A Gifted Man

600 lumbar stitch drivers.

Gina, you have done it again.

- And that's just the East Coast. - Mm.

Michael Holt invents a new instrument,

everyone wants to get their hands on it.

Hmm, bet you say that to all your neurosurgeons.

Only the one who keeps me in Armani.

You going to fly home to DC tonight?

I'll be back in two months.

You have time for dinner?

Already made a reservation at Per Se.

Swing by and get you at 8:00?

See you then.

Shall I cancel your lunch?

Hate to spoil your appetite for tonight.

Not possible.

This will.

The Clinica called three times.

Said you're late for your shift.

Tell them I'm on my way.

Hold on, Romeo.

You have a last-minute consult in Exam Two.

- Rachel Lewis. - New patient?

You treated her mother Eileen

for a slipped disc three years ago.

She sent you Yankee tickets to thank you.

Yes. Sat front row behind first base.

I caught a pop fly.

Oh, yeah. Of course you did.

What's up with her daughter?

She passed out right in the middle

of her bridesmaids' brunch.

It was terrifying.

Mom, it wasn't that big a deal.

I'm getting married Sunday.

Take a deep breath.

She's a little wound up.

Rachel is trying to play this down for you,

but when she stood up to give a toast....

she crashed to the floor.

I was just a little dizzy, that's all.

She has also had a headache for three days straight.

But it's gone today. I'm fine.

This headache... where was the pain?

Everywhere. Felt like my head was being

crushed in a vise.

Any double vision

or nausea?

No.

Any weakness in the limbs

- or numbness? - Nothing.

See, Mom, it's not a brain tumor.

It could be any number of conditions that could

be causing these symptoms,

starting with the stress of your wedding.

So will you... still run some tests?

Yeah, let's do an MRI, Ugh.

some labs and, uh, try to take a breath, relax.

Your wedding should be fun.

Mine was.

Tavo, will you give Mrs. Pence one of our starter diabetes kits

and extra syringes till she has time to get to the pharmacy?

Will do.

Where's Holt?

We got more than a dozen patients waiting here.

Autumn, any word from Dr. Holt?

- I've called him three times. - Try again.

- Here you are. - Thanks.

That's quite a shiner.

How come you don't have any lollipops?

Uh... here.

These are better.

Raisins?

They're good for you.

Raisins suck.

Okay.

Can I help you?

Hi. I teach first grade down the block,

and I was just wondering if I could see somebody real quick.

- What's the problem? - I don't know.

I just feel cruddy.

Well, you're in luck. We treat "cruddy" here.

Just fill this out, and we'll be with you as soon as we can.

MRI's clear, labs are normal, and EKG looks good.

Then why did she faint?

What about the headaches?

Uh, fainting's probably

from just not getting enough to eat.

Headache is probably just tension.

Let me give you a prescription

for Naproxen to get you through your honeymoon.

Now, get out of here and go get married.

Mom?

Eileen, you all right?

I'm fine. Whew!

I guess all this is harder on me than I thought.

Seeing your father

with his child bride...

Rita, get me a nurse!

I can't catch my breath.

What's wrong with her?

Her pulse is thready and her heart's racing.

What do you need?

Get me a crash cart! Grab a pillow.

Hang on, Eileen.

Season 01 Episode 09 In Case of Abnormal Rhythm December 2, 2011

- Is it a heart attack? - No.

Her heart rate's up to 180.

It's what we call atrial fibrillation.

What on Earth is that?

It's when your heart beats abnormally.

The electrical impulses at the top of your heart

are out of sync with the ones at the bottom.

That sounds serious.

It can be.

We need to admit you to Manhattan Memorial right away

to start you on a blood thinner.

I can't go to the hospital.

We have her dress fitting this afternoon.

You need an echocardiogram first to make sure

there's no underlying cardiac damage

- causing the arrhythmia. - So she could've had it

- for a while without knowing? - Possibly.

A-fib is more common the older you get.

What causes it?

Heart disease,

stress, even alcohol.

Well, we know it's not alcohol.

My mom's been sober for 15 years.

Right, Mom?

Eileen?

Have you had a drink today?

Um, I may have had

a few sips of a mimosa at brunch.

You what?

They gave me one with champagne by accident.

It's no big deal.

Have you had anything else to drink

in the past few days?

Mom, please tell him no.

It's been going on for a couple of weeks.

It started with a glass of port before bed, and...

it just got worse.

Well, that certainly could cause the A-fib.

Drinking after so many years of being sober

can bring on an attack.

How could you?

You sat on that bench in Central Park when I was 13

and promised me you'd never touch another drop of alcohol.

Sweetheart, I'm sorry.

Can you take this thing out of me, please?

Eileen, you're in no shape to...

Please! I've screwed up.

I need to talk to my daughter.

You walk out of here right now and you could die.

Honestly, I'm feeling

much better.

The fluttering is gone.

Check my heart.

- Well? - Yes, your heart rate's fine.

But A-fib can come and go.

This puts you at risk for a heart attack or a stroke.

You need to be in a hospital

on a Heparin drip to thin your blood.

I'm leaving.

And you can't stop me.

You're right, Eileen.

I can't tie you down, hold you here.

If you want to do something that stupid,

there's nothing I can do about it.

Isn't there anything you could give me, please?

I just want to see my daughter in her dress.

Yeah, I could give you a shot of Enoxaparin.

It's not my first choice

'cause it doesn't work as fast as Heparin,

but if you insist on leaving, that's...

the best I can do.

I insist.

So, as soon as you've talked to Rachel, you're going directly

to Dr. Eastman.

He's a cardiologist at Manhattan Memorial right next door.

I've called him and he is expecting you.

You have my word.

Thank you, Dr. Holt.

You're welcome.

You have a wonderful boss.

Let me guess, someone's leaving against medical advice.

From now on, all family members stay in the reception area.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

We're a little understaffed today.

One of our docs is in Philly playing with his band,

and the other one is...

well, don't get me started on him.

Yeah, what about him?

Other than having an ego the size of Wyoming?

He's, uh, an hour and a half late.

Anyway, what's going on with you?

You don't look so hot.

I have a sore throat, maybe a fever.

I thought it was allergies,