds pretty scary.

I wonder what you were running away from.

My secret angel told me that something really bad

was gonna happen at home today, and I had to go before it did.

"Secret angel"?

Wow.

Does your secret angel have a name?

I don't know, but she talks to me.

What does she look like?

-I don't know. -I just hear her voice.

How'd you two meet?

I mean, like, who started the conversation?

Like, who talked first?

She did.

She did.

What kind of stuff you guys talk about?

Everything.

She knows all the stuff about me,

like that I don't have any friends

and that I'm scared of the dark.

She whispers to me, and I feel better.

She says she's gonna help me.

So Max seems to genuinely hear this voice, right?

Which he calls his secret angel.

And he trusts it

'cause it told him something bad was gonna happen today.

And, uh, it appears that that's why he ran.

This couldn't be schizophrenia, could it?

He'd be remarkably young

to be presenting with schizophrenia.

You know, I mean, one thing that I'm considering

maybe is autism, you know,

'cause he says he's really lonely,

doesn't have any friends.

Do you think he's being abused?

Not completely off the table, but he's just not showing

the classic signs of physical abuse.

Clean pajamas. He's bathed. He's well-fed.

Somebody's taken good care of him.

I mean, I do get the sense his parents are strict, right?

-Maybe even very strict. -So what's next?

It's unlikely, but I'd like to get a CTH

because he came in here with a head wound.

I just want to make sure that that's not what's responsible

for him hearing this voice.

All right, 110/65.

You're looking good, kiddo.

Thank you.

For taking your blood pressure?

For being a good stranger.

Thank you for letting me.

-Surprise. -Mommy! Daddy!

We're so glad to see you, buddy.

Mm.

Your dad and I were scared to death

when you weren't in your bed this morning.

We immediately jumped in the car

and went looking for him until you called us.

Why did you run away, Max?

Dr. Charles, the, uh, psychiatrist

who spoke to Max earlier...

he's on his way down to talk to you about that.

W-we heard you found Max.

Yeah. Yeah, he was a little banged up.

Oh, baby.

Max is a little concerned

that you might be upset with him

for talking to strangers, meaning us.

But I did explain to him that doctors help people, right?

I'm really sorry, Daddy.

Hey, you did the right thing, Max.

Mom and I aren't upset at all.

We're just so thankful you're safe.

I can't stop thinking about what if.

It's my fault.

I should've been watching him more carefully.

Don't do that to yourself, sweetie.

Hey. You cool?

Yeah, why wouldn't I be?

Seems like Mr. Merritt didn't make a great impression on you.

I'm all good.

Incoming!

Three Jane Does pulled from a house fire.

Jane Doe one... late 20s, upper-body thermal burns.

Heart rate's 126. BP's 90/54.

-Trauma 1. -Jane Doe two... 30s, no ID.

-Burns to the legs and abdomen. -Trauma 3.

Jane Doe three... 30s, burns to arms, legs, and torso.

-Heart rate 140, BP 113/60. -Trauma 2.

CFD rescued them from an underground bunker

that was bolted shut from the outside.

Somebody tried to burn them alive.

Some soot in her airway on exam

with non-labored breathing, sats at 92.

Heart rate 124, BP 135/70.

Stridorous en route, sats at 95.

You didn't intubate in the field?

We aborted on first look.

Her airway was too edema to us and filled with soot.

Preliminary assessment suggests arson.

-Okay, on my count. -One, two...

Three.

-Start a liter of LR. -Starting a liter of LR.

She needs air fast, Kacy.

Get an intubation kit and bougie.

Trini, have respiratory grab an ABG with carboxyhemoglobin

and call the pharmacy for hydroxocobalamin.

-She's gonna need intubation. -Wheezes bilateral.

Okay, let's take a look in your mouth.

-Sats at 78. -Heart rate dropping.

-It's no good. -We got to crack her.

-Scalpel and hook. -She has soot and erythema.

Page respiratory and start the HAM protocol.

Damn it, can't get an airway either... it's too swollen.

Pale skin and eye sensitivity to light.

Been a while since she's seen the sun.

Those women were in that bunker for a long time...

-maybe years. -No one deserves this.

What kind of person wakes up one day

and decides to burn them alive?

Us.

What was that?

We... started... fire...

To get...

free.

-Hey. -Jane Doe One able to talk?

No. We have her on continuous nebs,

but her words were clear.

The girls set the fire

hoping to get help before it killed them.

Sharon, those girls were in hell.

I just came from the house.

Those three girls were held...

crammed into a 20x15 space,

living in near darkness...

one bed, one toilet, no staircase.

No escape.

The only entry point

was a trapdoor that was out of their reach.

We found a ladder and bucket up top

that was lowered as needed.

Uh, is there any idea on who put them there?

The house is registered to an elderly woman,

Michelle Sweeney, who died over 30 years ago.

But we're still digging into who's been there since.

Well, I'm glad that you're heading this.

My involvement is more personal.

That's why the commander sent me over.

How's that?

Missy Nelson...

kidnapper entered through her bedroom window 29 years ago.

I was working the scene that day as a beat cop.

And needless to say, it stuck with me.

That bunker is only two blocks from Missy's house.

My gut says this is no coincidence.

S-so you think one of these girls is Missy.

That and whoever took her

might have taken the other girls.

Does Missy have any identifying features?

A birthmark on the back of her right ear.

-I'll check all three of them. -I appreciate it, Sharon.

Yeah.

-This goes deep. -It's embedded in the SubQ.

-Bad news... -the pharmacy just gave

the last vial of hydroxocobalamin to Archer.

She won't survive without it.

Yeah, they're calling East Mercy to get more,

but that'll take hours at least.

If there's only one vial of hydroxocobalamin left,

-my patient needs it more. -Uh, agree to disagree.

Mine's got over 60% TBSA full-thickness burns,

a Grade 3 inhalation injury.

I was only able to secure an airway via scalpel.

Mine is intubated, with mixed superficial partial

and full-thickness burns across the legs.

Her carboxyhemoglobin is 50, and her lactate is 15.

It's consistent with cyanide poisoning

from her inhalation injury.

Please don't waste that last vial on a patient

that is a long shot.

It's your call, Dr. Ripley.

The hydroxocobalamin goes to Dr. Wu.

Well, they say it's better to make the wrong decision

than no decision at all.

Now I'm not so sure that's true.

You made the right choice.

It sure doesn't feel like it.

Oh, impossible decisions never do.

Max hears voices?

What do these voices say to him?

Well, they're definitely friendly.

And, um...

Max does not seem to be frightened of them.

Have you ever heard him talking to himself or...?

Yes, but we chalked it up to an imaginary friend.

I had one at his age.

Max is a quiet kid.

He's sweet but doesn't have a lot of friends.

He struggles in that area. Always has.

Look, that could be all this is, right?

But we'd really like to do a head CT,

primarily just to rule a bunch of stuff out.

But also, you never know...

it could point us in the right direction.

I checked the other two ladies for the birthmark.

Neither had one.

So this could be Missy.

Well, Jane Doe number three is the most critical.

But her ears were burned,

so I can't confirm that she's Missy

by the birthmark.

But she is the oldest of the three.

The math works.

Jane Doe One's respiratory status has improved.

Dr. Ripley says you can speak to her now if you'd like.

Hopefully she can give us the name of her captor.

I know that you've been through a horrible trauma,

and if you don't want to talk, you just let me know,

but I want to get all your names

so we can locate your families as soon as possible.

Can you help me with that?

That's great.

Okay, let's start with you.

Joanna Cook.

I'm Trudy.

And the other two?

Isabel Preston and Beatrice Ross.

Did you ever meet a girl named Missy?

No.

But she was there before us.

Missy was bad...

so he got rid of her.

And can you tell me his name?

Oh, n... are you afraid you're gonna end up like Missy?

Okay, I understand. I understand.

But I promise you...

he will never be able to hurt you again.

Joanna, the three of you were so brave to set that fire.

No, Beatrice was the brave one.

She found the wires in the wall

and figured out how to make a spark.

Beatrice said that the risk of dying

was worth the chance of freedom.

She sounds like a hero.

She is.

Are Beatrice and Isabel okay?

We were about to burn alive when the firemen found us.

-They're alive. -They're fighters like you.

I just hope Max got out.

Max? Who's Max?

The little boy who lived upstairs.

I told him to get out of the house this morning,

-that something bad was coming. -Hold on.

-Sharon? -Max is Dr. Charles's patient.

He's in the PICU now with his parents.

Uh, J-Joanna, you were such a huge help.

-Wait. Max is here? -We'll... we'll be back.

Max is here?

Frost, Wu, did either of you discharge Max Merritt?

No.

They were just here two seconds ago.

Maybe they're grabbing a snack.

-This is Sergeant Platt. -Start rolling units to Gaffney.

We have two offenders who fled with their tender-aged child.

Secure all exits and set a four-block perimeter.

Can someone explain what's happening, please?

Clark Merritt is likely the one

who prisoned those women under his house.

Son of a bitch.

-Be advised... -the offenders were last seen

exiting the north entrance towards A parking.

Have CPD cover B and C once they arrive.

I'll take the left.

Clark!

Let's talk this out, okay?

I think we have a misunderstanding here.

On your knees, hands behind your heads.

Now!

You heard me. Get down now.

-Go, go. -I'll take care of Max.

Mommy?

Esther! Esther!

-Esther. Esther. Esther. -CPD!

Esther, it's over!

Esther, think about it!

Think about it!

Esther, hey.

Max still needs you, okay?

Okay, a lot of fractures here.

2 grams of Ancef and start a liter of NS.

No free fluid.

-Wow. -This woman's got nine lives.

And doesn't deserve any of them.

Get X-ray down for chest and pelvis

and tell CT we'll bring her up soon

and get her formal extremity X-rays on the way back.

Got it.

Esther, Esther, you were hit by a car.

So much pain.

Okay, 100 more of fentanyl, Nancy.

-Coming right up. -Where's my son?

-Your son who you abandoned? -He's fine.

Dr. Wu.

Take a walk. Now!

-Get ortho. -Yep.

Where's Mommy and Daddy?

They are safe.

Can I see them?

-Not right now, buddy. -I'm sorry.

Why were the police chasing them?

What? What did they do?

Look, that is not what's important, okay?

What's important is that you are safe now,

and you're gonna be okay, Max...

no matter what.

Why did they leave me?

It's because I broke the rules, isn't it?

They're mad I ran away.

They're mad I listened to my secret angel and not them.

Hey...

you did nothing wrong, Max.

And I'm so glad

that you listened to your secret angel,

because she kept you safe, didn't she?

The women have all been identified.

All three were kidnapped by Clark Merritt as children...

the oldest, Beatrice Ross, in 2002,

Isabel Preston in 2004,

and the youngest, Joanna Cook, in 2010.

They were in the bunker that long?

I'm afraid so.

And the evidence strongly suggests

that Clark Merritt was sexually abusing them.

-And... and the wife knew? -As far as we can tell, yeah.

Have their families been notified?

We're reaching out now.

And as for Esther and Clark's son, Max,

DCFS is on their way.

That poor kid.

I don't think he understood

what was going on down in that bunker.

I really hope that's true.

Anyway, that's it for now. Thanks.

You sensed something was off with Clark Merritt, didn't you?

That's what was bothering you before.

What is with the third degree?

You think you know me all of a sudden?

It was just an observation.

Why are you so angry?

-Trust me... -I have a right to my anger.

Yeah, seems like you'd be lost without it.

Hey, Trudy.

Is there any confirmation

that, um, Clark kidnapped Missy as well?

Well, he definitely mentioned her to the others

as a cautionary tale.

Our forensic team's searching the property now for her body.

Well, I hope you get some closure.

Yeah, I don't think that's in the cards, Sharon.

Thanks.

Am I gonna die?

No.

But you came in with some pretty severe burns, Isabel,

so you have a long recovery ahead of you,

which starts with debridement and skin grafting.

Did the police really catch Clark?

Yes.

He can't hurt you anymore.

I want to believe you, but...

Hey, I get it, but I promise you are safe.

Your parents are here.

They want to see you. How do you feel about that?

I don't want to see them.

He said they stopped looking for me.

-I don't want to see them. -Okay.

-I don't want to see them. -Okay.

That's... that's fine. You don't have to see them.

Mitch, you move Joanna Cook upstairs?

No.

Nope.

She was there five minutes ago.

Did you fall, Joanna?

No.

I just feel better down here.

Sorry, pal. False alarm.

-I'm good. -Okay.

Okay.

Joanna, I'm Dr. Charles.

Uh, you mind if we chat a little bit,

or would you rather I let you rest?

It's okay.

I hope I didn't alarm you.

I was just surprised to... to find an empty bed.

But I completely understand why you'd be more comfortable

on the floor.

We only had one bed...

Clark's bed.

It...

wasn't for sleeping.

Joanna, I'm...

I'm so sorry that this happened to you.

I mean, nobody should have to go through what you did.

But it's really important

that you understand that you're safe now.

-Is Max okay? -He is. He is, yeah.

I, um... I understand that you're his secret angel.

-How did you two communicate? -Through a vent.

-Right. -He never saw your face.

No.

Max never knew we were all down there.

I'm just a voice to him.

Joanna, you know that you saved his life.

I knew what we were gonna do to escape.

I had to warn him.

So Max had never seen you before,

but I'm just curious... had you ever seen Max?

I don't want to talk about him anymore.

Okay.

You know what? Um, I'm gonna let you be.

I saw Max once.

Really? When was that?

A long time ago.

-How old was he? -He was young.

-How young? Do you mind... -do you mind me asking?

He was...

Really, really, really young.

Oh, my God.

Beatrice knew he was growing in my belly before I did.

And she knew what to do when the pain came.

I cannot imagine...

how horrifying that must've been.

No.

In the darkness...

Max was mine.

When he cried, I held him.

And when I said I loved him, I knew he could understand.

But Clark took Max upstairs a few days later.

I screamed and fought.

Clark didn't like that.

He made me milkshakes that made me sleep

and told me to behave or I'd end up dead like Missy.

But I could always hear Max through the vent,

crying, then playing,

then walking, then talking.

But all I can do is imagine what he looks like.

And in my mind, he's perfect.

Can I see Max? I know he's here.

-Of course you can. -Absolutely.

We just need to make sure that we do that

in a way that works for the both of you,

'cause, remember, in Max's mind,

he lost his parents today.

And I'm just... I'm worried it'll be a little confusing for him.

Oh! Little help! Little help!

She's diaphoretic.

Give me 4 milligrams of Ativan!

Joanna's EEG results show

that her seizure was a rebound effect.

She's in severe drug withdrawal.

-You know, she said that... -that Clark gave her milkshakes

that made her sleep.

But she was the only one.

Neither Beatrice nor Isabel show any signs

of chemical dependency.

Well, I mean, she completely lost it

when Clark took her baby away,

so he must have got her hooked and kept her hooked, right?

Keep her under control.

So the problem is...

we don't know what she's withdrawing from.

I mean, her drug screen came back negative.

And, obviously, to treat Joanna,

we need to give her a version of whatever it is.

Otherwise, she could stroke out or even die.

What did you drug Joanna with?

-I want to talk to my husband. -Yeah, that's not happening.

Then let her die.

You could really help yourself if you just answer my question.

Joanna isn't worth the effort.

She could never follow the rules.

Like you did?

What?

You followed the rules

when you were down in that bunker alone...

-No. -Because Clark took you first.

No, no.

Oh.

Missy.

Oh, my...

-it's you. -I don't know who that is.

I was there the day you disappeared.

I still talk to your mom.

They didn't want me.

Oh, no, no, honey.

She thinks about you every single day,

and she never stopped believing you were alive,

and I never stopped looking for you.

-They didn't want me. -Hon...

-But Clark wanted me. -He said I was special.

He said if I was good,

if I did what I was told, he would let me out.

He would let me upstairs to be his wife.

And he would love and protect me always.

Clark kept his promise.

And then we found the others to build our family.

But they weren't good like I was.

Listen to me, Missy.

-Stop calling me that. -Listen to me.

You and Isabel and Beatrice and Joanna are victims.

-Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. -I am not them!

And you have a chance to help Joanna.

What did you drug her with?

Get out!

I don't have to talk to you.

Joanna's in withdrawal.

Her body can't stabilize itself

if we don't give her something similar.

I'll tell you what we gave her

if you let me talk to Clark.

You're acting tough, but you're terrified...

aren't you?

You don't know how to make a decision

for yourself anymore.

You spent the past 30 years letting him decide

everything for you.

But deep down inside,

you're still that 11-year-old girl...

spending her first night in a pitch-black basement...

chilled to the bone.

And then there were moments when he was suddenly kind,

weren't there?

Moments where he wasn't hurting you...

moments where he was...

merciful.

And you were so grateful for his mercy

that you mistook it for love.

But that's not love.

It's fear.

He pretended to give you everything

when he was actually taking it all away.

You don't know what you're talking about.

You're still in that bunker.

And it feels safer.

But the door's open...

And you can step out if you choose to.

I know, Missy.

Listen to me when I say this.

I know.

It was medicine for the dog.

Medetomidine?

Medetomidine.

How you feeling, Max?

I'm okay.

A little tired?

I'm sad.

I know, buddy. I know.

But, hey, I talked to the hospital and the police,

and we have a little surprise to cheer you up.

"Surprise"?

Max, it's me.

Secret angel, is that you?

Yes.

I'm so glad you're safe.

I ran away like you told me.

You were right.

Something bad did happen today...

a big fire.

You've been so brave.

I don't feel brave.

I know.

But you're braver than you think.

Are you here?

Can you see me?

I always see you

because I'm always with you, Max.

And I always will be.

-That's not fair. -I want to see you, too.

Maybe one day you will.

But until then,

can you just try to imagine what I look like?

Sure.

I know things are really confusing for you right now,

but I want you to remember

what a special, precious boy you are.

And I love you so much.

I love you, too.

You have to leave again, don't you?

I do.

Thank you for saving me, secret angel.

Thank you for saving me, Max.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

He's exactly how I imagined.

He's perfect.

Joanna, um...

I'm gonna do everything

that I possibly can to make sure

that you have a future...

with your son, okay?

I-I-I promise you that, okay?

Congrats on chief resident.

What?

The, uh, email just went out.

Wow. That would have meant something to me this morning.

But now...

I just don't care.

-Mm. -You can have it.

I am no one's sloppy seconds, Annie, but thank you.

That's on brand.

Look...

what you said to Esther earlier...

I mean...

you got her to talk.

How much did you hear?

Pretty much everything.

Hmm.

You want to talk about it or...

Not even a little bit.

Okay.

Where do you think you're going?

Somewhere else so you can be alone.

I didn't say you could go.

I'm so confused right now.

Stay.

Revel in the awkward silence with me.

"-" Today the CFD responded to a fire,

"during which they discovered three women

"being held captive in a bunker beneath the house.

"These women were subsequently identified

"as missing persons who disappeared as children

"over the last few decades.

"I'd like to take a moment to mention these women.

"Joanna...

kidnapped in 2010 at age 11"...

How are you feeling, Joanna?

Better.

"Isabel...

kidnapped in 2004 at age 12."

Mommy, Daddy.

"And Beatrice...

"kidnapped in 2002 at age 11.

"Despite the obvious danger,

"Beatrice set the fire

"in hopes she, Isabel, and Joanna

"might finally be rescued.

"You are heroes.

And welcome home."

Beatrice, I'm Dr. Archer.

I'm very sorry, but your burns were too severe.

But I wanted to let you know

that Isabel and Joanna...

are gonna be okay.

You saved them.

But I don't want you to worry.

I'm gonna be sitting right here with you.

So you rest now.

It's okay to let go.

It's okay.

Can you imagine...

these four walls being your entire world?

I can't, and I don't want to.

-Did you find this down here? -Yeah.

Missy had it with her when she disappeared.

Felt like I was reaching through time

when I picked it up.

-Well, in a way, you were. -Yeah.