Coma

Good morning. It's 6 a.m. on a beautiful morning in Boston.

These are the top stories:

Mayor White's assistant has met with the Redevelopment Authority...

...over the controversy on the Town Heights project.

Saugus: Police have arrested contractor James McManus...

...on $23 million graft and bribery charges...

...in connection with the Mystic River extension. Hyannis Port...

Mrs. Levine is day five post-cholecystectomy.

She remains afebrile and her previous anorexia is gone, draining well.

An AP chest film is clear. Her white count is nine-four.

BUN has stabilized at 40.2, good output of 1600cc's.

- Blood cultures? - No growth times two.

Well, Harris can't nail us on this one.

Next case.

It was a long time ago. And is he good?

Yeah, he can really break it up!

Billy's weird.

He gets so tired.

Do you like this lipstick?

She was terrific.

It's 32 now and going fast.

He can't afford to get out.

I got a thousand shares of that.

We have to have the AP, lateral and 10 units done before they can begin.

It says here, type and cross-match was done yesterday.

Just standard workup procedure.

Well, I don't know.

So it was a clear case of endocarditis.

We're ready when you are, Dr. Wheeler.

No response to antibiotics.

Cut her, okay?

Sponge. Begin to tie off.

It's all politics. Today, for instance...

...Rudnick says to me, "I hear you're the new chief resident in surgery."

- That's great! - He was testing me.

Then he says that Harris told him...

...that Mark Bellows was going to be the next chief resident.

- Wonderful, Mark. - But here's the thing.

He waited for me to say I knew about it. That wouldn't look right.

That would look as if I expected it. So I said I hadn't heard anything.

Heh. You've wanted it for two years.

But there's no point in saying that, is there?

I said, uh...

...I thought it'd be wonderful if it happened.

I said Chandler was doing an excellent job as chief resident.

But I said there was a little room left for improvement.

Chandler's damn good.

I really laid it on thick with old Rudnick.

I told him I was following his hepatic research, cited some references.

He was impressed.

Procedure went well too.

So all in all, it was a good day.

I'm gonna take a shower. Can you grab me a beer before dinner?

Hey, Mark.

Get your own beer.

- Honey, for chrissakes, come on. - I want to take a shower.

I was on call last night. - So was I.

I know, but I had two arrests...

...aortic aneurysm blew at 4 a.m., had to be done stat.

So I didn't get any sleep, and I'd really like to take a shower.

If you don't mind.

I had a hard day too.

You get in the shower faster than any person alive.

Have a beer. You'll feel better.

I know what'd make me feel better.

Goddamn doctors.

Couldn't have fallen in love with a nurse.

Dorothy on the eighth floor.

She liked me.

My own apartment.

Did you hear about Louis?

What about Louis?

They passed him up as assistant professor.

Guy's really paid his dues too. Now they don't take him.

Plus his son is waiting for a kidney transplant.

Did you start dinner?

What?

Did you start dinner?

- Did you hear anything I said? - It's in the fridge. Just heat it up.

- I was telling you about my day. - I had a hard day too.

Just go heat it up.

Why is it, whenever we're about to fight, you're always undressed?

What's the big deal? Just heat up the stew.

- Why won't you help out? - Is that the way you see it?

I make my concessions. You always take a shower first.

- I don't. - You do too, and I'm getting tired of it.

- Honey, come on. - Don't call me honey.

I'm trying to tell you about my day. Something that happened.

Your days are always the same.

What is that supposed to mean?

Just politics, that's all.

Who said what to whom. Who's rising, who's falling.

Who's made a good move, a bad move. Politics!

Somebody has to be interested in hospital politics.

You certainly are not.

I thought you were a surgical resident, not a political one.

I like politics.

They interest me. Just because you're always looking for—

You want me to heat up the dinner, is that it?

I want some respect.

Susan, come on. Don't leave again.

Why can't you share half the responsibility?

I share more than half the responsibility!

- No need to shout. - Why are you running off?

You think I want this? Let me tell you something.

I make concessions for this so-called relationship.

- I know it's hard on you politically. I also want you to—

Susan, don't go.

You know what the trouble with you is?

All you care about is being chief resident.

You know what your trouble is? You don't want a relationship.

Look at you. You run away from it.

This is ridiculous.

You don't want a lover...

...you want a goddamn wife!

Bastard.

Hmm. I have a bleeder here.

- I need more suction. Clamp.

He's not di-toxic. He has advanced ASHD.

I just bought some at 43.

Yeah, I hear they have management problems. I sold at 37.

- Hi. Hi.

- How are you? - Mm-hm.

I'm fine. The case went well. No problem.

Good.

I'm really sorry about last night.

So am I.

- You want to have some lunch? - I have class.

You don't think this is more important than the class?

Mark, that class is the only time I get out of this damn hospital.

Can you understand that? It's important to me!

You're impossible!

Seven, eight, step!

Back. Step.

Out!

One, two, down three, up four and open.

And one and two, three and four.

Stretch.

Walk two, three, four...

...and five and six, seven, eight and back.

You gonna leave Mark? - I don't know.

I went home last night.

Again?

He's impossible.

Did you see Dr. Richards?

- And? - I don't know.

Apparently you can tell by looking at the cervix. It's a different color.

He did the lab tests and he says I'm definitely 8 to 10 weeks pregnant.

So Dr. Richards is doing a D and C tomorrow.

- For menstrual irregularity. - Mm-hm.

It's simple, isn't it?

Are you worried?

I know you do this every day but, sure, I'm worried. Who wouldn't be?

It'll be fine, Nancy. It's routine procedure.

We're going to the Ice Capades.

- It's real crowded. Patient on call?

Coming right down, Dr. Cowans. The instruments are autoclaved.

Let's teach you fellas some anesthesiology.

This is your standard anesthesia.

You've got two main wall lines. Nitrous oxide on the left and oxygen.

We got a case today that's a D and C.

It's one of Dr. Richard's cases. Actually, it's a TAB.

That's a therapeutic abortion. Keep it clean. It's a married patient.

On the cart here, we got two manometers...

...with flow valves here and here to regulate gas.

We got emergency oxygen down here...

...which we checked and that's full.

During surgery, we'll be recording this and the vital signs.

Hey, how is Bess?

I don't know.

In and out.

Yeah.

Boy, she has more rails than anybody I know.

She's seeing a shrink now.

One, two, three, up!

Anybody we know? Mm-mm.

Morning, Nancy. Remember me? I'm Dr. Cowans.

Dr. Cowans.

That's right, dear, and you'll have a nice long sleep.

Pre-op, she's received a 0.01 of Demerol and 0.4 of atropine...

...so believe me, she's pretty relaxed.

I'll say she's relaxed! Come on, Mrs. Greenly, on your back.

That's it.

Gonna meet me for lunch? I don't know.

- I'll let you know, okay? Okay.

- I'll be in the lounge. Yeah.

Henry might be calling, and if he does, you know...

Okay, no problem. Yeah, okay.

- Afternoon, Tom. - Afternoon, Jim. How's our lady?

- Just about ready. - I'm still awake.

- But not for long, dear. - You promise?

I'll induce with sodium Pentothal, give an IV by syringe.

Nance, what I want you to do...

...is start counting from 100 backwards real slow, okay?

Here we go.

- A hundred. - Ninety-nine...

...ninety-eight...

...ninety-seven...

...ninety-six...

It's quick. Stop the pentothal.