Pulse (2025) s01e08 Episode Script

1
[calm music playing lightly]
Hey. Ask me what I know.
- I haven't even had my morning coffee yet.
- Come on, ask me.
Hot tech on six
finally got rid of her boyfriend?
Danny's taken it back.
What'd you say?
Danny told Phillips
she's dropping her harassment claim.
- Why is she dropping it?
- I don't know.
Came to her senses?
Realized it's a bunch of bullshit?
What's a bunch of bullshit?
Help! I need a doctor!
Please, he wasn't breathing!
[baby crying]
- Here.
- [edgy music playing]
Hey. Can you hold this for me?
I got him. Just come with me.
- [heartbeat thumping]
- [breathy oscillating tones]
- [sharp breath]
- [heartbeat stops]
[slow exhalation]
- [crying]
- [edgy music playing]
- Can we get some hands in here, please?
- [female staff] Yes, Doctor.
Can you tell us what happened?
Yeah, he started throwing up
a few days ago.
And then today
he just wouldn't stop crying.
Then when we were coming in,
he stopped breathing.
- [Harper] Does he have any medical issues?
- No, he's a healthy baby.
No, I know.
- And has he ever been to the hospital?
- No, never before.
I'm sorry.
It started at, like,
two o'clock this morning, and…
I was there by myself,
and I was just really scared.
And I was trying to calm him down,
but he just wouldn't stop.
My husband works nights.
I didn't know what to do.
- All right, let's take a listen.
- [Harper] Okay.
[crying continues]
Clear lungs bilaterally.
Some dry mucous membranes.
Let's start an IV.
His oxygen levels look good.
How long do you think
he stopped breathing for?
Maybe 20 seconds. He's done this before.
He'll stop breathing, then start again.
Is he gonna be okay?
Lots of reasons
babies stop breathing for a short time.
But right now, he's looking okay.
Hey, Mom, what's his name?
Benjamin, but we call him Benny.
- Okay, and how old is he?
- Nine months.
I'm sorry, you said nine months?
Yeah.
Benny's 16 pounds. That puts him in
the 3rd percentile of body weight.
- Has he always been this underweight?
- We just thought he was a slow grower.
Babies throw up.
We didn't think anything of it.
You wanna sit down?
When's the last time
you saw your pediatrician?
We're overdue for a checkup.
I just haven't been able to make the time.
We're gonna keep Benny hooked up
to the monitors for a little bit.
Run off some tests, see what we can find.
Yeah, hopefully the worst is over.
We'll get these orders in.
We'll be right back.
Thank you.
It's okay, Benny.
I have a bad feeling about this.
This isn't just not having eaten
for a few days.
That kid looks majorly malnourished.
Overwhelmed parents
who aren't paying attention.
That's neglect.
Let's… Let's run some tests.
Rule out anything medical
before we start jumping to conclusions.
You know Danny's dropping her HR claim?
You didn't know?
Why do you think she'd do that?
Well, we haven't exactly been talking.
Yeah, neither have we.
Hey.
Hey.
This is a surprise.
Said they wanted to see us both.
I don't get why we have to meet
if I don't wanna pursue my claim.
Well, I'm assuming they wanna know
why you changed your mind
about what happened
between us at the retreat.
I guess I'd like to know too.
[inhales sharply]
I think we should keep this simple.
If we both agree that we wanna drop it,
they'll be happy to put it to bed.
You want it dropped, right?
Yeah, if that's what you want.
Yeah, that's what I want.
Great. Me too.
- [heartbeat thumping]
- [breathy oscillating tones]
["Hermosa" by Buxxi playing]
Kiss-ass.
- What?
- You should hold it a little higher.
That way everybody can see
what you're reading.
This is relaxing. I'm relaxing.
Reading a medical journal
by the pool at the residents' retreat
is kiss-ass behavior.
Thank you. Speaking of.
Think I should go over there in a Speedo?
Give myself an edge for chief?
So you can come after me
about the medical journal,
but not talk shit about Lauren?
- You don't need an edge.
- I mean, I don't know that.
I mean, everyone here
knows that Phillips loves you.
A good mentor makes a big difference.
I feel kind of bad for her, honestly.
[chuckles]
Having that little faith in her abilities,
that she feels the need to flirt with him.
Yeah.
Danny, you okay?
You know, if one of us gets chief,
I… hope that nothing
changes between us.
Are you kidding me?
If I get chief, I hope that
you don't think any differently of me.
- That you don't resent me.
- Danny, come on. [chuckles]
You not remember where this comes from?
Never not here.
Never not here.
[slow exhalation]
Hey.
Hey.
You still mad at me?
Still an asshole?
Yeah, I guess so.
I'm sorry that I snapped.
I'm sorry for what I said to you.
I appreciate you. I really do.
And when I see you like this, it kills me.
Because you're brilliant.
And beautiful.
And I don't deserve you.
You really don't.
So you're still going to the yacht party?
- Probably a stupid decision.
- Just don't let Soriano find out.
I won't tell him if you won't.
We'll see.
You're my girl.
[elevator dings]
Oh, hi.
It's Cass, right?
- From the ER.
- Yeah.
Uh, how are you feeling?
Okay. I'm a little headachy,
but they said that's normal.
It is.
I'm here to talk about Cole.
Oh.
Look, he's at a crucial point
in his career,
and Cole has what it takes to be great.
But he's his own worst enemy,
and you are enabling him.
If anyone finds out
that he's been involved with a patient,
he's dead in the water.
And when does he become great?
You know, in your mind,
what's the timeline?
Because I kinda like him the way he is.
He's gonna move on from you.
I don't need him to stay.
Well, that's convenient.
Then you're not really gonna get hurt.
Can you blame me?
[chuckles]
Uh, no.
Believe me, I… get it. [chuckles]
[Nia] Why him?
There's plenty of other projects
out there.
I don't know.
I guess we have this…
It's a spark.
And he always comes back.
I come from a long line of women
who thought they could change men.
And after all the divorces,
I have a 40-person
extended family to show for it.
[chuckles]
You can't love him for what he could be.
I also can't help who I love.
I get that.
[sighs]
[clears throat]
Um…
Besides the headache,
are you feeling okay?
Any…
- Are you dizzy?
- Why?
Your blood pressure is low
and your heart rate's elevated.
Can I, um, check your abdomen?
Okay.
I'm just gonna apply some light pressure.
- [breathily] Yeah.
- Okay.
[babbling]
[Harper] Oh…
Looks like Benny's
responding well to fluids.
Unfortunately, we still don't know
what's going on with his breathing.
- Glenn.
- Joanna told me you were here.
[mom] He wouldn't stop crying.
Then he stopped breathing.
- He's breathing fine now.
- But they don't know why it happened.
Of course they don't.
- Well, we're leaving.
- Don't… Sir, hi. I'm Dr. Simms.
Um…
We are waiting on a few more test results
to see if there's anything concerning
going on with Benny.
And how many tests did you
pressure my wife to run on our kid?
The ones necessary to figure out why
Benny was having trouble breathing
and why he's so underweight.
- Now he's underweight?
- Yes.
For a child his age,
he is considerably underweight.
- We need--
- What are you trying to say?
I'm not trying to say anything.
- You think we're not feeding him?
- No.
If you want me to answer your questions,
you'll have to let me finish speaking.
Go ahead. Speak.
There's a possibility
that Benny's weight issues
and his breathing issues might be related.
So we need to run a few tests
that will help us figure that out.
Honey, please let them.
You better come back with some answers.
We'll keep you posted as soon as we know.
Yeah, I'd be careful with that one.
Doctors?
It'll be a bit longer.
The senior case manager
is caught in traffic.
Thank you.
[door closes]
Just so I know, what else would you say?
You said we should
keep it simple in there?
Why does that matter?
I just wanna be on the same page as you.
I wanna know
why you came in the first place.
Why do you think I came here?
Uh…
To me, we had one bad fight and…
Yes, I know it was awful,
but it was one bad fight.
Yeah. [inhales]
I know that's how you see it,
but there was more to it for me.
I'm… Before the retreat,
I felt like we were great.
I felt like I was drowning.
[exhales]
[softly] Wow.
Or is this about the bullshit rumor
your sister told you
that you decided to believe?
The other women?
- You're saying that's not true?
- It's absolutely not true.
And it's incredibly hurtful
that you'd believe that.
Jesus.
[mouthing inaudibly]
Okay.
I believe you.
This is screwing with my head,
Danny, all of this.
- I just said I believe you.
- How can I trust that?
Because from where I'm sitting,
it doesn't feel like you changed your mind
about me at all. This… feels like a game.
What else could you need from me?
I just said I believe you about Kennedy.
I'm dropping the complaint.
What are you not getting that you want?
I thought when I… [exhales]
When I got your text, I thought
I would come in here and you would say…
What?
That you meant what you said that weekend.
[sighs]
But coming from you,
I should have known better.
No, I don't want this.
Not if you don't mean it,
not if it's just another lie.
- [heartbeat thumping]
- [breathy oscillating tones]
[indistinct chattering]
Rule of buffet,
start at the end and work backwards.
- Oh.
- [Cruz chuckles]
Get some shrimp and croquetas
before they're gone.
Okay.
- Did you have a good day?
- Yeah.
Yeah, it was… It was fun.
Looks like it. Got a little sun.
Oh… I mean, I burn through tinted windows.
[laughs]
Good, fun is what this weekend is about.
Because whoever makes chief next year
won't have much time to relax.
You made a strong impression.
I keep hearing your name
a lot from Dr. Phillips.
- You do?
- Yeah.
Wanna have dinner with me?
I'd love to learn more about you.
Okay.
[airy music rises slowly]
He can't make the recommendation.
Excuse me?
Dr. Phillips.
Um…
You should talk to other people.
Other attendings.
I wouldn't… I wouldn't rely just on him.
Why not?
Uh…
Why not, Dr. Simms?
Because he…
he got in a fight with Dr. Elijah.
And it was ba-- It was bad.
It got really personal, so he's biased.
Someone else needs to make the decision
because he can't.
I…
I… forgot, I have to, um…
I'm sorry. [chuckles]
[airy music intensifies]
[slow exhalation]
["He Knows" by Camila Cabello
& Lil Nas X playing]
She's a provocateur ♪
Dancefloor connoisseur ♪
week, so Friday for sure ♪
Tell the girls we're taking a detour ♪
Give him hell, yeah ♪
Give these boys hell, yeah ♪
She does it well, yeah… ♪
Give me a second. Dr. Cole! You made it!
Thanks for having me. Please, call me Tom.
Tom, Max. Come on board,
let me show you around.
The practice owns the boat.
We're five senior partners,
four junior doctors.
We like to keep things intimate.
Once a month or so, we get together.
We come here, we have some fun,
and we eat too much crab.
- [chuckles]
- Let me show you upstairs.
Well, it looks like business is good.
I say this with absolutely
no disrespect to Soriano,
God knows the world could use more of him,
but general surgery,
academic medicine, it's just…
It's a different lifestyle.
Wander around, introduce yourself.
My boat is your boat.
I'ma take him from his… okay
On the real, I think he knows ♪
I think he knows ♪
- Hey, can I get a reposado on ice, please?
- [bartender] Sure.
- Two of those, please.
- Sure.
Sorry to draft off you.
It's my pleasure.
I'm Olivia. I'm a recovery nurse.
Hi, I'm Cole.
I'm a recovering surgical resident.
Haven't seen you at one of these before.
It's my first time. Hoffman invited me.
I'll have to thank him.
[chuckling sigh]
["Nieve (Nick Leon Remix)" by Feid plays]
[Olivia] You'd be surprised
what people ask for.
I mean, full head replacements.
- [both chuckle]
- [phone vibrating]
Um, so do you like it,
working for Hoffman?
I love it. Being there
when people get their bandages off.
When they see themselves
the way they've always wanted to.
So, Hoffman's wooing you, huh?
I think so, yeah.
Do you like being wooed?
[phone vibrating]
[Cole] Uh…
I'm really sorry, it's the hospital.
Could you give me a minute?
Yeah, sure.
If you could see what
you pulled me away from,
you'd understand if I never
let you scrub in again.
- Something's wrong with Nia.
- What?
She developed a fever, her abdomen's
tender, and she has low blood pressure.
I already sent her to C
and texted Dr. Soriano.
I thought you should know.
What happened?
Uh… Wait, hold on. Dr. Soriano is here.
- [Soriano] Cole?
- [Chan] He wants to talk to you.
Shit. Mute.
Thanks. Hey, Tom.
Listen, when you saw
Nia Washington this morning,
did you notice anything
concerning about her vitals?
Her vitals were stable, and her abdomen
was soft and non-tender.
Okay, I didn't get all of that.
One more time, please.
Nothing concerning on exam.
You're… You're at, uh…
at Hoffman's yacht party, aren't you?
Look, yes, but…
I am in a private space.
- I'll take it from here.
- I can come in right away, sir.
No, no, no, no.
Enjoy your day off, Dr. Cole. Thank you.
Shit.
Um…
Thanks. All right.
[light music builds]
[unsettling music plays]
[indistinct conversations]
[laughter]
Excuse me. Can we turn the boat around?
One of my patients needs me.
Isn't there an attending?
Well, yeah, Dr. Soriano,
but it's my patient.
[chuckling] I think Dr. Soriano
can handle your patient.
We'll be back on the dock
in a couple hours, all right?
[unsettling music intensifies]
[music peaks and fades slowly]
[indistinct chatter]
Results for the baby.
Normal CBC, chem panel, ESR,
CRP, UA, chest X-ray, EKG. All normal.
- What about the weight issue?
- [chuckling scoff]
It's not causing any problems
as far as we can tell.
Which means they can work
that up as an outpatient.
Oh, come on.
Have you seen the dad?
That kid is never coming back in here.
Yeah, the dad's a dick, but there's no
hard evidence that he's a bad father.
So right now,
there's nothing else for us to do.
- We need to let them go.
- Did you consult the attending?
I did. Dr. Sanchez agrees with me.
Maybe I can call the Peds resident.
Yeah, expedite a stool study,
get an abdominal ultrasound. I can--
Hey, Harper. You gotta let this go.
I do not feel comfortable
sending that child home.
I'm a doctor. I protect people.
That's what I'm supposed to do.
- You all right? What's going on?
- It's… [scoffs]
It's not this.
Have you tried calling her?
She doesn't exactly wanna talk to me.
The weekend of the retreat,
she came to my room,
and she told me everything, and I…
I've never seen her like that.
Like, completely lost.
She felt trapped
because she genuinely fell for him,
but that meant becoming the girl
that slept her way to the top.
God, I was so mad at him
for putting her in that position.
He's her boss. And I wanted to defend her.
To protect her. And I…
I told her to go to HR.
And she did.
But she didn't wanna go.
She was worried about
what everyone would think.
Especially you.
And now…
I feel very responsible for
what turned into a very bad situation.
[phone vibrating]
You've reached Dr. Simms.
Please leave a message.
[phone beeps off]
[exhales]
[stifling sobs]
[breathes deeply]
[door opens]
- [HR rep] We're all ready.
- [inhales]
Where's Dr. Phillips?
I… I'll go find him.
- [heartbeat thumping]
- [breathy oscillating tones]
["Candy" playing]
Strawberry, raspberry
All those good things ♪
Violets and gumdrops
That's what you're saying to me ♪
Why would you tell Cruz
I got into a fight with Elijah?
Because you're biased
and shouldn't choose chief. Another?
- [bartender] Yeah, sure.
- That looks so bad for me.
You can't make the decision, so…
She doesn't even believe it, Danny.
Of course she doesn't.
Because you're perfect.
- [bartender] Here you go.
- Thank you.
Hey, do you really think
you need another one of those?
You're so… flawless.
So handsome. So charming.
You know what?
You get everything you want. Including me.
- Okay.
- Even though I didn't want to.
'Cause you just push.
- And you push.
- You really want to do this here?
- In front of everyone--
- I actually didn't wanna do it at all.
Right, well… maybe we should just end it.
I mean, that would be
so easy for you, right?
Just walk away?
Easy?
Danny! Come on up here!
Let me see you top that!
Come on, baby!
- [crowd claps and cheers]
- Come on, come on.
[crowd whooping]
You're unbelievable.
[crowd whistling and clapping]
[slow exhalation]
[pensive music builds]
[pensive music intensifies]
[elevator dings]
Okay. Excuse me. Excuse me.
[edgy music playing]
- Just let her cool off overnight. Okay?
- Dr. Soriano.
Uh, how's she doing? Nia.
She's fine. Yeah, no. Thanks to Dr. Chan.
I hope you weren't under the impression
that either one of us needed you here.
I know this is your day off.
No. I want to be. She's my patient.
I just hope you don't think that--
What? That you could be seduced
by expensive tequila and unlimited crab?
You made a good catch.
Thank you.
[music fades]
Ah, Sophie!
- Hey.
- Hey.
How's Nia doing?
She's good, actually.
Uh, Dr. Soriano's likely
gonna do surgery tomorrow.
Good.
Hey. Um…
Sorry. Did I miss something?
Uh, actually, Cass is
the one that found it.
She was just talking to Nia,
and she noticed that her vitals were off.
She's a really lovely person.
Uh, what did you talk about?
- You.
- [elevator dings]
Oh, and you might wanna
freshen up a little bit.
You look a little sweaty.
- [heartbeat thumping]
- [breathy oscillating tones]
- [door shuts]
- [sniffs] Mmm…
Hey.
You're up.
Apparently.
- There you go.
- Oh my God.
How are you feeling?
- Ugh…
- Yeah, I bet.
I tried to get you to your room,
but we couldn't find your keys,
so I brought you here.
And no one saw.
Uh…
I think I said some things to you…
yesterday that I didn't mean.
It's all right. You were…
You were stressed.
I'm sorry.
Well, that's not what I'm pissed about.
What?
I'm pissed you never told me
you could sing like that.
Oh…
- You can trust I'll be by your side ♪
- Oh, no. Stop. No. Stop it. Stop. No.
- [laughing] It was amazing.
- Oh my God.
Oh no.
Oh my God, I'm gonna have to transfer.
I loved it.
I love you.
What?
I know it freaks you out, but…
I do.
And I have for a long, long time.
[sighs]
[gentle music playing]
[tearfully] Oh…
I love you too.
- You do?
- Yeah. [laughing]
[crying] Yeah.
Oh my God.
You have no idea how good that is to hear.
Oh… [cries]
I got the attending offer, by the way.
- What?
- Mm-hmm.
What? When?
- Yesterday. [laughs]
- What? Holy shit.
Honestly, who cares? I love you.
I love you too. Oh my God.
[laughing] Oh my God.
I just… I just…
I wanna tell everyone.
I know.
We should.
About us?
- We can't.
- We can.
What?
You were right.
And you've been right. I mean,
everyone's gonna find out eventually.
Okay, but…
then you can't recommend me.
Yeah, I mean, that's…
You said that's what you wanted.
No.
No, I didn't. I said I wanted you
to remove yourself from the process,
so I'd know I got chief on my own,
not because my boyfriend wanted me happy.
- Come on. It's the same thing. Isn't it?
- No, it's not. No.
[music fades out]
If we report the relationship now,
I'm not getting chief.
No matter how you slice it,
people are gonna take it as favoritism.
[sighs]
Oh…
Oh my God.
You're protecting yourself.
I'm… What? I'm sorry. How did we get here?
You didn't wanna go public till the offer.
Now you don't want any liabilities.
- Danny, that is not at all what I'm doing.
- You wanna change our rules now?
You realize it's my career
that's gonna take the hit.
Slow down.
What I'm doing is telling you I love you
and trying to take the next step like
a normal person, and you're litigating.
Because we had rules.
Because I…
I knew how much I was gonna love you,
and I knew it would hurt me.
- And you didn't listen.
- That's not…
So…
God! You know what?
I think I could have…
lived with it
if we would've kept it a secret.
I think I could have lived with the shame
and the guilt of you giving me chief
and never knowing
if I could have gotten it on my own.
I think I could have lived with losing
whatever little respect I have for myself,
if I didn't also lose the respect
of everyone else I care about.
Stop. You would have earned it.
You have earned it.
How?
How can you, of all people,
not understand
that it wouldn't feel that way for me?
[solemn music playing]
All I've ever wanted from you is for you
to understand what this feels like for me.
That by being with you, I am risking
everything else I care about.
Why can you not acknowledge
that this is hard for me
in a way that it isn't hard for you?
You think it's been easy for me?
You push me away every time
we come close to something good.
You find a way to blow it up.
Because I'm incapable of love?
Because I'm broken?
You destroy everything good
so you never have to hurt.
Then you just hurt everyone around you.
And you are a rich,
entitled asshole
who can't even get
the respect of his own parents.
No, that's good. Keep it up.
If I make you chief after this,
you'll know you really earned it.
[sighs]
Fuck you.
Fuck you.
Dr. Simms?
Going down?
[elevator dings]
Do you ever think about what you'd do
if you got hurt near our hospital?
If you were in a car crash
or had a heart attack?
I think if I were conscious
and I could make that decision,
I'd tell them to take me somewhere else.
Anywhere but where I worked.
Imagine your colleagues seeing you weak,
helpless, defenseless.
Seeing your body.
And you're a woman,
which always makes it worse.
You can't ever let them see you like that.
Do you hear me?
[softly] Yeah. Mm-hmm.
[elevator dings]
[Danny] You asked me if I meant
what I said that weekend.
I haven't had a lot of love in my life,
so sometimes I can't be sure.
I know I loved you.
In a way I've never
loved anybody.
I loved you too.
[gentle music plays]
[sniffs]
Do you know what it was like to…
finally hear you say those words,
and then just to be blindsided by that?
Do you understand how that felt?
I'm sorry.
I tried.
Every day.
I just… I couldn't…
I couldn't do it anymore.
Wait, what?
Why can't we just figure this out?
Together?
Because…
you're still asking me why,
and you can't possibly understand
how that feels for me.
And I realize that the only person
who I need to understand that…
is you.
[sniffs]
So,
we're gonna go in there…
and keep it simple.
We were in a relationship.
And it ended.
That's it.
[music fades]
I don't like this.
It's their decision. Besides the weight,
none of the tests came back abnormal.
He's breathing fine. He's tolerating POs.
That baby shouldn't leave.
- You can't force him to stay.
- I'd like to ask.
Do not confront them. Okay?
Trust me, it's not gonna end well.
- Harper.
- Dr. Elijah?
Harper!
["Some Dreams You Never Wake Up From"
by Valerie Broussard playing]
[elevator dings]
Black moon a-rising in the night sun ♪
The light when the river
Turns red blood ♪
Secrets you're never gonna outrun ♪
Some dreams you never wake up from ♪
[elevator dings]
See you at work tomorrow.
[Glenn] Unreal. What's the bill gonna be?
Do you have any idea?
No, of course not. You don't give a shit.
Mr. Vogel,
I have nothing to do with billing.
My one job
is to try to make your child better.
- Then tell me what's wrong with him.
- Sorry, is there a problem?
Yes, there is. Our baby's fine,
but she won't let us go home.
He is not fine. He is sick.
He's extremely underweight.
[Glenn] Why should I give
a shit what you say?
- You haven't given me time--
- All you've had is time.
Sir, I'm sorry.
You can't talk to a doctor
in this hospital with that tone.
Tell her to get out of my face
and let my family go home.
I am not telling her anything.
I'm actually telling you
if she says the baby needs treatment,
then the baby needs to stay.
There is nothing wrong with him.
Then maybe it's you
who is doing something wrong.
What did you say to me?
What are you accusing me of?
Step back.
- I wanna know exactly what she said.
- Step back or I'll call security.
- Danny. Stop.
- Get her away from me.
- Who do you think you're talking to?
- Watch your mouth, you crazy bitch.
Get out of my face.
Bitch! Put your hands on me, bitch.
- Sir, calm down.
- What you gonna do? Get your hands off me!
- You all right?
- [Glenn] She started it.
[Cruz] What were you thinking?
I was defending my sister.
You put your hands on the father
of a patient in the goddamn lobby.
He was aggressive.
He was belligerent,
and he was an inch from my face.
Considering the circumstances,
I think I reacted appropriately.
You can't ever see
the bigger picture, can you?
- What does that mean?
- What happened in the lobby was a mistake.
And you can't afford
to make big mistakes right now.
Is that because I reported Phillips?
You pissed off some important people.
And now you've given me cause.
Cause to what?
To drop you from the program.
I tried to warn you this would happen.
I tried to protect you.
Then protect me.
- Please.
- At this point…
I don't know if I can.
[singer vocalizing]
Black moon a-rising in the night sun ♪
The light when the river
turns red blood ♪
Secrets you're never gonna outrun ♪
Some dreams you never wake up from ♪
[moody folk song ends]
[edgy music playing]
[music fades out]