Coma

A brain injury caused her to lapse into a coma.

Trapped inside your own brain.

Too expensive, and insurance won't cover it.

The Jefferson Institute is one of only two facilities

in the entire country

that specializes in the care of patients

in an advanced vegetative state.

The institute can house these patients

for a fraction of what it would cost a conventional hospital.

Jefferson wouldn't let us in.

Come on.

So we broke in.

Room after room, empty.

What kind of hospital has no bodies?

What we did find, we can't explain.

Then the guards came.

Hey, hey, stop. Hurry.

Come on! Go!

Thanks, hon.

Just in time. Here you go.

Good morning, everyone. Oh!

Sweet.

Gang, let's rock and roll.

Watch the game last night, Chambers?

Fourth quarter. Wild one.

In fact, Dr. Taylor's got season tickets. How was it, Doc?

My son-in-law used them.

You know how it is. Never enough time in the day.

I don't think I've seen one game this year.

I got stuck at an ethics board meeting, then a fundraiser.

Caught the last two minutes on the ride home, though.

All right, that is the last of the fibroids.

And we're good.

Losing a lot of blood, Doc?

Not more than 100 cc's. Nice color, very nice. Why?

Pressure is 80/58, dropping. Turn the music off.

What? How can that be?

I don't know. Give me a second.

It's not coming from me.

This doesn't make any sense. I...

Talk to me, Ramirez. Heart rate is out of whack.

Eyes?

Fixed and dilated. I'm showing zero brain activity.

Damn it.

You! I'm talking to you.

What are you doing?

This has got to stop!

Okay. Okay. It's okay. I was doing nothing!

He came at me! You saw him.

Dr. Taylor, just the man I'm looking for.

You got a second?

Don't let them get to you, Mark.

Sir?

Hi, honey. How's work? Hey, Dad.

Is it fair that I'm working at the hospital and here?

The people are going to rise up one day.

I didn't pick my parents, you know.

I'll do the grocery shopping this week, okay?

Yeah, you'd better unless you want us

surviving on berries and worms.

Ahhh! Susan!

Miss, can you hear me? Can you hear me?

There you go.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Good, good.

Oh!

Mom.

Call 911.

Thanks. You're very welcome.

Anyway, it was so scary.

I thought I was going to have to find myself a new roommate.

I know.

And the weirdest part was opening my eyes

and having some strange guy over me.

That was weird for you?

Speaking of which, looks like someone's trying to get your attention.

Okay.

I'll take the guy from the pool any day.

Oh, come on. You've got good eyes.

That's why I'm going into ophthalmology.

Seriously, you want me to get the number of the mouth-to-mouth guy?

No, don't you dare. Don't. Come on.

I can break in his locker at the pool,

tell you if he wears boxers or briefs.

Don't worry. You'll do great. I'm on six if you need me.

Montoya? I'm Paul Carpin. I'm a medical student.

I'm supposed to report to the head nurse.

Sylvi, lady in 514 yanked out her line again. Yeah, bye.

Someone find Cartwright.

Nurse, I need some help.

Hi. Is this the surgical rotation?

Did you find him yet?

What's her problem?

That's actually considered pleasant for Montoya.

Okay.

And yes, this is the surgical rotation.

New student?

Transfer from New York.

Hey, guys. Hi. You, how is your head?

It's better. Thanks.

Good. I'm glad. My name is Mark Bellows. I know you.

From the Georgia Yacht Club. Paul Carpin, sir.

Good to see you. Call me Mark. In front of patients, Dr. Bellows.

Hanna Goldberg. Hi, Hanna.

Geoffrey Fairweather. Hi.

Susan Wheeler.

Ah! You're the Wheeler.

Like, as in this building, the Wheeler Pavilion?

Townes Wheeler performed the very first open-heart surgery in Atlanta.

My grandfather.

That was back when they named buildings

to honor people, not just to shake them down.

Well, welcome, Susan.

A legacy will get you in, but only hard work will keep you here.

Okay, show of hands, how many of you are absolutely certain

that you want to be surgeons?

Congratulations. You screwed up already.

They didn't tell you?

Never do your first rotation in your chosen field.

Use the ones you don't care about to gain experience.

Follow me.

We can transfer her to a private room...

Hi. Hi. You all right?

I don't know where I am.

Okay. Okay, let me see.

Okay, Mrs. Danner, I'm sure somebody

will be here any second. You just breathe.

Okay, guys, there is a liver resection

happening in OR 4, so let's go.

I'm coming.

Okay, kids, showtime.

They said I had Alzheimer's, and I don't, and they left me out here.

Okay, I'm here with you now, right?

Okay, Mrs...

Danner. Danner.

We're going to take you downstairs now.

Listen, I don't want to cause any trouble or anything,

but I just don't think she should be left alone.

Okay, sure.

Hey, Geoffrey, could you help me out here for a second?

Yeah.

What did you need?

Could you just hand me one of those

scrub brushes up there? You're tall.

Thanks.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

How have you been feeling?

Have you been taking your medication?

Would you say I've been helpful to you, Arno?

I feel like I've been very protective toward you,

maybe too protective.

No.

Have you been seeing the trees?

The trees ain't real.

I make the trees in my dreams.

The girl ain't real, either.

Fairweather, do a neuro check. Hi, Mrs. Sands. This is Dr. Bellows.

You're looking well. Guys, the patient's name is Marla Sands.

She was brought in on the 21st with nausea,

fatigue, weakness and vomiting.

Susan. Would you like to do the honors?

Sure.

Mrs. Sands, this is gonna take care of your nausea, okay?

I find that if you pinch the patient's arm, they barely feel a thing.

Here you go. Okay.

I'm sorry. Oh, geez, I got it.

If you drop it, they won't feel it at all.

Don't worry. It happens to the best of us, Susan.

Here you go.

Simple. Very good.

Follow me.

Sorry, you have to leave now. The surgical team's doing rounds late.

Sorry. That's okay.

Okay, guys.

Oh, my God.

I know her.

Susan?

I see her at the pool. What happened to her?

She was diagnosed with simple fibroid tumors.

After a successful hysteroscopy,

she lapsed into a coma.

Common procedure.

Incidents of coma after anesthesia are one in 8,000.

Now, I was not there for this case,

but I have been in the room when it's happened before,

and trust me, it's not something you ever want to experience.

In three days, her coverage for hospital care will end.

Jefferson is the only facility

your insurance will approve for long-term care.

Honestly, Mrs. Greenly, your daughter will receive more attention

and have a better chance of recovering at...

At Jefferson.

Hey.

I used to see her at the pool.

Yeah, she loves swimming. Or loved swimming.

She seems so nice, and, you know,

I know she didn't deserve this.