Original subtitles

Hi. | hope you don't mind, but Linda's a friend.

— Not a problem. — Severe abdo pains overnight.

She looks like a peritonitis.

Cavalry's here.

Hi, I'm Mr Smedley, the surgical registrar on call.

Can we have 75 of pethidine and 10 of Maxidone, please, Julie?

— Tubes? — So you felt nauseated all day yesterday

but didn't vomit till last night?

Developed severe generalised pain, worse on the right, with guarding and rebound.

— Right, let's have a look. — (Gasps)

Well, you've got gut rot real bad.

| can't say what the problem is since | can't examine you cos you're in so much pain

but we'll give you a painkiller and do some tests.

— Thank you. — Uh, have you had your appendix out?

— No. — Any chance you could be pregnant?

No chance. No.

— Sure? — Yes.

Let's put her nil by mouth and start an IVI.

Ceph and Mec to be on the safe side.

Last month's patients you were involved with.

The previous month's.

We have had to contact every one of them,

offer them all counselling and an HIV test.

| just wondered if you had any comment to make, Dr Mortimer.

Yes. Didn't realise I'd been working so hard.

| should be taking it easy in my condition.

Sorry, | know this is painful for you.

It's OK.

| should say now that it wouldn't be unusual

for us to have to do an exploratory operation to find out what's amiss.

You don't seem as daunted by surgery as most of our patients.

— Not if it makes me well again. — Sorry about the delay getting you to a ward.

There should be a bed free soon.

Not your fault.

I'd say a grotty appendix and a peritonitis.

| concur.

| didn't want to say earlier but Linda's, erm...highly strung.

She's not in the happiest of marriages.

— Right. Contact me if there's any trouble. — Thank you.

— It's very good of you to see her for me. — But me a beer and we'll call it quits.

Oh, it's a bargain.

I'LL give you a ring to see how it's gone,

— OK? — Feel free.

(Julie) Sorry to keep you waiting.

— Well, nothing to write home about there. — Her amylase is normal too.

Look, Scis, I've seen this woman before when | was working on the medical side.

She was suffering from dizzy spells.

The sort of dizzy spells that come on when she needed a bit of attention.

— | see. — Astoundingly, we found nothing wrong.

Then a couple of months later, she comes up with an overdose.

— It turns out her husband had left her. — (Laughs)

— She ODs... — And he moves back in.

Exactly.

Julie!

Julie...

Come on.

Hey.

He was just telling me the patient's past medical history.

Look, if there's a possibility that Linda's faking her symptoms,

don't you agree it's desirable her surgeon is informed?

Of course. What | object to is you discussing sensitive information

where it can be overheard.

You're quite right. | apologise.

You know what probably galls me the most

is the glee with which you two want to set about proving

that yet another female is being hysterical.

Excuse me.

| understand Phil Kirkby is starting work with you today, Ernest.

Thanks for stepping into the breach.

Yes, well, when | heard his next hospital wouldn't, | felt it was the least | can do.

To be found in error at an inquest is one thing

but to have a charge of manslaughter hanging over one's head is quite iniquitous.

Give the wrong injection these days. Time was...

one of mine could get blind drunk, run over his patient with his car

— and get off scot—free. — (Laughs)

Glad to see you're still supporting him, Graham.

Not many would have been so magnanimous.

Ah, | don't know, Ernest.

| just feel obliged to carry on looking out for the boy.

Nice.

I'm Dr Mortimer. I'll be the anaesthetist at your operation.

| just popped by to say that | was recently diagnosed HIV-positive.

Now, there isn't any risk to you but you are at liberty to request another anaesthetist.

All the staff have said | couldn't be in better hands, Dr Mortimer.

I'm happy for you to be one of my doctors.

— Thank you. — Her haemoglobin's come back as nine.

I'LL check her iron, B12 and folate.

— Have you had anaemia before? — Not that | know of.

OK, well, it's very mild. Do you suffer with heavy periods?

A bit, | suppose.

We'll have blood on standby to top you up if we need to.

Get some rest and practise for the anaesthetic.

(Humming)

(Phone)

James, this is the one who's faking it.

Husband seems to have been taken in by it.

Darling, I'm so sorry. How could | dally with my secretary,

what with you being so ill and all that?

I'd rather she got an unnecessary scar on her belly and me a red face

than have to explain why | didn't operate on her because | didn't believe her.

— It's the Novac effect again. — (Laughs)

Julie could refer to us a drowned rat.

Scissors would agree to perform emergency surgery on it.

It's a clinical decision. It has nothing to do with my relationship with Sister Novac.

We didn't know you were having a relationship with her.

Sorry, we just thought that you fancied her and were getting nowhere.

No, Phil. Fancying someone and getting nowhere is what sad tossers like you and | would call it.

To the wonder from down under that counts as a relationship.

— You all right? — Mm.

— You need a hand? — Oh, you couldn't, could you?

You don't mind if | hit the road, do you? I've got 1,001 things to do.

Er, you know they've changed the rota?

Liz, we're on call tonight.

Oh!

Don't tell me you've not brought an overnight bag.

— (Steady beeping) — For someone supposed to have peritonitis

she's got a pretty poor white cell response.

Maybe you two blokes are more accustomed to birds having to fake it than | am.

A quid you find diddly wrong with her.

Deal.

Now, this is known as the incision of indecision.

The thing about opening up the belly is you never know what you'll find.

This way you can extend the cut down towards the pelvis or up towards the stomach.

If | assumed it was appendix,

and then got worried about something upstream,

then this poor lady would be going home with two scars.

(Sighs)

So...your first day of surgery.

— What do you reckon so far? — It's a lot more direct than medicine.

Hmph. Heal ‘em and wheel ‘em.

Can | have some suction, please?

Yeah.

Something serious in there, Scissors?

You don't fancy double or quits, do you?

(Suction)

— There's a tumour in here. — Damn!

Waste of a quid.

— I'm confident | got it all out, Mr Docherty. — Open and shut, hopefully.

— I'll ask the lab to be prompt with the report. — Thank you, Mr Docherty.

Sorry to keep you. How are you feeling, Linda?

Oh, sick. Still in pain.

— We'll increase the painkillers, then. — Thank you.

I'd like to talk to you about what we found.

I'm afraid it's a classic case of good news and bad news.

— Fire away. — Maybe you'd like your husband to be here.

He's had to go to an important meeting tonight.

| had to force him.

You know what Tom's like.

I'LL start with the bad news.

| found a growth. It was cancer. Now, sometimes these things can go undetected for months.

There's no way of knowing.

You're gonna tell me | can't have any more children, aren't you?

| wanted another, but Tom said to wait.

No, no, no. | said there was some good news.

| took all the cancer out. Now, we need to wait for confirmation from the Lab,

but I'm confident it's all gone.

It hadn't spread or anything?

Not that | could tell

Honestly, Linda, it could be a lot worse.

With any luck, this is behind you now.

— When will you hear from the lab? — Tomorrow.

Right, well, | think I'll go and tell Linda.

Do you have to go straightaway?

Only | thought we could have a drink in the social club, if you felt like one.

— Oh... — There he is.

We're going for a drink. Kind of mark the end of Phil's first day.

— (Laughs hesitantly) — I'll be off.

Have fun, boys.

Right, Katie.

— (Retching) — OK, just try to relax.

Swallow the tube.

That's it. Well done.

That's the worst part over,

I'm eating a banana, what are you doing?

(Door crashes open, excited shouting)

Shh!

I'm sorry, love, you'll have... Just call me back.

— Get us a sandwich, please, Patrick. — Oh, I've got it.

— The curry house wouldn't let you in again. — No, not after the vindaloo enema incident.

— Give us a bit of banana. — No, get off.

— No! — Let's go round the back.

— Yeah! — Good call.

Come on, give it me.

You just shove the tube down into the stomach.

— (Scissors laughing) — You'll get a lot of practice at this, Liz.

Drug overdoses are the commonest cause of hospital admission.

— Unfortunately. Liz? — (Crashing)

That's it.

— Patrick. — Oh, | forgot my coat.

All quiet at the moment. Normally people are dying to get in.

(Both laugh)

I'm, er, off to bed.

Help, please!

(Shouting)

— Help, help! — Cubicle, quick!

— Call his mum. — He was just mucking around in the kitchen.

It's stuck, Look. Aah!

— Aaaaaaargh! — Oh, God! Oh, God!

— (Raucous laughter) — Funny.

(Door opens)

That one'll be for you. Sorry, Liz.

(Pager beeping)

Oh, shit. Oh!

(Man) Please call Casualiy on 3080,

Oh, God.

Oh, God. Ohl!

Oh!

(Phone)

Liz!

There's only one Cas officer on at this time in the morning

and she's busy on a long stitching job.

You wouldn't mind, would you? Paracetamol overdose.

| can't aspirate any more gastric contents.

Well, pull harder.

Put some more fluid down, see if that works.

Shall | bleep Andrew?

We've got plenty out. Let's just withdraw the tube.

Sharon, we're going to take your tube out now so well done.

(Wails in distress)

Oh.

Andrew?

How can a lavage tube be stuck?

Er, bear with us a minute, Sharon, please.

Let's, er, put barium down the tube and take an X-ray.

Find out how that tube's got stuck.

— | did try and contact you. — Not hard enough!

How am | supposed to know that you're working abroad for a year?

(Sighs)

Anyway, there's a chance that an infection may have passed between us.

In one direction or another.

Oh, so it's my fault now?

Have an HIV test.

I've had one!

I've got it too, James.

I've got it too.

It's a bit of an improvement, | think.

(Groans)

The biopsy which Mr Smedley took in theatre yesterday is being looked at this morning.

That will tell us what kind of cancer and hopefully confirm its complete removal.

Mr Smedley said yesterday it was definitely all gone.

Hopefully that will be so.

But we must wait for the report.

When your husband comes to see you, perhaps you'd like me to have a talk with both of you.

Thank you.

— I'm sorry, Mr D. — No doubt you acted with the best intentions.

— We'll say no more about it. — Thank you.

Linda Hawkins has a pancytopenia.

— | thought her blood was fine yesterday. — She was mildly anaemic.

Her white cells and platelets were at the bottom end of normal.

Anyway, this morning her counts are all down

and the consultant haematologists are looking at the film now.

Scissors, you'd better go and get the story straight from Path.

Sure thing.

(Laughs)

Yes, well, perhaps a more experienced operator would have introduced a little less tube.

Still, if it weren't for these mistakes, I'd be out of a job.

| really am very sorry, Dr Turner.

You look dead beat, Liz. Why don't you go and get a cup of coffee?

Thank you, Dr Turner. Perhaps if there's time later, | could come and observe?

— I've not seen an endoscopy before. — I'd be delighted to show you.

I'm sorry about this, Dr Turner. | know you're busy enough with your endoscopy List.

You shouldn't have left Liz unsupervised,

a point | shouldn't have to make when our last house officer is facing a manslaughter charge

because he didn't seek supervision.

This picture is suggestive of marrow invasion.

Her carcinoma must have spread before you took it out.

For her counts to drop this quickly goes along with a very aggressive disease process.

I'LL do a,...bone marrow biopsy.

Thank you.

The technician's just out there.

I'LL have this under the microscope straightaway.

That's it.

Thank you.

Linda, | just want to let you know how sorry | am if I've misled you in any way.

| should have been more circumspect.

You can see everything on the monitor.

Efforts to tug it free...

have obviously tightened the knot.

I'm at a loss to, er...manipulate the end.

(Phone)

I'm on call tonight.

I'LL have to check for you.

Right you are, Nurse.

This gentleman says he's missed his anti—coagulation clinic appointment.

| wasn't sure what | should do.

Get someone else to do it, | expect.

We'll be with you in a minute, sir. I've got to get to outpatients.

If you do his INR, I'll prescribe the next dose.

Thanks, Andrew.

Is it difficult, you and Caroline, you know, working on the same ward so much?

What?

Oh, | thought...

Sorry. Me and my big mouth.

(Speaking foreign language)

Ah. Erm...

| bleed easy, me. It's the stuff I'm on.

So when you take the needle out, | bleed a Lot.

Er... Right, well, erm, I'll get this sent down and it'll take quite a while.

So why don't you get yourself a cup of tea?

No, I'm fine here, thanks, Nurse.

Don't mind me, Nurse!

This for Mr Perry and when you've a minute, could you take a look at Mrs Pender?

— Very chesty this morning. — OK.

— (Ringing tone) — And Mary Jones needs a new venflon.

— Sorry. — Hello?

Yes, hello. Er, yeah. Could you do a pro—thrombin time for me, please?

— This is Urology. — Sorry.

Wrong number, love?

— Haematology? — (Man) Hello?

— Could you do a PT, please? — Send it down.

Thank you.

Oh, sorry!

— You did that on purpose! — |lt was an accident.

Come on, let's get you cleaned up.

You look a real picture, Nurse!

What does it say there? It doesn't say "Nurse"...

it doesn't say “Love”...

it says "Doctor". OK?

Ah, | think we should try an EEG.

Had one. Normal.

We should proceed to CT, then.

— (Pager beeps) — Had one of those too.

ft’s Liz on 26450.

— Lumbar puncture? — Last year.

— Hello, it's Andrew. — (Liz) INR, 23.

— Continue present dose. — And I'm really sorry about earlier.

Erm, well, Caroline and | are just good friends. It's an easy mistake to make.

— Thanks. — OK, bye.

Sorry, where were we? Erm...

— Magnetic resonance imaging? — Never had that.

Ah, good.

They used to call it nuclear magnetic resonance...

— but they changed the name. — Oh, | have had that.

The sample of the tumour that was taken during the operation

now appears to be a very aggressive grade of cancer...

which has even gone so far as to invade your bone marrow,

causing it to stop producing blood cells.

Dr Horton, our consultant haematologist

is even now discussing your case with her colleagues at the general hospital

and | think it's highly likely you'll be transferred to their unit.

If that is so, Linda, you couldn't be in better hands.

She wanted me to tell you.

(Sighs) No, no, I'm glad you did.

I'LL go to the ward as soon as | get off.

— What about you? — Me?

You shouldn't be blaming yourself.

Well, maybe | wasn't just trying to give her a hopeful prognosis.

Maybe | was actually trying to show off.

Well, I'm sure Linda isn't going to care whether you were showing off to her or not.

| didn't mean her.

| had to pull a few strings, but, er...we look after our own, Phil.

Look after number one, you mean?

Believe me, Phil.

| had no inkling.

And if you had...

Ah, Adrian, many thanks.

| see no alternative to the gastrotomy.

(Laughs)

The surgeons will spare your blushes again, Graham.

I'L leave it in your capable hands.

WiLL you be wanting me to assist you?

| don’t think so. | do prefer my patients to survive.

Something up my sleeve, ladies and gentlemen!

(Sobbing quietly)

The nurses said you were having them tell Tom he can't visit yet.

What am | supposed to tell him?

One minute I'm told I'm cured, the next...

Let the doctors speak to him, Linda.

If you do too.

Yeah.

One has a minor operation for varicose veins, one hardly expects to get a letter like this.

| do understand but please,

keep in mind that the chances of your test proving positive are...vanishingly small.

He's the one, isn't he?

I'm sorry, | have to go.

Oh, thank you, Mr DeVries.

Pleasure.

That's the fourth patient this week I've had to cosset.

Patients of yours we're having to back—test.

| trust you explained it's more to do with public relations than any clinical risk?

Still..there's been a change.

You won't be gassing for my routine lists any more.

Lucky you, eh?

— Who's taking over? — I'm not sure.

But whoever it is, as long as he's not gay or HIV-positive, right?

How's Dad?

— (Woman) He’s fine. — Good. Glad you're both well.

— How are you, james? — I'm...

| was thinking of coming home for the weekend, actually.

Didn't realise it'd been quite so long.

is there anything wrong?

Er, | just wanted to be somewhere where | didn't have to put on a happy face.

| mean, it’s in our genes.

Stress increases the Libido.

I'm surrounded by death.

Nature wants us to make more babies.

— Erm... — (Sirens wailing)

If it's just this once, you don't need to use a condom.

Are you sure?

Andrew, is there something wrong?

No.

It's just that | don't know if we're as good at keeping this a secret as we need to be.

— Is it your wife? — No. God, no.

It's just these things have a way of creeping up on you, you know?

And adultery is a sin, after all.

Come here.

You have 72 hours to take the morning-after pill.

| love it when you talk dirty.

| bet you're glad to be rid of that tube.

If that's your way of treating overdoses... (Coughs)

It'll be the Last one | take.

Should make it standard practice, then.

The cancer is in such an advanced stage that it's inoperable.

It's spread to the bone marrow.

All this is suggestive of a very bleak prognosis.

— How long? — It's not easy to say.

I'm sorry it's not “easy” for you, Doctor.

Days.

Mummy, when are you coming home?

When's my mum coming home?

Mummy isn't coming home, Daniel.

Why not?

Because Mummy's very poorly.

What's going to happen to her?

Mummy's going to die.

Come here.

(Sighs) | think | want to go home now.

lL drive you if you like.

| don't think so.

Why?

It's not the right time.

It's not important how | got it.

What matters is I'm HIV-positive,

And there's a chance | was when... when you and | were together.

— And you tell me now? — I've only recently found out myself.

| didn't want to send you one of those anonymous notices.

| wanted to tell you in person.

How many more people do you have to tell, Luke?

| know it's difficult news.

| just hope your result is happier than mine.

— Oh! — Two-nilL

My granny could beat you.

— Thought you'd packed them in. — Huh!

Yeah, | had.

Scissors, want to take on the champ?

— Rack ‘em. — Cor, fighting talk.

So what happened with that open—and—shut case from yesterday?

Open and shut.