Pure Genius

When I opened Bunker Hill

I made a promise that I would do

everything humanly possible to save

everyone who came through these doors.

I want to be part of this.

Julianna Wallace,

Executive Consumer

Safety Officer for the FDA.

You married up, W.

You kissed me.

Really?

This is Louis Keating.

He's been diagnosed with Gerstmann-

Straussler-Scheinker disease.

It's like ALS on steroids.

I did have the genetic test done,

and it came back positive for GSS.

I'm so sorry, James.

This is Madeline Sorenson from Wichita, Kansas.

She's 15 years old-- high-risk acute myeloid leukemia.

Terminal.

She's been everywhere.

I've checked her scans and her history.

Unfortunately, James, there's not much

we can do for this patient.

Well, what about... CAR T-cell therapy?

It's brand-new, and we've been given approval

for a one-time trial through the FDA's Compassionate Use program.

Cytotoxic T-cells.

The green berets of our immune system.

Exactly.

James, it's shown a lot of promise

in fighting lymphoid-type blood cancers, but this type

of leukemia, it's a different beast altogether.

Unfortunately, T-cells don't have antibody detectors

that fit into a protein on the surface of the leukemia cell.

Which is why we're... gonna engineer one.

Well, we'd have to design a very specific key,

which could take time.

And her latest labs

are not good. Hemoglobin:

5.8; platelets: 64.

She has a month, maybe two at best.

Okay, I get it, it's a Hail Mary pass, but...

before I hear all the naysayers speak up,

let me remind you of two things.

This face.

And it's Christmas week.

Okay, naysayers, speaketh.

Yeah. Let's bring her in.

Why not?

Tina, send the plane for Maddie and her family.

And merry Christmas, everyone.

And, Rebecca,

happy Chanukah. Shalom.

And...

Christian.

So we're all covered. Good. Carry on.

Dr. Verlaine.

May I have a word?

Yes.

Um... about that kiss.

What kiss?

Our kiss.

A few weeks ago.

I'm joking.

Oh. Right. Hmm.

It's amusing.

So, as I said, I was sleep-deprived,

I wasn't thinking straight, and we had just attended

a wedding...

Look, I hear it.

Let's just forget that it ever hap...

But upon further review, I realize it was not

entirely fair to make you feel like it was all one-sided,

so I take...

some responsibility for what happened.

Look, Brockett,

it's kind of hard to have a conversation here.

Mm-hmm.

What if we

grab dinner off campus?

Din... dinner?

Yeah.

Talk this through.

I'll do brunch.

Brunch works.

Okay. Good. Thank you, Dr. Verlaine.

Dr. Brockett.

You see this woman?

Andrea Cocciano.

Born Andrew Cocciano.

She identified as a woman

from the time she was six years old.

She's brilliant. MBA from Harvard.

And she's about to be fired

by a major equities firm because she's transgender.

This is a precedent-setting case

of national importance. I can win this.

But I need your help to cure me first.

We are well aware of your work as a civil rights attorney.

I have to admit, I'm a fan.

Thank you. Okay, let's talk quickly,

'cause I'm a ticking time bomb.

I wasn't diagnosed until six months ago.

The theory is I've had these petit mal seizures

my whole life. As a child,

they would come and go, but they never affected me.

Now I have an average

of ten per hour.

I can't go to trials like this.

I can barely even get through a deposition at this point.

I need someone to take the bull

by the horns or I am out of business.

And so are all the people who are depending on me

to feel heard and represented.

It just happened, didn't it?

Let's give him

another course of Gent and make sure to monitor his creatinine.

Yes, Doctor.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas, Dr. Wallace.

Honey.

Yes, it is.

What-what are you doing here?

Oh, well,

I know that you only had two days over Christmas,

so I... played around with my schedule.

I don't want you to be alone over the holidays.

This is a wonderful surprise.

And don't worry,

I brought plenty of my own work.

In fact, some of it is, uh, right here.

Here?

Yeah, Bunker Hill

has a request to, uh, approve

a trial for a drug for GSS-- Gerstmann-Straussler-

Scheinker syndrome.

I know about the trial.

I would normally have somebody else

at the office do it, but I pulled a few strings

and here I am.

Well, we're gonna have

a wonderful holiday.

BFF!

What on earth are you doing here?

Hi, James.

Are you here for business or pleasure?

Actually, I'm here

for the presentation on the GSS trial.

Oh.

Wonderful. Didn't know the FDA

would send out the big guns

for our tiny little study.

May I borrow your husband

for just a moment?

Sure.

Yeah.

Perseus, would you help Julianna

with her luggage?

I'll take your bags for you.

Oh, thank you.

Wish you'd mentioned that the grim reaper

was coming here to ruin our GSS trial.

I was expecting to get someone lower on the food chain

so I could push it through.

I had no idea she was coming.

But don't call her that the grim reaper, even if it's a joke.

I felt it, W.

You felt what?

The tremor.

What kind of tremor?

A not particularly distinguishable tremor

in my right hand. Tremors are typically

the first signs of the symptoms of GSS

taking a hold on the human body.

James...

Mild tremors followed by more intense tremors

followed by tics to slowing of the muscles

to attacking and eventually destroying of the brain.

I felt it, W.

I don't want you to jump to any conclusion...

W...

Will you be my doctor?

Of course.

Excellent.

Ah, here she is.

You must be Maddie.

You must be James Bell.

Hi. I'm Dr. Wallace. Nice to meet you all.

Hi. Thank you so much for accepting

our application.

Nice to meet you.

Are you ready to kick your cancer's ass?

So ready.

Let's get you checked in.

Welcome to Bunker Hill.

Right this way.

Today we have proven that this public elementary school

knowingly put its own students' health at risk