Medium s06e03 Episode Script
Pain Killer
WOMAN: Pulse is nonexistent.
Patient's in cardiac arrest.
The cranial pressure's up.
I'm guessing aneurysm.
You're guess aneurysm? What does that mean? You want us to treat it like an aneurysm? Where's the attending? We paged him.
He hasn't answered yet.
You're the resident, so you're in charge till he gets here.
Right.
Okay, we need to insert an intraventricular catheter.
But that will take hours.
Okay, forget that.
Let's just hit it with the defibrillator.
Get the paddles fired up.
OLDER NURSE: Charging to 300.
It's charged.
Clear.
Clear.
Okay, new plan.
We need to do an intracranial bypass.
We'll just insert another catheter through the groin.
Are you sure? Her brain's not getting any oxygen.
By the time we find the aneurysm, she'll be a vegetable.
I think we got to call it.
Yeah.
I'm gonna call it.
Time of death Time of death? What are you talking about, time of death.
Continue CPR please.
She had an aneurysm I'm afraid.
She's been comatose for several weeks.
I thought about an intracranial drain.
That's a waste of time.
This patient's not having an aneurysm, she's in anaphylaxis.
I don't think so.
There's nothing on her chart that says anything about any allergies.
No known allergies.
But we changed her antiviral this afternoon.
It's got Methisone in it.
We've got something.
Pulse? Thirty-four.
Sixty-six.
BP's climbing as well.
She's stabilizing.
The clues are all on the chart.
You just gotta learn how to read it.
You just saved that woman's life.
I suppose I did.
Guess it wasn't your time to go Allison Dubois.
-==ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃðÃãÃé·îÃÃ==- ±¾ÃÃû½à ¹©Ã§Ã°½»Ã÷£¬ÃýûÃÃÃÃÃÃõÃÃþ ·ÂÃ룺 ã 㺠ñ¼äÃ᣺ÃÃÃà Kami Ãéý¼©Ãà µÃÃù¼¾µÃ3¼¯ How come you never told me? I don't know.
But in light of everything that's happened since, it seemed kind of beside the point.
Almost dying? How can that ever be beside the point? I don't know, I wasn't there.
From what the doctors told me, the whole thing lasted maybe two minutes.
I mean, they called me, I rushed down there.
By the time I got down there, you were completely stable.
I never even met the doctor who worked on you.
Still But, Allie, you were in a coma.
You were in a coma when I left you that night.
You were still in a coma when I came back the next morning.
It didn't seem like that much had changed.
But I'm sorry.
You don't have to apologize.
It's not your fault.
I just-- the whole reason I'm dreaming this dream is I'm anxious about going back to the hospital.
I'm anxious about seeing Rosemary.
What are you anxious about? She's your friend.
Why are you assuming the worst? Honey, it's a hospital.
They don't keep you in there 'cause they like you.
Aren't you forgetting something? And then this guy Jordy, after all that, tells her he doesn't even like girls.
He likes boys.
Bridgette, why are you watching that show? Mom and Dad would hate it if they knew that you were watching that show.
Nuh-uh.
You're wrong.
It's not even a show.
It's all real.
It's reality television.
Okay, you know what, you don't know what you're talking about.
There is nothing real about that show.
It's staged.
The people who make it tell them what to do.
Nuh-uh.
It's real.
It's fake.
You're wrong.
It has to be real.
I watched it on the computer at school.
What did you watch on the computer at school? She's watching that show, The Real Life Diaries.
The one where the follow real people with the real problems, finding real solutions to life's real challenges.
No, no, no, Bridge.
I don't want you watching that.
That's not for you.
Why is it not for me? I'm a person-- I'm real.
Yes, but there's nothing real about that show.
She's right.
It's all so lurid and adult.
I want to be an adult.
And I don't know what it means, but by the sound of it, I think I want to be lurid, too.
Yeah, me, too.
What you want to be is on time for school.
And I want to be on time for my job interview.
So if you guys are done with your breakfast, how about you go into your room and get ready for school, okay? Okay, Daddy.
Thank you.
Okay, Daddy.
Oh, hey when you see your mom, be sure to make a big deal.
She's walking without a cane.
Yeah.
We're decent.
I'm calling no fair.
(laughing): Look at you.
Thank you.
What's with the hair? I thought we had a deal.
I just got rid of mine to support you.
If I had known you were going to grow yours back, I would have stopped taking that chemo a long time ago.
I feel like such a fool.
I got out my best babushka for your visit.
And seriously, you're not using your cane at all anymore? No, not as of this morning.
You're just a disappointment on so many levels.
After all I've done for you.
Don't make fun.
Don't belittle.
No.
No, might not be important to you, but it's important to me.
You're the one who got me through those first few weeks, you smart-ass.
You're the one who would come up to me and say, "get your ass out of bed.
" Okay.
So return the favor.
Get your ass out of bed.
Well, I guess you just don't know how to say it right, do you? Rosemary, what the hell is going on? Why are you still here? Yesterday afternoon, my doctor told me I'm stage four.
Can't operate again.
It's too big.
It's too impacted.
I'm so sorry.
That's what he told me.
Do you know what I did? I didn't call my family.
I didn't call my minister.
The first person I called was you.
Yesterday afternoon.
You.
And here you are.
Here I am.
So how you sleeping? You're walking.
You've got hair to comb.
I'm thinking you're dreaming again.
So dream a dream for me.
Dream me something I can tell my husband; my kids.
Would you do that? A happy dream? A hopeful dream? I'll try.
I swear to God, I will try.
But it kind of does what it wants to do.
That's okay.
If you come up empty, feel free to come back tomorrow and lie to me.
I'll be right there.
Excuse me? Uh it's Doctor Dr.
Statler? Yeah.
I'm sorry.
Have we met? Uh, kind of.
My name's Allison Dubois.
I was a patient here.
Uh, I was in a coma for about three months.
And I, I had a bad reaction to a drug one night.
I guess, clinically, I was dead for a few minutes.
Yeah, I-I remember.
I think I gave you an epi shot.
Well, any other doctor would have done the same thing.
Well, I'm not so sure.
And, anyway, it wasn't any other doctor.
It was you.
I promise you: I only get less impressive the more you look at me.
Look, I know you're a very busy man.
If there's anything, ever, that you need-- not that I know what that would be You wouldn't have a nickel, would you? Yes.
Here you go.
(chuckles) We'll call it even, huh? Sorry about that.
Job interviews.
I I get pretty nervous.
Would-Would you give me that? Thank you.
I just-- I just dried them off and look at them.
They're already soaking wet with sweat.
You know what you should do? You should get a bottle of water.
And just keep your hands wrapped around it till before you go in the interview.
And that way your hand will be, uh, cool instead of clammy.
Oh, thanks.
I speak from experience.
Yeah, I'm, uh, Will Willem Wittmar.
Joe Dubois.
That-- you're right.
That hand is cool.
Willem, huh? Like, uh, like the actor? Yeah.
I, uh, really should change it to "William.
" 'Cause, uh, nobody ever gets it right.
Here you go, Willem.
I think you could probably use that.
Hey, Dad.
Hi, kiddo.
Hey, do you know anybody in Hollywood? Hollywood? Like in the entertainment business? No.
Why? I have this really cool idea for that TV show The Real Life Diaries.
And I was thinking if I wrote it down, maybe you could send it to them or write to them or e-mail to them or something.
It's about this new character, a guy named Willem.
Willem? What's so funny? Bridgette.
She's, uh, she wrote some ideas for this TV show she likes.
Well, why's that? (chuckling): I don't know.
She-she wants me to send it to the producers.
Ooh, I like it.
Shows initiative.
Yeah.
She's created all these characters.
She's got this guy named Willem who, he's an astronaut, and he hasn't been in space in, in, like, a couple years, so he's running out of money.
And his wife Tess is, uh, she's upset with him, so she socks him in the eye.
Whoa.
Wonder where she got that from.
I know.
You haven't socked me in the eye for months.
Oh, hey, you never said anything about, um, about Rosemary.
What's there to say? I was right.
She doesn't have much time.
I'm sorry.
The whole thing's so random.
My tumor's benign, hers was malignant.
I gonna live and she's gonna die.
Help me! Oh, my God, Rosemary, I was so worried about you.
I tried to call your room, and nobody answered.
The nurse-- she told me she would make me feel better, feel good.
She told me to relax.
She said she did this kind of thing all the time.
She knew what she was doing.
What do you mean? Why are you so upset? Ma'am, can I help you? No, I'm fine.
We're fine.
I'm just visiting my friend.
Your friend? Rosemary.
Rosemary Widdick.
I don't understand.
Didn't they tell you? Ms.
Widdick passed away early this morning.
I don't understand exactly what it is you want me to do, Allison.
I don't know-- investigate; file charges.
Help me find and arrest this nurse that I saw in my dream.
But the death certificate clearly indicates that your friend died from natural causes: "Sudden respiratory failure.
" I have to believe that if some nurse did give your friend a drug that killed her, there would be evidence to that effect and that it would be apparent to either her doctor or the people at the hospital Well, not necessarily; not if they're not looking for it.
Can't you just order an autopsy? Based on what? Look I'm sorry you lost your friend, but she was battling stage-four cancer.
That's not what killed her.
Even if you're right about that, my hands are tied.
No crime has been reported.
Even the family of the alleged victim isn't complaining.
The hospital has ruled on the cause of death.
If you want someone to revisit that judgment, you're going to have to convince someone there.
Dr.
Statler? Hello again.
Allison Dubois.
We-- I saved your life.
You gave me a nickel for it.
I'm sorry.
I'm really busy.
Is there something I can do for you? There's nothing out of the ordinary in this chart.
Well, of course not.
The drug responsible for ending my friend's life wouldn't have been recorded on that chart.
That's why I need you to authorize an autopsy.
Look, I think that Rosemary met with foul play.
That's, uh, that's quite an outrageous accusation, Mrs.
Dubois.
Do you have any basis for it? No.
I'm just taking Rosemary's word for it.
Look I know you're very busy and I know you're very good at what you do, but it just so happens I'm pretty good at what I do, too.
Look me up.
Here's my card.
Call me.
Tell me you'll do it.
Hey, Joe.
Looks like we both made it to round two.
Must have been that water bottle trick.
How's the other guy look? Oh, this? No, there was no other guy.
I woke up in the middle of the night and you know, I tripped over my dog and I went smack into the the bathroom door.
My wife actually, she tried to convince me to use some of makeup to cover it up, but Your wife Tess? Yeah.
Did-did I mention her the other day? Yeah, Tess, she, uh, she tried to get me to use something called "concealer.
" I mean, have you heard of this stuff? It's, it's What's that say about women that they carry around this stuff called concealer? Go away! JOE: Hey.
Oh.
Sorry, I thought you were Marie.
Ah, that's okay .
Um, what you, uh, what you doing? You working on some ideas for the TV show? Well, I had a dream about them last night, and I've been waiting all day to write them down.
Are you mad? No, I'm not mad.
(splutters) So what's going on? What's in store for ol' Willem, hmm? Are things gonna start looking up for the guy? Is he gonna get some work? Wait.
I don't understand.
So your competition for this job is some down-on-his-luck astronaut who has a ex-countess for a wife? (laughs) Well, Bridgette did take some creative liberties, but she also got a lot of things right.
This guy Willem is out of work.
He is married to a woman named Tess.
And, as far as I can tell, she did sock him in the eye.
"Tess wanted money.
"It was all she ever really cared about.
"And when Willem couldn't give her enough, "she found herself another man.
His name was Carlo.
" (laughs) What? So are we supposed to believe that this lady is cheating on her husband 'cause he can't find a job? I mean, nobody can find a job.
Hello? STATLER: I looked you up, Mrs.
Dubois.
Apparently you are usually pretty good at what you do.
So I called the Widdick family; I was able to convince them to let us perform an autopsy on Rosemary.
I'm looking at the results right now.
That's terrific.
Yeah, well, you tell me.
We found no unusual substances in her system, just the medication we prescribed.
We did find that her cancer had spread even further than her primary oncologist suspected.
Her kidneys were pretty much gone.
Her heart valves were not clear and her lymphatic system was compromised.
Mrs.
Dubois, I-I don't know what to tell you, but this woman died because her body was consumed with cancer, not because someone gave her a drug that killed her.
I'm just surprised.
Mrs.
Dubois, I'm sorry you lost your friend.
Perhaps knowing that she died of natural causes will make it easier to accept.
Thank you.
Help me! It hurts! Pain! Don't worry I've already given you something that's gonna make all of that go away.
Dr.
Bench prescribed something new.
It's very powerful stuff.
Trust me.
Try and relax.
You're not the first patient I've administered this to.
That's it.
Get some sleep.
It's all right, dear.
It's your time.
What's so riveting, hmm? Ooh, isn't that handsome Dr.
Statler, the man who saved your life? He did.
He saved my life, didn't he? Mm-hmm, yes, he did.
Why? I've been up here 4:00 in the morning, trying to read everything I can about him, trying to convince myself.
Is there something you want to tell me? I think he killed Rosemary.
I think he did it on purpose.
Wait a second.
Didn't you say a nurse did it? You said that you saw a nurse doing it.
I said Rosemary saw a nurse do it.
I think she-she thought she did.
But as it turns out, the nurse was just giving her a painkiller.
Statler slipped in there later and killed her in her sleep.
At least that's what I dreamt.
Well, why don't we talk about that for a second? You just started dreaming again, after being in a coma for months, after weeks of having no dreams at all.
Is it possible that what you saw didn't happen? I That's what I'm hoping.
I would love to be wrong.
Anyway, you know what, this-- I think you got some e-mail or something.
This mail symbol keeps flashing.
Hey, uh, I hate to shatter a horrible mood with good news, but it's Drew.
He said the interview went great.
They love me.
They're putting together an offer.
I might have a job.
Michael Crawford,340 Mr.
Carlisle.
Sorry to shanghai you after your lunch.
Um,my name's Allison Dubois.
I'm with the district attorney's office.
I was also a patient here.
I was hoping maybe I could have a few minutes of your time.
That's quite a story.
I want you to understand that I admire Dr.
Statler.
I-- Dr.
Statler saved my life.
But I've been doing research on his career this morning and-- Are you aware that before Dr.
Statler came to work here, you never had more than nine deaths a year from sudden respiratory failure? Sudden respiratory failure.
It's what's listed here on my friend Rosemary's death certificate.
It's kind of a catchall phrase,right? Basically means "We really don't know what happened here.
" Medicine is still as much an art as it is a science.
And yes,sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint a precise cause of death.
But that doesn't mean there's any question about whether the cause was natural or not.
I'm sorry,Mrs.
Dubois, your point? My point is,after Dr.
Statler came to work for you, the number of deaths you had attributed to sudden respiratory failure went from nine a year to 20.
That's just in his first year.
Twenty-- 20 deaths.
And almost all of them in the oncology ward.
And the year after that, there were 25.
That's almost three times the national average.
And-and after that What are we doing here? Who am I talking to? Am I talking to someone from the district attorney's office or a grieving friend? What does it matter? I'm asking if you are here in an official capacity or a personal one.
Does the district attorney even know you're here? What difference does it make?! Something is wrong! You need to begin an internal investigation.
Statler needs to know that he's being watched.
I see.
Based on a morning of looking at newspaper clippings and combing through Internet gossip, you've decided to come over here and tell me how to run my hospital.
Mr.
Carlisle Mrs.
Dubois,I am certain that in all that research you did, you must have ascertained that Thomas Statler-- the man who saved your life-- is one of the most respected oncologists in this country.
This is a man who has dedicated himself to treating people others have deemed untreatable.
Patients of means,people who could afford to go anywhere, come to this hospital because he's here.
Because of his reputation, because of his expertise.
He killed my friend.
I won't listen to this.
He killed a lot of other people.
I will thank you to leave my office.
I think you'd feel differently if somebody you loved was in his care.
It might interest you to know that when my wife was diagnosed with Hodgkin's two years ago, the only person I would allow to treat her was Dr.
Thomas Statler.
He kept her alive and comfortable for months, longer than other doctors even suggested she'd survive.
So I hope you believe me when I tell you that if you do not cease and desist with this slandering of his good name and the good name of this hospital, I will marshal all the resources of this institution and take you to court and make sure that yu and your dreams never defame anyone again.
Hello.
Oh,hey,Drew.
Yeah.
What do you mean they went another way? Your e-mail said that they loved me.
Your e-mail said they were, they were gonna make an offer.
Hey,Dad.
Hi,Dad.
Okay.
Hi,Dad.
Hi,Dad.
All right,okay.
No,no,no,I'm not Hi,Dad.
Hi,hi,hi,hi,sweetie.
Come on.
Sorry,my kids.
Yeah.
No,I'm not thrown.
I know it's-it's just a numbers game.
Yeah,the trick is to get on out there.
Is everything okay? Yeah,everything's fine.
I just didn't get that, uh,job that I was after.
That's so weird.
Willem got his.
What do you mean "Willem got his"? Well,I had a dream last night.
Willem was getting really close to this big job at NASA,but he was up against this other astronaut, this guy Joey.
And the other astronaut-- Joey? Are you serious? What? That's his name.
The other astronaut was supposed to get the job, but Willem knew that his wife Tess wasn't gonna like that.
So he called his friend Carlo.
Carlo's Wait,stop.
I thought Carlo was the guy who was going over to see Tess when Willem wasn't home.
He is,but Willem doesn't know that.
He and Carlo have been friends forever.
So,Carlo's an astronaut,too.
And Willem asked Carlo to call NASA and tell the people there that Joey is a really bad astronaut.
Son of a What in God's name gives you the right to judge me? Dr.
Statler.
How dare you suggest to the man who runs my hospital that I would do anything but deliver the finest, most humane care to my patients.
Dr.
Statler,can we talk about this in private? Where are you going? I'm still talking to you! Don't you dare walk away from me while I'm speaking to you or I Or you'll what? You'll decide to put me down? That's what you do, isn't it? You decide who gets to live or die, you decide who gets care and who doesn't.
You know,there's another word for that.
It's "murder.
" I think you murdered my friend.
I think you murdered a lot of other people.
Really? Is that how you call it? Is that what you think of it? Well,then,you've never been sick.
Not really sick.
Lying in bed watching while your fortune disappears and your family withers because there's no one there with the intelligence or the courage to make the difficult decisions that need to be made in such a circumstance; decisions that we've consigned to insurance companies and hospital boards and other anonymous groups who never need to look the patient or their loved ones in the eye and explain why they would prolong suffering when there's no hope of recovery.
You judge me because I'm willing to do things that others won't? Because I'm willing to entertain mercy.
Not murder.
Mercy.
There was nothing merciful about what you did to my friend.
Your friend was already dead.
All that was left for her is to sit and watch her body decay while her brain atrophied.
She wasn't ready to die.
That was her decision to make, not yours.
Sorry.
I beg to differ.
She wasn't qualified to make that decision.
She lacked the intelligence and the experience.
Unlike you.
Unlike me.
The fact that you get sick does not mean you have a full understanding of what sickness really is.
The sad truth of it is, is that nowadays, if you have enough money, you can keep almost anyone alive.
But the question is,can they live? I asked myself that question that night I walked into your room.
I considered your age, your health up until that point, the amount of time you'd been flatlining, and I saved your life.
Hope you're not going to make me regret that decision.
You know,I don't begrudge you your outrage, but just to keep things in perspective, it's not like he's killing anybody who isn't already at death's door.
Are you actually defending him? No,no,no, absolutely not.
This guy-- he's clearly a sociopath.
I'm just trying to help you accept the fact that maybe there's nothing else that you can do.
I mean,you told me that this guy somehow manages to do what he does without leaving any evidence.
And the hospital clearly isn't interested in, you know,looking any harder into this.
I mean,Statler-- he treated the-the chief administrator's wife,right? So I'm supposed to do nothing? No,I'm not saying that.
I'm saying you've already done it.
You know? Maybe you gave him a good scare today.
Maybe that'll make him think twice before he's tempted to,you know, be merciful again.
I don't know.
He didn't look scared to me.
I don't think he's the kind of guy who has scared on his menu.
President George W.
Bush is set to give his State of the Union address this evening, with insiders speculating that he'll announce an increase in troop levels in Afghanistan.
This on the heels of several I.
E.
D.
roadside bombs You wanted to see me,Jerry? Yeah.
Come on in.
Close the door,please.
Jeanette Gratz over in ICU sent me an e-mail today.
It was about you.
It seems that some of her nurses noticed an unusually high number of patients succumbing to sudden respiratory failure.
Your patients,or patients you had access to.
What,you're waiting for me to dignify this malicious gossip with a response? I'm not waiting for anything.
I'm obligated,legally, to investigate any complaint that calls into question the death of anyone under our care.
Part of that obligation is to suspend your privileges while we get to the bottom of this.
You're suspending me? I'm the head of Oncology.
How can you suspend me? It's already done.
As of tomorrow morning, your surgeries are cancelled, your recuperating patients have been assigned to other doctors in the unit.
If the investigation turns up nothing, you'll be immediately reinstated if you choose to stay.
How much debt are you in,Jerry? Don't make a bad situation worse,Tom.
How much does a man in your position make? Do you pull down a tenth of what I do? A twentieth? I heard you asked Micah Reese over at Pediatrics for a loan-- $50,000.
You might want to take note of where your feet are, Dr.
Statler.
The ice is getting awfully thin.
I was just thinking what a shame it was that,uh,my privileges are null and void when you and your wife need me more than ever.
My wife? What are you talking about? Well,I seem to remember that Deborah came in for treatment last year.
A slight melanoma.
I know this is a personal question, but I'm curious: How much life insurance do you have on her? What are you?! We all go to the Christmas parties, Jerry.
We all know what happens when Deborah has one cocktail too many, three cocktails too many, five cocktails too many.
We all know that over the years, she's distinguished herself with her,uh,willingness to sleep with any physician who would pay for a hotel room.
How dare you.
Now,the thing about life insurance is you have to buy it before a life-threatening condition is discovered.
Let's say,if you went out and bought a rather large policy on your wife today, if I were to bring her back in for further tests, if I were to find that the melanoma hadn't recurred, but that it developed into something more serious-- lymphoma,perhaps-- well,then I'd have to recommend that she be admitted to the hospital.
And I know that is a very scary thought.
Especially given the unusually high rate of mortality among my patients.
Of course,that's all moot since I don't have any privileges.
The facts are not in dispute here.
We have had numerous fatalities in the oncology ward.
But it is,after all, an oncology ward.
These are some of the sickest patients in the entire hospital population.
The survivability rate is the lowest of any single ward in the hospital.
This is expected.
And while the number of deaths from respiratory failure are statistically improbable, they're certainly not impossible.
They're certainly not unprecedented.
Mr.
District Attorney, I promise you, I've been through all of this since your colleague came to see me.
And I am convinced what we're looking at is a statistical anomaly.
Not the result of some sort of killing spree by a sociopathic physician.
I'm sorry,there just isn't any indication that Dr.
Statler's been indulging in the kind of behavior Mrs.
Dubois keeps accusing him of.
I appreciate your candor, Mr.
Carlisle, but I didn't ask you down here today to discuss Dr.
Statler's involvement in this rash of deaths.
You didn't? Then what am I doing here? To discuss your involvement.
My involvement? That's right.
Before her death, your wife Deborah was being treated by Dr.
Statler,wasn't she? Yes.
Where are we going with this? Well,I'd just like to know why you referred her to Dr.
Statler, even though a source tells me that you received a number of e-mails from hospital staff laying out their suspicions about his practices, in great detail.
You're talking about hospital gossip.
Dr.
Statler's the best oncologist in this state.
Even though you were very busy transferring everyone who complained about the good doctor to other hospitals, you still found time to purchase a few life insurance policies on your wife before she went to go see Statler.
It's almost as if you knew that he was going to tell her that the melanoma was back.
That she'd require surgery.
And that she wouldn't be coming home.
Do you think I murdered my wife? I hope you've got more than nurses' chatter to back that up.
That's a warrant allowing us to seize your computer.
My people are quite good at finding deleted files and e-mails.
Once we're able to prove that you were aware of the hospital staff's suspicions of his practices, and that you still put your wife into his care, well,at that point, I'll be ready to take my chances in court.
Or perhaps you would like to take care of this today.
Agree to testify against Statler.
If you're willing to tell us everything about the deal the two of you struck, then I'm willing to make a deal with you.
But you should know, this is a limited-time offer.
Once we find what I think we're going to find in that computer, then my willingness to bargain goes away.
Should take us about a day to get through those files, Mr.
Carlisle.
So,please give it some thought.
Nice window.
Thanks.
Uh,sorry for beating you out for the job.
So,uh,wh-wh-what are you doing down here? Well,I was just running some errands in the neighborhood.
I thought I'd say congratulations.
Thanks.
Just one quick question before I go.
Um,do you know a guy named Carlo Carcetti? He works for my old firm, Aerodytech.
Yeah,sure.
Carlo and I went to graduate school together.
Why? Well,you know,it's weird.
I never met the guy.
He started at Aerodytech a couple weeks before I left, but I hear that he called this place and told them that I botched a big project.
Really? That's what I hear.
That-That would be a really low thing for someone to do.
You'd have to be willing to give up every principle you ever had.
I mean,you'd have to be desperate.
Out of work for so long, you almost can't remember what it's like to have a job.
So broke your,uh, marriage is falling apart.
Right.
Uh,look,are you going to make a thing out of this? 'Cause I'm not going to just quit.
I really need this.
Frankly,I need this more than I need to be able to look at myself in the mirror.
Hey,hey.
Relax.
I hear they're paying you squat.
And I hear that this place is going to go out of business in a year,if they don't get bridge funding.
So it's okay.
Job's yours.
So,what do you want? Why did you come down here? Believe it or not,I came here to give you a heads up.
You might want to have a conversation with Carlo about his,uh, friendship with your wife.
I think that Carlo might have his own reasons for wanting you out of the house five days a week.
What's that supposed to mean? Well,you're going to have to figure that out by yourself, 'cause I got to go look for a job.
Hey! Hey.
Whatcha doin'? Cleaning out the garage.
I'm still officially looking for work, officially unemployed, and cleaning out the garage is what the officially unemployed do.
So,I'm doing it.
Oh,you're going to get another interview.
You'll get a job.
I know.
You know that from Bridgette? No,no,no.
My headhunter called.
He,uh,just wanted to reassure me that he's out hunting heads.
Well,it may be the light in here, but you actually look kinda happy.
I am.
I am happy,Joe.
The guy who runs the hospital is going to come in tomorrow to give a statement.
He's going to bring his lawyer in.
So,Devalos thinks that means that he's ready to cut a deal.
I hear the police came by today.
Tom.
I didn't know you were covering the night shift tonight.
I switched with Pinero.
So,it's true.
They confiscated your computer.
Yeah.
They were asking all kinds of questions.
They've got nothing,though.
Just a bunch of theories.
Of course they've got nothing.
There's no evidence of any crime.
Frankly,the only thing that can compromise me is you.
Relax.
I didn't tell them anything.
Not in my best interests, either.
You know how I do it,Jerry? How I make it seem like it's God's work when one of my patients passes on? Potassium.
Simple as that.
Potassium.
Now,potassium levels are almost always elevated after death,anyway.
And if you get the dosage right, no one will suspect foul play.
They'll just assume it's some sort of Sudden respiratory failure.
But in your case, I think they'll go for heart attack.
See,it presents itself differently when ingested instead of injected.
Sometimes there's vomiting.
Sometimes chest pains.
Those are probably the first palpitations.
They're painful,but they won't last very long.
Time of death.
Mrs.
Dubois.
What are you doing here? I know what you did to that man.
Oh,maybe you do.
Maybe you don't.
Doesn't matter.
YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING All those things that you said about mercy, and principles-- it's all a bunch of garbage.
It's all a bunch of crap.
You're exactly what I said you were.
You're a murderer.
Don't confuse the means with the end.
Jerry Carlisle threatened my career.
I had to make a judgment call.
The life and career of a dedicated doctor is worth more than the life and career of cuckold bureaucrat.
Now,I'm fully aware of how arrogant that sounds.
Doesn't make it any less true.
You don't actually think I'm going to allow you to continue killing people, do you? I am going to find a way to prove what you're doing.
I'm sure you'll try.
But,uh,if you want to keep an eye on me, you're going have to move to Georgia.
See,there's a hospital in Atlanta that's been trying to steal me for years.
I finally accepted their latest offer this afternoon.
I don't know,it just feels like it's time to move on.
Don't you think? You know,that night we first crossed paths-- that night I treated you-- I had no idea what a unique talent I was preserving.
In spite of everything that's happened, I'm glad I saved your life, Mrs.
Dubois.
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Patient's in cardiac arrest.
The cranial pressure's up.
I'm guessing aneurysm.
You're guess aneurysm? What does that mean? You want us to treat it like an aneurysm? Where's the attending? We paged him.
He hasn't answered yet.
You're the resident, so you're in charge till he gets here.
Right.
Okay, we need to insert an intraventricular catheter.
But that will take hours.
Okay, forget that.
Let's just hit it with the defibrillator.
Get the paddles fired up.
OLDER NURSE: Charging to 300.
It's charged.
Clear.
Clear.
Okay, new plan.
We need to do an intracranial bypass.
We'll just insert another catheter through the groin.
Are you sure? Her brain's not getting any oxygen.
By the time we find the aneurysm, she'll be a vegetable.
I think we got to call it.
Yeah.
I'm gonna call it.
Time of death Time of death? What are you talking about, time of death.
Continue CPR please.
She had an aneurysm I'm afraid.
She's been comatose for several weeks.
I thought about an intracranial drain.
That's a waste of time.
This patient's not having an aneurysm, she's in anaphylaxis.
I don't think so.
There's nothing on her chart that says anything about any allergies.
No known allergies.
But we changed her antiviral this afternoon.
It's got Methisone in it.
We've got something.
Pulse? Thirty-four.
Sixty-six.
BP's climbing as well.
She's stabilizing.
The clues are all on the chart.
You just gotta learn how to read it.
You just saved that woman's life.
I suppose I did.
Guess it wasn't your time to go Allison Dubois.
-==ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃðÃãÃé·îÃÃ==- ±¾ÃÃû½à ¹©Ã§Ã°½»Ã÷£¬ÃýûÃÃÃÃÃÃõÃÃþ ·ÂÃ룺 ã 㺠ñ¼äÃ᣺ÃÃÃà Kami Ãéý¼©Ãà µÃÃù¼¾µÃ3¼¯ How come you never told me? I don't know.
But in light of everything that's happened since, it seemed kind of beside the point.
Almost dying? How can that ever be beside the point? I don't know, I wasn't there.
From what the doctors told me, the whole thing lasted maybe two minutes.
I mean, they called me, I rushed down there.
By the time I got down there, you were completely stable.
I never even met the doctor who worked on you.
Still But, Allie, you were in a coma.
You were in a coma when I left you that night.
You were still in a coma when I came back the next morning.
It didn't seem like that much had changed.
But I'm sorry.
You don't have to apologize.
It's not your fault.
I just-- the whole reason I'm dreaming this dream is I'm anxious about going back to the hospital.
I'm anxious about seeing Rosemary.
What are you anxious about? She's your friend.
Why are you assuming the worst? Honey, it's a hospital.
They don't keep you in there 'cause they like you.
Aren't you forgetting something? And then this guy Jordy, after all that, tells her he doesn't even like girls.
He likes boys.
Bridgette, why are you watching that show? Mom and Dad would hate it if they knew that you were watching that show.
Nuh-uh.
You're wrong.
It's not even a show.
It's all real.
It's reality television.
Okay, you know what, you don't know what you're talking about.
There is nothing real about that show.
It's staged.
The people who make it tell them what to do.
Nuh-uh.
It's real.
It's fake.
You're wrong.
It has to be real.
I watched it on the computer at school.
What did you watch on the computer at school? She's watching that show, The Real Life Diaries.
The one where the follow real people with the real problems, finding real solutions to life's real challenges.
No, no, no, Bridge.
I don't want you watching that.
That's not for you.
Why is it not for me? I'm a person-- I'm real.
Yes, but there's nothing real about that show.
She's right.
It's all so lurid and adult.
I want to be an adult.
And I don't know what it means, but by the sound of it, I think I want to be lurid, too.
Yeah, me, too.
What you want to be is on time for school.
And I want to be on time for my job interview.
So if you guys are done with your breakfast, how about you go into your room and get ready for school, okay? Okay, Daddy.
Thank you.
Okay, Daddy.
Oh, hey when you see your mom, be sure to make a big deal.
She's walking without a cane.
Yeah.
We're decent.
I'm calling no fair.
(laughing): Look at you.
Thank you.
What's with the hair? I thought we had a deal.
I just got rid of mine to support you.
If I had known you were going to grow yours back, I would have stopped taking that chemo a long time ago.
I feel like such a fool.
I got out my best babushka for your visit.
And seriously, you're not using your cane at all anymore? No, not as of this morning.
You're just a disappointment on so many levels.
After all I've done for you.
Don't make fun.
Don't belittle.
No.
No, might not be important to you, but it's important to me.
You're the one who got me through those first few weeks, you smart-ass.
You're the one who would come up to me and say, "get your ass out of bed.
" Okay.
So return the favor.
Get your ass out of bed.
Well, I guess you just don't know how to say it right, do you? Rosemary, what the hell is going on? Why are you still here? Yesterday afternoon, my doctor told me I'm stage four.
Can't operate again.
It's too big.
It's too impacted.
I'm so sorry.
That's what he told me.
Do you know what I did? I didn't call my family.
I didn't call my minister.
The first person I called was you.
Yesterday afternoon.
You.
And here you are.
Here I am.
So how you sleeping? You're walking.
You've got hair to comb.
I'm thinking you're dreaming again.
So dream a dream for me.
Dream me something I can tell my husband; my kids.
Would you do that? A happy dream? A hopeful dream? I'll try.
I swear to God, I will try.
But it kind of does what it wants to do.
That's okay.
If you come up empty, feel free to come back tomorrow and lie to me.
I'll be right there.
Excuse me? Uh it's Doctor Dr.
Statler? Yeah.
I'm sorry.
Have we met? Uh, kind of.
My name's Allison Dubois.
I was a patient here.
Uh, I was in a coma for about three months.
And I, I had a bad reaction to a drug one night.
I guess, clinically, I was dead for a few minutes.
Yeah, I-I remember.
I think I gave you an epi shot.
Well, any other doctor would have done the same thing.
Well, I'm not so sure.
And, anyway, it wasn't any other doctor.
It was you.
I promise you: I only get less impressive the more you look at me.
Look, I know you're a very busy man.
If there's anything, ever, that you need-- not that I know what that would be You wouldn't have a nickel, would you? Yes.
Here you go.
(chuckles) We'll call it even, huh? Sorry about that.
Job interviews.
I I get pretty nervous.
Would-Would you give me that? Thank you.
I just-- I just dried them off and look at them.
They're already soaking wet with sweat.
You know what you should do? You should get a bottle of water.
And just keep your hands wrapped around it till before you go in the interview.
And that way your hand will be, uh, cool instead of clammy.
Oh, thanks.
I speak from experience.
Yeah, I'm, uh, Will Willem Wittmar.
Joe Dubois.
That-- you're right.
That hand is cool.
Willem, huh? Like, uh, like the actor? Yeah.
I, uh, really should change it to "William.
" 'Cause, uh, nobody ever gets it right.
Here you go, Willem.
I think you could probably use that.
Hey, Dad.
Hi, kiddo.
Hey, do you know anybody in Hollywood? Hollywood? Like in the entertainment business? No.
Why? I have this really cool idea for that TV show The Real Life Diaries.
And I was thinking if I wrote it down, maybe you could send it to them or write to them or e-mail to them or something.
It's about this new character, a guy named Willem.
Willem? What's so funny? Bridgette.
She's, uh, she wrote some ideas for this TV show she likes.
Well, why's that? (chuckling): I don't know.
She-she wants me to send it to the producers.
Ooh, I like it.
Shows initiative.
Yeah.
She's created all these characters.
She's got this guy named Willem who, he's an astronaut, and he hasn't been in space in, in, like, a couple years, so he's running out of money.
And his wife Tess is, uh, she's upset with him, so she socks him in the eye.
Whoa.
Wonder where she got that from.
I know.
You haven't socked me in the eye for months.
Oh, hey, you never said anything about, um, about Rosemary.
What's there to say? I was right.
She doesn't have much time.
I'm sorry.
The whole thing's so random.
My tumor's benign, hers was malignant.
I gonna live and she's gonna die.
Help me! Oh, my God, Rosemary, I was so worried about you.
I tried to call your room, and nobody answered.
The nurse-- she told me she would make me feel better, feel good.
She told me to relax.
She said she did this kind of thing all the time.
She knew what she was doing.
What do you mean? Why are you so upset? Ma'am, can I help you? No, I'm fine.
We're fine.
I'm just visiting my friend.
Your friend? Rosemary.
Rosemary Widdick.
I don't understand.
Didn't they tell you? Ms.
Widdick passed away early this morning.
I don't understand exactly what it is you want me to do, Allison.
I don't know-- investigate; file charges.
Help me find and arrest this nurse that I saw in my dream.
But the death certificate clearly indicates that your friend died from natural causes: "Sudden respiratory failure.
" I have to believe that if some nurse did give your friend a drug that killed her, there would be evidence to that effect and that it would be apparent to either her doctor or the people at the hospital Well, not necessarily; not if they're not looking for it.
Can't you just order an autopsy? Based on what? Look I'm sorry you lost your friend, but she was battling stage-four cancer.
That's not what killed her.
Even if you're right about that, my hands are tied.
No crime has been reported.
Even the family of the alleged victim isn't complaining.
The hospital has ruled on the cause of death.
If you want someone to revisit that judgment, you're going to have to convince someone there.
Dr.
Statler? Hello again.
Allison Dubois.
We-- I saved your life.
You gave me a nickel for it.
I'm sorry.
I'm really busy.
Is there something I can do for you? There's nothing out of the ordinary in this chart.
Well, of course not.
The drug responsible for ending my friend's life wouldn't have been recorded on that chart.
That's why I need you to authorize an autopsy.
Look, I think that Rosemary met with foul play.
That's, uh, that's quite an outrageous accusation, Mrs.
Dubois.
Do you have any basis for it? No.
I'm just taking Rosemary's word for it.
Look I know you're very busy and I know you're very good at what you do, but it just so happens I'm pretty good at what I do, too.
Look me up.
Here's my card.
Call me.
Tell me you'll do it.
Hey, Joe.
Looks like we both made it to round two.
Must have been that water bottle trick.
How's the other guy look? Oh, this? No, there was no other guy.
I woke up in the middle of the night and you know, I tripped over my dog and I went smack into the the bathroom door.
My wife actually, she tried to convince me to use some of makeup to cover it up, but Your wife Tess? Yeah.
Did-did I mention her the other day? Yeah, Tess, she, uh, she tried to get me to use something called "concealer.
" I mean, have you heard of this stuff? It's, it's What's that say about women that they carry around this stuff called concealer? Go away! JOE: Hey.
Oh.
Sorry, I thought you were Marie.
Ah, that's okay .
Um, what you, uh, what you doing? You working on some ideas for the TV show? Well, I had a dream about them last night, and I've been waiting all day to write them down.
Are you mad? No, I'm not mad.
(splutters) So what's going on? What's in store for ol' Willem, hmm? Are things gonna start looking up for the guy? Is he gonna get some work? Wait.
I don't understand.
So your competition for this job is some down-on-his-luck astronaut who has a ex-countess for a wife? (laughs) Well, Bridgette did take some creative liberties, but she also got a lot of things right.
This guy Willem is out of work.
He is married to a woman named Tess.
And, as far as I can tell, she did sock him in the eye.
"Tess wanted money.
"It was all she ever really cared about.
"And when Willem couldn't give her enough, "she found herself another man.
His name was Carlo.
" (laughs) What? So are we supposed to believe that this lady is cheating on her husband 'cause he can't find a job? I mean, nobody can find a job.
Hello? STATLER: I looked you up, Mrs.
Dubois.
Apparently you are usually pretty good at what you do.
So I called the Widdick family; I was able to convince them to let us perform an autopsy on Rosemary.
I'm looking at the results right now.
That's terrific.
Yeah, well, you tell me.
We found no unusual substances in her system, just the medication we prescribed.
We did find that her cancer had spread even further than her primary oncologist suspected.
Her kidneys were pretty much gone.
Her heart valves were not clear and her lymphatic system was compromised.
Mrs.
Dubois, I-I don't know what to tell you, but this woman died because her body was consumed with cancer, not because someone gave her a drug that killed her.
I'm just surprised.
Mrs.
Dubois, I'm sorry you lost your friend.
Perhaps knowing that she died of natural causes will make it easier to accept.
Thank you.
Help me! It hurts! Pain! Don't worry I've already given you something that's gonna make all of that go away.
Dr.
Bench prescribed something new.
It's very powerful stuff.
Trust me.
Try and relax.
You're not the first patient I've administered this to.
That's it.
Get some sleep.
It's all right, dear.
It's your time.
What's so riveting, hmm? Ooh, isn't that handsome Dr.
Statler, the man who saved your life? He did.
He saved my life, didn't he? Mm-hmm, yes, he did.
Why? I've been up here 4:00 in the morning, trying to read everything I can about him, trying to convince myself.
Is there something you want to tell me? I think he killed Rosemary.
I think he did it on purpose.
Wait a second.
Didn't you say a nurse did it? You said that you saw a nurse doing it.
I said Rosemary saw a nurse do it.
I think she-she thought she did.
But as it turns out, the nurse was just giving her a painkiller.
Statler slipped in there later and killed her in her sleep.
At least that's what I dreamt.
Well, why don't we talk about that for a second? You just started dreaming again, after being in a coma for months, after weeks of having no dreams at all.
Is it possible that what you saw didn't happen? I That's what I'm hoping.
I would love to be wrong.
Anyway, you know what, this-- I think you got some e-mail or something.
This mail symbol keeps flashing.
Hey, uh, I hate to shatter a horrible mood with good news, but it's Drew.
He said the interview went great.
They love me.
They're putting together an offer.
I might have a job.
Michael Crawford,340 Mr.
Carlisle.
Sorry to shanghai you after your lunch.
Um,my name's Allison Dubois.
I'm with the district attorney's office.
I was also a patient here.
I was hoping maybe I could have a few minutes of your time.
That's quite a story.
I want you to understand that I admire Dr.
Statler.
I-- Dr.
Statler saved my life.
But I've been doing research on his career this morning and-- Are you aware that before Dr.
Statler came to work here, you never had more than nine deaths a year from sudden respiratory failure? Sudden respiratory failure.
It's what's listed here on my friend Rosemary's death certificate.
It's kind of a catchall phrase,right? Basically means "We really don't know what happened here.
" Medicine is still as much an art as it is a science.
And yes,sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint a precise cause of death.
But that doesn't mean there's any question about whether the cause was natural or not.
I'm sorry,Mrs.
Dubois, your point? My point is,after Dr.
Statler came to work for you, the number of deaths you had attributed to sudden respiratory failure went from nine a year to 20.
That's just in his first year.
Twenty-- 20 deaths.
And almost all of them in the oncology ward.
And the year after that, there were 25.
That's almost three times the national average.
And-and after that What are we doing here? Who am I talking to? Am I talking to someone from the district attorney's office or a grieving friend? What does it matter? I'm asking if you are here in an official capacity or a personal one.
Does the district attorney even know you're here? What difference does it make?! Something is wrong! You need to begin an internal investigation.
Statler needs to know that he's being watched.
I see.
Based on a morning of looking at newspaper clippings and combing through Internet gossip, you've decided to come over here and tell me how to run my hospital.
Mr.
Carlisle Mrs.
Dubois,I am certain that in all that research you did, you must have ascertained that Thomas Statler-- the man who saved your life-- is one of the most respected oncologists in this country.
This is a man who has dedicated himself to treating people others have deemed untreatable.
Patients of means,people who could afford to go anywhere, come to this hospital because he's here.
Because of his reputation, because of his expertise.
He killed my friend.
I won't listen to this.
He killed a lot of other people.
I will thank you to leave my office.
I think you'd feel differently if somebody you loved was in his care.
It might interest you to know that when my wife was diagnosed with Hodgkin's two years ago, the only person I would allow to treat her was Dr.
Thomas Statler.
He kept her alive and comfortable for months, longer than other doctors even suggested she'd survive.
So I hope you believe me when I tell you that if you do not cease and desist with this slandering of his good name and the good name of this hospital, I will marshal all the resources of this institution and take you to court and make sure that yu and your dreams never defame anyone again.
Hello.
Oh,hey,Drew.
Yeah.
What do you mean they went another way? Your e-mail said that they loved me.
Your e-mail said they were, they were gonna make an offer.
Hey,Dad.
Hi,Dad.
Okay.
Hi,Dad.
Hi,Dad.
All right,okay.
No,no,no,I'm not Hi,Dad.
Hi,hi,hi,hi,sweetie.
Come on.
Sorry,my kids.
Yeah.
No,I'm not thrown.
I know it's-it's just a numbers game.
Yeah,the trick is to get on out there.
Is everything okay? Yeah,everything's fine.
I just didn't get that, uh,job that I was after.
That's so weird.
Willem got his.
What do you mean "Willem got his"? Well,I had a dream last night.
Willem was getting really close to this big job at NASA,but he was up against this other astronaut, this guy Joey.
And the other astronaut-- Joey? Are you serious? What? That's his name.
The other astronaut was supposed to get the job, but Willem knew that his wife Tess wasn't gonna like that.
So he called his friend Carlo.
Carlo's Wait,stop.
I thought Carlo was the guy who was going over to see Tess when Willem wasn't home.
He is,but Willem doesn't know that.
He and Carlo have been friends forever.
So,Carlo's an astronaut,too.
And Willem asked Carlo to call NASA and tell the people there that Joey is a really bad astronaut.
Son of a What in God's name gives you the right to judge me? Dr.
Statler.
How dare you suggest to the man who runs my hospital that I would do anything but deliver the finest, most humane care to my patients.
Dr.
Statler,can we talk about this in private? Where are you going? I'm still talking to you! Don't you dare walk away from me while I'm speaking to you or I Or you'll what? You'll decide to put me down? That's what you do, isn't it? You decide who gets to live or die, you decide who gets care and who doesn't.
You know,there's another word for that.
It's "murder.
" I think you murdered my friend.
I think you murdered a lot of other people.
Really? Is that how you call it? Is that what you think of it? Well,then,you've never been sick.
Not really sick.
Lying in bed watching while your fortune disappears and your family withers because there's no one there with the intelligence or the courage to make the difficult decisions that need to be made in such a circumstance; decisions that we've consigned to insurance companies and hospital boards and other anonymous groups who never need to look the patient or their loved ones in the eye and explain why they would prolong suffering when there's no hope of recovery.
You judge me because I'm willing to do things that others won't? Because I'm willing to entertain mercy.
Not murder.
Mercy.
There was nothing merciful about what you did to my friend.
Your friend was already dead.
All that was left for her is to sit and watch her body decay while her brain atrophied.
She wasn't ready to die.
That was her decision to make, not yours.
Sorry.
I beg to differ.
She wasn't qualified to make that decision.
She lacked the intelligence and the experience.
Unlike you.
Unlike me.
The fact that you get sick does not mean you have a full understanding of what sickness really is.
The sad truth of it is, is that nowadays, if you have enough money, you can keep almost anyone alive.
But the question is,can they live? I asked myself that question that night I walked into your room.
I considered your age, your health up until that point, the amount of time you'd been flatlining, and I saved your life.
Hope you're not going to make me regret that decision.
You know,I don't begrudge you your outrage, but just to keep things in perspective, it's not like he's killing anybody who isn't already at death's door.
Are you actually defending him? No,no,no, absolutely not.
This guy-- he's clearly a sociopath.
I'm just trying to help you accept the fact that maybe there's nothing else that you can do.
I mean,you told me that this guy somehow manages to do what he does without leaving any evidence.
And the hospital clearly isn't interested in, you know,looking any harder into this.
I mean,Statler-- he treated the-the chief administrator's wife,right? So I'm supposed to do nothing? No,I'm not saying that.
I'm saying you've already done it.
You know? Maybe you gave him a good scare today.
Maybe that'll make him think twice before he's tempted to,you know, be merciful again.
I don't know.
He didn't look scared to me.
I don't think he's the kind of guy who has scared on his menu.
President George W.
Bush is set to give his State of the Union address this evening, with insiders speculating that he'll announce an increase in troop levels in Afghanistan.
This on the heels of several I.
E.
D.
roadside bombs You wanted to see me,Jerry? Yeah.
Come on in.
Close the door,please.
Jeanette Gratz over in ICU sent me an e-mail today.
It was about you.
It seems that some of her nurses noticed an unusually high number of patients succumbing to sudden respiratory failure.
Your patients,or patients you had access to.
What,you're waiting for me to dignify this malicious gossip with a response? I'm not waiting for anything.
I'm obligated,legally, to investigate any complaint that calls into question the death of anyone under our care.
Part of that obligation is to suspend your privileges while we get to the bottom of this.
You're suspending me? I'm the head of Oncology.
How can you suspend me? It's already done.
As of tomorrow morning, your surgeries are cancelled, your recuperating patients have been assigned to other doctors in the unit.
If the investigation turns up nothing, you'll be immediately reinstated if you choose to stay.
How much debt are you in,Jerry? Don't make a bad situation worse,Tom.
How much does a man in your position make? Do you pull down a tenth of what I do? A twentieth? I heard you asked Micah Reese over at Pediatrics for a loan-- $50,000.
You might want to take note of where your feet are, Dr.
Statler.
The ice is getting awfully thin.
I was just thinking what a shame it was that,uh,my privileges are null and void when you and your wife need me more than ever.
My wife? What are you talking about? Well,I seem to remember that Deborah came in for treatment last year.
A slight melanoma.
I know this is a personal question, but I'm curious: How much life insurance do you have on her? What are you?! We all go to the Christmas parties, Jerry.
We all know what happens when Deborah has one cocktail too many, three cocktails too many, five cocktails too many.
We all know that over the years, she's distinguished herself with her,uh,willingness to sleep with any physician who would pay for a hotel room.
How dare you.
Now,the thing about life insurance is you have to buy it before a life-threatening condition is discovered.
Let's say,if you went out and bought a rather large policy on your wife today, if I were to bring her back in for further tests, if I were to find that the melanoma hadn't recurred, but that it developed into something more serious-- lymphoma,perhaps-- well,then I'd have to recommend that she be admitted to the hospital.
And I know that is a very scary thought.
Especially given the unusually high rate of mortality among my patients.
Of course,that's all moot since I don't have any privileges.
The facts are not in dispute here.
We have had numerous fatalities in the oncology ward.
But it is,after all, an oncology ward.
These are some of the sickest patients in the entire hospital population.
The survivability rate is the lowest of any single ward in the hospital.
This is expected.
And while the number of deaths from respiratory failure are statistically improbable, they're certainly not impossible.
They're certainly not unprecedented.
Mr.
District Attorney, I promise you, I've been through all of this since your colleague came to see me.
And I am convinced what we're looking at is a statistical anomaly.
Not the result of some sort of killing spree by a sociopathic physician.
I'm sorry,there just isn't any indication that Dr.
Statler's been indulging in the kind of behavior Mrs.
Dubois keeps accusing him of.
I appreciate your candor, Mr.
Carlisle, but I didn't ask you down here today to discuss Dr.
Statler's involvement in this rash of deaths.
You didn't? Then what am I doing here? To discuss your involvement.
My involvement? That's right.
Before her death, your wife Deborah was being treated by Dr.
Statler,wasn't she? Yes.
Where are we going with this? Well,I'd just like to know why you referred her to Dr.
Statler, even though a source tells me that you received a number of e-mails from hospital staff laying out their suspicions about his practices, in great detail.
You're talking about hospital gossip.
Dr.
Statler's the best oncologist in this state.
Even though you were very busy transferring everyone who complained about the good doctor to other hospitals, you still found time to purchase a few life insurance policies on your wife before she went to go see Statler.
It's almost as if you knew that he was going to tell her that the melanoma was back.
That she'd require surgery.
And that she wouldn't be coming home.
Do you think I murdered my wife? I hope you've got more than nurses' chatter to back that up.
That's a warrant allowing us to seize your computer.
My people are quite good at finding deleted files and e-mails.
Once we're able to prove that you were aware of the hospital staff's suspicions of his practices, and that you still put your wife into his care, well,at that point, I'll be ready to take my chances in court.
Or perhaps you would like to take care of this today.
Agree to testify against Statler.
If you're willing to tell us everything about the deal the two of you struck, then I'm willing to make a deal with you.
But you should know, this is a limited-time offer.
Once we find what I think we're going to find in that computer, then my willingness to bargain goes away.
Should take us about a day to get through those files, Mr.
Carlisle.
So,please give it some thought.
Nice window.
Thanks.
Uh,sorry for beating you out for the job.
So,uh,wh-wh-what are you doing down here? Well,I was just running some errands in the neighborhood.
I thought I'd say congratulations.
Thanks.
Just one quick question before I go.
Um,do you know a guy named Carlo Carcetti? He works for my old firm, Aerodytech.
Yeah,sure.
Carlo and I went to graduate school together.
Why? Well,you know,it's weird.
I never met the guy.
He started at Aerodytech a couple weeks before I left, but I hear that he called this place and told them that I botched a big project.
Really? That's what I hear.
That-That would be a really low thing for someone to do.
You'd have to be willing to give up every principle you ever had.
I mean,you'd have to be desperate.
Out of work for so long, you almost can't remember what it's like to have a job.
So broke your,uh, marriage is falling apart.
Right.
Uh,look,are you going to make a thing out of this? 'Cause I'm not going to just quit.
I really need this.
Frankly,I need this more than I need to be able to look at myself in the mirror.
Hey,hey.
Relax.
I hear they're paying you squat.
And I hear that this place is going to go out of business in a year,if they don't get bridge funding.
So it's okay.
Job's yours.
So,what do you want? Why did you come down here? Believe it or not,I came here to give you a heads up.
You might want to have a conversation with Carlo about his,uh, friendship with your wife.
I think that Carlo might have his own reasons for wanting you out of the house five days a week.
What's that supposed to mean? Well,you're going to have to figure that out by yourself, 'cause I got to go look for a job.
Hey! Hey.
Whatcha doin'? Cleaning out the garage.
I'm still officially looking for work, officially unemployed, and cleaning out the garage is what the officially unemployed do.
So,I'm doing it.
Oh,you're going to get another interview.
You'll get a job.
I know.
You know that from Bridgette? No,no,no.
My headhunter called.
He,uh,just wanted to reassure me that he's out hunting heads.
Well,it may be the light in here, but you actually look kinda happy.
I am.
I am happy,Joe.
The guy who runs the hospital is going to come in tomorrow to give a statement.
He's going to bring his lawyer in.
So,Devalos thinks that means that he's ready to cut a deal.
I hear the police came by today.
Tom.
I didn't know you were covering the night shift tonight.
I switched with Pinero.
So,it's true.
They confiscated your computer.
Yeah.
They were asking all kinds of questions.
They've got nothing,though.
Just a bunch of theories.
Of course they've got nothing.
There's no evidence of any crime.
Frankly,the only thing that can compromise me is you.
Relax.
I didn't tell them anything.
Not in my best interests, either.
You know how I do it,Jerry? How I make it seem like it's God's work when one of my patients passes on? Potassium.
Simple as that.
Potassium.
Now,potassium levels are almost always elevated after death,anyway.
And if you get the dosage right, no one will suspect foul play.
They'll just assume it's some sort of Sudden respiratory failure.
But in your case, I think they'll go for heart attack.
See,it presents itself differently when ingested instead of injected.
Sometimes there's vomiting.
Sometimes chest pains.
Those are probably the first palpitations.
They're painful,but they won't last very long.
Time of death.
Mrs.
Dubois.
What are you doing here? I know what you did to that man.
Oh,maybe you do.
Maybe you don't.
Doesn't matter.
YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING All those things that you said about mercy, and principles-- it's all a bunch of garbage.
It's all a bunch of crap.
You're exactly what I said you were.
You're a murderer.
Don't confuse the means with the end.
Jerry Carlisle threatened my career.
I had to make a judgment call.
The life and career of a dedicated doctor is worth more than the life and career of cuckold bureaucrat.
Now,I'm fully aware of how arrogant that sounds.
Doesn't make it any less true.
You don't actually think I'm going to allow you to continue killing people, do you? I am going to find a way to prove what you're doing.
I'm sure you'll try.
But,uh,if you want to keep an eye on me, you're going have to move to Georgia.
See,there's a hospital in Atlanta that's been trying to steal me for years.
I finally accepted their latest offer this afternoon.
I don't know,it just feels like it's time to move on.
Don't you think? You know,that night we first crossed paths-- that night I treated you-- I had no idea what a unique talent I was preserving.
In spite of everything that's happened, I'm glad I saved your life, Mrs.
Dubois.
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