Chicago Fire s15e02 Episode Script
Rattle the Cage
1
I'm working on a piece on the
West Pershing warehouse fire.
I still can't believe you went
to high school with that guy.
Was it coincidence
doing a story on my firehouse?
I'd be lying if I said I
wasn't hoping I'd run into you.
Hey, McCaffrey, Burke.
You're on traffic control.
Go get the cones and flares.
You go get 'em.
I'm gonna watch for traffic.
- Watch out!
- Lizzie!
- No.
- Easy.
You all are trying to prove
you're the star player,
and that is the wrong instinct.
I know there's a lot
riding on this for you.
For me, too.
I talked to Cruz.
Neurological exam went well,
but they're still waiting
on test results.
Even if I get out of
this chair at some point,
I'm never gonna be a firefighter again.
[SMOOCHING]
[BOTH SIGH]
Now I am ready to start the week.
No, no, not yet.
[LAUGHTER]
No. We are gonna be late.
Come on.
Are we taking one car or two?
- One.
- OK.
Cruz texted me late last night,
said he'll be at PT all this morning.
That's good news, right?
Well, he's still got
a long road ahead of him,
but sounds like
he's not as grim as we thought.
That's great.
By the way, Chief Lowen reached out.
- Is that Operations?
- Manpower.
Said he wanted to come by the firehouse
and check out the probies.
How you feeling on that front?
I am not sure they're
quite ready for prime time.
But I got them all rowing in
the same direction at least.
He lives across the hall from you.
How have you not run into him
in four months?
Constant vigilance.
I missed a kickboxing class last night
because he was camped out
at the elevator
talking to our super
for, like, 20 minutes.
- Ah.
- Maybe I should just move.
Maybe just have an adult conversation.
Oh.
- Oh, hi.
- Hot off the presses.
Oh, wow.
You know you could've
just texted me a link, right?
I know, but I'm a sucker for newsprint.
Aw. [BOTH CHUCKLE]
Sorry. Um, Jacob, this
is my partner, Lizzie Novak.
Hi. I'm a digital native,
but I appreciate a lost cause.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Nice to meet you, Lizzie.
Thanks for, uh, dropping this off.
Actually, there was one other thing.
Um, "Metro" is asking for a story
on the socioeconomic impact
of the record heat in Chicago
- this past summer.
- Mm.
Thought you might know if
certain neighborhoods saw more,
you know,
heat-related calls than others.
Oh, so you're just looking for a source
for your next exposé
no, I got it, OK.
No, not just.
It was a two birds, one stone
kind of thing.
OK, well, you're only gonna
kill one bird here, pal.
The, um the Public Information Office
can get you all those official numbers.
Can't write a decent story
with official numbers.
You're gonna have to. See you around.
He's kind of cute. And so into you.
Oh, he's just looking for a source.
[CHUCKLES]
Heads up, 81.
We are gonna be running
some hardcore drills
in full-out gear, so just
go easy on the pork products.
She obviously doesn't know who I am.
Hey, Hollis, gotta hit those macros.
[LAUGHS]
Puking in your mask.
That's one way to test the seal, right?
[CHUCKLES]
Well, my shower went ice-cold again.
Happened to me last week,
except I had conditioner in my hair.
Hey, Captain, the water heater situation
is creating a hostile work environment.
Works fine if you don't
take 20-minute showers.
What will it take to get us an upgrade?
Helluva lot of money, Capp.
Wait, didn't I hear that
the CFD restored some of the
budget cuts from last year?
Yeah, I heard that, too.
Maybe there's a little money
squirreled away somewhere?
[ALARM BLARES]
I'll look into it.
Ambulance 61, police assist,
person in distress, 3182 West Albion.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIREN WAILING]
♪
She's inside.
Locked herself in the bathroom
the second the cops showed up.
- Any idea why?
- No clue.
She came in and asked me
to call her a taxi.
She was bleeding all over.
Didn't seem all there, you know?
- So I called 911 instead.
- OK.
♪
Come on, what are we doing in there?
- Hello?
- What have we got?
Possible psych.
Been in there half an hour.
- [POUNDING ON DOOR]
- Open the door, ma'am.
I'm not going back there.
Mind if we give it a shot?
Last chance or we're coming in!
Whoa, take it easy.
If she's in crisis
You're not worried she's bleeding out?
She's still talking.
We're done talking.
Hang on, OK? Excuse me.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Hey, ma'am, we are paramedics.
- We only want to
- Just go away!
You don't understand.
I don't wanna go back there!
They won't let me leave!
OK, that's it. We're going in.
No. Can't you hear how terrified she is?
Get out of the way.
That woman is in
acute psychological crisis, OK?
If you bust that door in,
things could go sideways fast.
I said move.
No.
Maybe let her try.
We don't need IAB on us, right?
OK.
But we can't stay here all day.
- And if she goes silent
- Got it.
♪
Hey, ma'am, it's me again.
We hear that you're
bleeding pretty badly.
Is there any chance you'll
let us examine your wound?
I'm not falling for your tricks.
No tricks and no cops.
It's just us, I promise.
Please, just let us help?
♪
[LOCK CLICKS]
OK.
[SHUDDERING BREATHING]
- Just you two.
- Mm-hmm.
Not them.
You got it.
♪
What's your name?
Anita.
Hi, Anita. I'm Violet.
This is my partner, Lizzie.
Would you mind taking a seat first
so we can look at that arm?
OK.
Yeah. Right here.
OK.
There you go.
Are you on any medication
that we should know about?
Divalproex, 500 milligrams.
♪
How'd this happen?
I-I don't know. A-a fence, maybe?
OK.
I'm gonna bandage this up,
and Lizzie's gonna take your vitals, OK?
Saline and gauze, please.
Thank you.
This is gonna sting a little bit, OK?
One, two, three.
- [GASPS]
- I know. I know.
I know. I know. That's it.
160 over 102.
OK, that's high, but you've
gone through a lot today.
And, Anita, I'm afraid
this is gonna need stitches,
and we can't do that here,
so we're gonna have to
take you to the hospital.
No. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Not Lakeshore. Not Lakeshore.
Doesn't have to be Lakeshore.
We can take you to Chicago Med.
[SHUDDERS] I don't know. I don't know.
I don't know.
Is there anyone we can call?
Any family to meet you there?
No. I don't have anyone.
Hey, Anita, listen to me.
I promise you we are gonna
take good care of you, OK?
Will you let me see your arm?
N-n-n-no.
All right. Uh, prep midazolam.
Oh, wha wait. Wha what is that?
It's just something to help you relax.
But we will be with you
the whole time, OK?
We are not going anywhere.
- OK.
- Thanks.
Just a little pinch.
You want me to bandage you up?
♪
- Whoa.
- Hey, hey!
- Wait a minute.
- Wait a second. Wait a second.
We got a call while you were in there.
- From who?
- Dispatch.
We have to take her into custody.
- We've got you, ma'am.
- What? No, she needs stitches.
We are taking her to Med.
It's a lawful order of commitment.
She ran from a psych facility.
Yeah, I'm sure the facility
will stitch her up, OK?
Thanks for the assist.
What facility are you taking
where are you taking her to?
The call really did just come in.
Let's move!
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
What the hell just happened?
♪
Well, it sounds like I have no choice,
so I guess I'll be there, but
just know it's under duress.
Whoa. What was that all about?
That was my publisher.
Apparently somewhere in my contract,
I agreed to do a reading of
my book as part of the launch.
Just found out it's tomorrow night.
Remind me,
what's the title you landed on?
"Burning Desire." [BLOWS AIR]
Sounds spicy.
Oh, it's spicy, all right.
Are you worried about the turnout?
'Cause I can call Cindy.
She can get her whole book club.
[CHUCKLES] For the love
of God, do not do that.
What? You don't want a crowd
for Cyrus Mayberry's big debut?
Herrmann, the last thing I want to do
is read erotica in front of strangers,
let alone my best friend's wife.
What am I gonna do here?
I can't not show.
It's a breach of contract.
They threatened to pull my advance.
Oh. OK, so you have a legal problem,
and I happen to have a guy for that.
And he owes me a favor.
Send me that contract.
No, I I get it.
I understand.
Yeah.
Thank you for the information, Chief.
They took her to a psych hospital.
Valley Crest Mental Health Center.
Those cops had no right taking her.
We had priority on that scene
and we were in the middle
of treating her.
But Valley Crest, I mean,
they already signed off
on the transfer of liability,
so as far as Chief Robinson's
concerned, it's case closed.
That patient was in visible distress.
She was obviously scared of the
cops and she needed stitches.
You don't think that facility's
capable of stitching her up?
[SCOFFS]
I promised that woman that we
would take her to Chicago Med.
I promised her that we would get her
the care that she needed
she trusted me.
Sounds like you need
to go see her yourself.
Yeah.
Captain Severide.
Chief Lowen. Welcome to 51.
Saw your lieutenant setting up
for a drill back there.
Looks like she's really putting
'em through their paces.
Yeah, she doesn't mess around.
- Wanna go take a look?
- You bet.
- [LOUD THUMPING]
- Good hustle.
Good, good. McCaffrey, getting speed.
- Come on, ten more. Ten more.
- Keep going. You got it.
Come on! Show me speed! Show me speed!
Nice.
Good, good, good! Attaboy. Good job.
All right, let's do some drags.
Vasquez.
Gentlemen, let's go.
Looking good, Lieutenant.
Thank you, Chief. They're coming along.
Walk me out, Captain.
I'm happy to see you and Lieutenant Kidd
running such a tight ship here.
Some of the chatter
I've heard around headquarters,
well, I wasn't sure what to expect.
Chatter?
More like questions, I suppose.
About the chain of command here at 51.
You're talking about
me and Lieutenant Kidd working together?
Yeah, that's part of it.
But just to be clear, she's
not working with you anymore.
She's working for you.
And that's a whole
different ball of wax.
But look, I didn't come here
to rattle the cage.
This is just friendly advice.
As far as I'm concerned,
there's nothing to worry about.
You said it was part of it, me and Kidd.
What's the other part?
Running 51, it's a coveted position,
especially for a guy who hasn't
even made battalion chief yet.
So just tread lightly, that's all.
You don't want to give anyone an opening
to take a shot at you.
But don't worry.
You got plenty of friends down at HQ.
Me included.
- I'll be in touch, Captain.
- Chief.
[CAR DOOR SHUTS]
[SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I understand your concerns.
It's always difficult when
law enforcement gets involved.
But don't worry.
Ms. Higgins is doing just fine.
She was treated as soon
as she got here for, uh
we have 12 stitches for a
laceration on her left forearm.
Right, with all due respect,
I would still like
to check on her myself.
I got group therapy at 11:00, so
We'll be quick.
[SIGHS]
Come on. It's this way.
We had to give her some
medication to settle her down,
but, uh, as you can see,
she's perfectly stable now.
So I hope this puts your mind at ease.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
Daryl, could you show these ladies out?
Wait, wait.
Uh, when we were treating her, she said
that she didn't want to come back here,
that she was being
held against her will.
Oh, well, patients say
all kinds of things
in a mental health crisis.
I I know, but she wasn't psychotic.
She was pretty lucid, actually,
and she seemed genuinely scared.
So I mean, if you don't mind,
I would like to speak to her.
I do mind.
I've done everything I can
to accommodate you.
Look, Ms. Higgins admitted herself
to this facility voluntarily.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
we have to get back to work.
I'm sure that you do, too.
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
What now?
I don't know.
But the one thing I know for sure
is that woman is not here voluntarily.
[SIGHS]
♪
[SIGHS] See that chain-link fence?
Wonder if that's how she cut herself.
It could be. It's like 8 feet tall.
Exactly.
I mean, can you imagine how
desperate you'd have to be
to scale that thing?
I know.
[SIGHS] I wonder why she ended up here.
I mean, people don't
get locked up for no reason.
Right.
But you know, something
is just it's not adding up.
I mean, we have had
plenty of psychotic patients.
But this one feels different.
Yeah.
I just wish we had more to go off of.
Yeah. [SIGHS]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
She had a pretty intense reaction
when we said we were
bringing her to the hospital.
She did not want to go to Lakeshore.
Maybe there's a reason why.
Only one way to find out.
[ENGINE TURNS OVER]
♪
So?
Mm?
What did Chief Lowen have to say?
Not much.
Just that he was impressed with
the job that you were doing.
Well, then,
maybe this is the perfect time
for an official request.
I heard through the grapevine
that some of our discretionary budget
from the CFD has been restored.
- Is that true?
- Mm, yeah, but it's not a lot.
Is it enough for a Keiser sled?
Look, I know we've been
getting by with truck tires,
but the Keiser sled,
it's a hell of a lot safer.
It'll really help me hone in
on these probies' form.
And good technique saves lives.
OK, sure, I mean,
I'll think about it.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Hello?
[WATER RUNNING]
Hey. I've been looking for you.
Uncle Larry got back to me.
Please tell me he got me
out of this reading.
All right, well, here's the deal.
Your contract says that
Cyrus Mayberry has to appear
at all scheduled events.
That's the long and short of it.
[SIGHS] So you're telling me
I'm screwed.
What? No, not exactly.
Uncle Larry pointed out
that nowhere in that contract
does it say that you have
to be Cyrus Mayberry.
- You can't be serious.
- You said it yourself.
Up to this point,
you have been nothing
but words on the internet
with a nom plum
or however you say.
- Nom de plume.
- Yeah. All right.
The point is is that nobody has any idea
what Cyrus Mayberry looks like.
He could be me, he could be Tony,
or he could be an actor that you hire
so you don't have to do it.
It worked for Cyrano.
See? Tony agrees,
so it has to be a good idea.
Guys, I seriously doubt my
publisher's gonna go for this.
He will when he sees
who I got to play you.
Ah.
That is Cindy's cousin's kid.
And that guy is a real-deal actor.
He's currently an understudy
in "Jersey Boys."
- Which one?
- Does it matter?
He's a professional and he's available.
Do you think
he'd be willing to audition?
I am buying you Kasama pastries.
Get out of here.
Your cheat sheet got me through
ACLS, so we are square.
You said Higgins?
Oh, yeah, I remember her.
She was here on the 23rd, so
- Two weeks ago.
- Yeah.
She came in to get her meds re-upped.
She was a little overwhelmed,
but she wasn't
in crisis mode or anything.
Wait, is
she came to the ER just
to refill her prescription?
- Is that normal?
- Yeah, I know.
It's messed up.
There's a serious shortage
of psychiatrists.
So it can take a while
to get an appointment.
A lot of patients can't wait
that long, so they end up here.
Were you able to take care of her?
We didn't have a psychiatrist on call,
so we referred her to a psych facility.
- Valley Crest?
- Parker.
- I gotta go.
- OK.
Thanks for the intel, Parker.
You're a good egg.
- Good luck with your patient.
- Thank you.
[SIGHS] Anita was pretty clear
about her meds.
I don't think she stopped taking them.
No. And she wasn't in crisis
when she got here,
so why the hell is she still
locked up at Valley Crest
- two weeks later?
- [RADIO CHIMES]
Ambulance 61, Truck 81,
Squad 3 to West 83rd Street.
Worker trapped
in a malfunctioning rig.
[SIRENS WAILING]
♪
- Hold tight!
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Easy, easy!
- Keep going!
[WOMAN CRYING]
What happened?
The wheel slipped through
and triggered the tilt sensor.
We tried to get him down,
but it's not responding.
All right, Squad.
Let's get some cribbing
underneath this rig.
- Copy.
- Raise the aerial.
- I'm going up.
- Yep.
- Herrmann, you got it?
- Got it.
Ballard, Vasquez, set the stabilizer.
Hey! Move back! Come on!
Hollis, Jansen, set a perimeter.
Get these people back.
I want at least 50 feet clearance.
McCaffrey, help Ballard
set the stabilizers.
Burke, go give Squad a hand.
- On it.
- Got it, Lieutenant.
- Let's move!
- Help!
We're comin for ya! Hang on!
[SIREN WAILING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[WHIRRING]
♪
Stack it tight. No gaps.
♪
- Stabilizers are set.
- Hurry!
[RIG RATTLES, WOOD CRUNCHING]
[YELPS] [CREAKING]
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Burke! Burke!
[RIG CREAKING] Go!
[WOOD CREAKING AND SNAPPING]
[SCREAMS]
♪
Hey, McCaffrey! With me, let's go!
Copy.
Guys, back up. Back up.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Take one, back tire, cross-lay brace.
- Got it.
- Put it right underneath him.
All right.
♪
Hey. Hey, you with me?
Hey, Herrmann! Bring that Sked up here!
You got it!
♪
OK, ready? Three, two, one.
Got manual C-spine.
Sir, can you hear me?
He's unresponsive.
OK, pulse is brady.
Respirations are shallow.
Pupils are sluggish.
I see no obvious external injuries.
Sounds like a brain injury.
Get ready to bag.
Let's trauma him to Med. Let's go.
♪
Burke, what the hell were you doing
on the downhill side of that rig?
Oh, the the wood was cracked,
- so I was trying to stabilize
- You would've gotten crushed
if Vazquez hadn't have pulled you out.
No, I had a clear escape path.
Things can go sideways in a second.
Listen, do you want to be a firefighter
or a crash test dummy?
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
My bad, Lieutenant. Won't happen again.
Lesson for all of you:
stay out of the collapse zone.
All right?
Let's pack it up!
♪
[SIREN WAILING]
Think he can help with Anita?
Hey, worth a shot.
Hi, Dr. Charles. Do you have a minute?
What's up?
It doesn't make sense, does it?
Not if she was there
just to re-up her meds.
Kind of hard for me to say
without having examined her.
- But hypothetically?
- OK.
Hypothetically,
all right, divalproex
is a bipolar medication.
If she was having a manic episode
that required stabilization,
I guess you could justify
a hold that long.
But that scenario doesn't really
line up with the other stuff
you've been telling me.
OK, so why would they keep her there?
[SIGHS] Psychiatric evaluations
are just notoriously ambiguous, right?
They're just hardly ever
black-and-white, you know?
And if the problem is all that gray,
it creates a real vulnerability
in the system.
- What do you mean?
- Well, put it this way.
I have certainly heard of institutions
that will hang on to patients
to increase revenue.
Like a billing scam?
Yep.
So that doctor was lying
when he said that Anita
was there voluntarily?
You know, I mean,
once a patient's admitted,
legally, the, uh
the discharge is at
the discretion of the facility.
So, what, they could just
keep her there indefinitely?
What they usually do is they
they keep 'em around
until the insurance runs out.
What I would do, I would
I would take a look at the
Illinois Mental Health Code,
you know, just to see if
there's anything that I've left out.
I can also run this
by our head of legal,
you know, see what he says.
That would be great, yeah.
Thank you so much, Dr. Charles.
My pleasure. Good luck, you guys.
Thank you.
Y'all make me look bad
in front of my lieutenant?
I think the words you're looking for are
"thanks for saving my ass."
I was good. I was
completely aware at all times.
Well, next time,
you might not be so lucky.
Yo, what's your issue, bro?
You're afraid that I might show you up?
[CHUCKLES] Show you up.
You know, if you quit
flapping your jaw for just
just one minute, you might
actually learn something.
From you? Doubt it.
Move.
[LOCKERS RATTLING]
[GRUNTING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
Get off me! Get off me!
Hey!
Stop!
Now! Get off him!
What the hell is going on?
♪
You are a probational
firefighter here, Burke.
Do you know what that word means?
- Yes.
- No, Lieutenant, it was my fault.
♪
Burke, get back on the floor.
♪
I do not even know what to say to you.
I know, Lieutenant. I'm sorry.
You were supposed to be an example.
I just I lost my cool.
Vasquez
No, you know what?
You're done.
Your shift is over.
Get your stuff and go.
You're done. Go home.
[SIGHS]
- Did either of them get hurt?
- No. But I sent Vasquez home.
And I know that
I should have checked in
with you about it first.
- Yeah, you should have.
- I know.
But Vasquez started
a fight with a probie.
And honestly, he's getting off easy.
What?
You want me to request
a floater for Truck now,
file an incident report, loop in HQ,
all because of some little scuffle?
He
I'm sorry for the extra paperwork,
but Vasquez was out of line.
It's not about the paperwork, Stella.
We got white shirts
breathing down our necks.
I'm already a man behind on Squad.
Now it's going to look like
things are out of control here.
No one got hurt. Let's just move on.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I mean, since when do you care
about how things look?
I can't
Just get Vasquez back on the floor.
Seriously?
OK, you are worried about
how it's gonna look if we send him home.
How is it gonna look
if you overrule me on this?
It wasn't your call to make.
He is my man.
And if we don't set the
right example for my program
Damn it, Stella. I I can't keep
I can't always say yes to you.
♪
Copy that, Captain.
♪
Get back in station gear.
You're lucky that we got white
shirts sniffing around here.
♪
[SIGHS]
I feel like I'm going cross-eyed.
I believe the medical term
is crashing out.
[CHUCKLES]
Is there anything
in the insurance guidelines?
Not really.
And it all depends
on her coverage, so
OK, well,
according to the mental health code,
we can file a petition on her
behalf challenging the hold,
but that could take weeks or even months
to get in front of a judge.
Unbelievable.
It's like this one doctor
is her judge and jailer.
Yeah. It's all perfectly legal.
- [SCOFFS AND SIGHS]
- [GROANS]
But maybe we can use it.
Yes. Here's the manual.
OK.
Gerard carried Louise to the bunk room.
The heat between them was more intense
than any fire he'd ever faced.
He threw her onto the cot,
ripping off her dress.
Gerard then reached for his helmet,
but Louise stopped him
[WHISPERS] With a breathy whisper.
"No, keep the helmet on."
Sorry, can we, uh, take it back?
Was I not doing the lower register?
No, that was better this time.
It's just
you have to say the words
like you're trying
to pull the audience in.
Take your time. Make them want it.
That's the whole Cyrus Mayberry milieu.
Thought I was doing that.
Let's, uh let's take it from the top.
Mouch. Maybe six times is enough.
You're right.
Uh, really good stuff, Ethan.
Thanks for coming in.
We'll be in touch.
Uh, say hi to your mom for me
and, uh, Cindy, all right?
All right.
Wow.
Well, you certainly gave him
a lot of direction.
Well, if he's gonna be
the face of my alter ego,
it's gotta be right.
So does that mean he gets the gig?
Well, seeing as
the reading's in 24 hours
and we don't have
a second option, I'd say, uh
meet Cyrus Mayberry.
Hey, all right.
I'll let him know.
[GROANS]
[WHISPERING] Gerard carried
Louise to the bunk room.
The heat between them
was more intense than
any fire he'd ever faced.
Yo.
You had a fight with Vasquez?
What the hell were you thinking, man?
Dude had it out for me since day one.
You got skills, Burke, all right?
But if you don't stop messing around,
you're gonna end up in the floater pool.
You think this is
some kind of game for me?
I had to bust my ass to get here.
I know. We all did.
[CHUCKLING] Come on, dude.
You know what?
You're a third-generation CFD.
Your daddy's a damn senator.
[SCOFFS]
We're not even in the same ocean.
State senator, actually.
Oh. [CHUCKLES]
That's a double-edged sword.
I feel like I have to work twice as hard
just to prove that
I actually deserve to be here.
And I know you guys call me
nepo baby behind my back.
Hey, I call you that to your face.
I'm not gonna end up in no floater pool,
so don't worry about me.
OK.
Thank you.
Hi.
We are the paramedics from
that site call in West Ridge.
Keegan was the senior officer,
so if you need any follow-up
Actually, we're here to talk to you.
Vasquez is back on the floor.
Thank you.
For the record,
I don't expect you
to always say yes to me.
[SIGHS] I know.
That came out wrong.
But is that how you feel?
Yeah, people are
talking down at HQ
about whether or not
I should be commanding 51.
Commanding 51 or commanding me?
Is that what Chief Lowen said
this morning?
He made it clear that
I was under a microscope.
So I gotta be careful about optics.
Optics.
I get it.
I should have let you know what was up.
Yeah. You should have.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Look, I know
that everybody is pushing
for a water heater.
I'm not gonna pretend
like a Keiser sled
isn't a higher priority.
I'm not asking you to.
But it's your call.
And I gotta get used to that.
So
whatever you decide, I'll support you.
♪
[SIGHS]
We're here for Anita Higgins.
W-wait, wait, Dr. Oxford,
can you come out here?
What now?
We are getting
Anita Higgins out of here.
Like hell you are. You have no right.
Actually, they do.
Officer, unfortunately, these
ladies are wasting your time.
Ms. Higgins is legally under my care
Actually, when Anita was under our care,
she told a sworn officer
that she didn't want to come back here,
which constitutes a
legal objection to confinement.
That's ridiculous.
Not according to Section 3-804
of the Illinois Code of Mental Health.
Once there's an official
dispute of confinement,
the patient is legally entitled
to an examination at a neutral facility.
So we're taking her to Chicago Med.
That's a that's a technicality.
I know. Sucks, right?
♪
Let 'em through.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Anita?
W-what's going on?
We're getting you out of here.
♪
You
you came back for me?
I made you a promise.
♪
You got a helluva right hook.
I know.
Listen.
[SIGHS]
I appreciate what you did for me.
I didn't do it for you.
Should've never let myself
get baited by a probie.
See, real firefighters,
we take responsibility.
Oh, and, uh,
I would never sabotage anyone
on a call, OK?
Even if I didn't like you.
Just so we're clear, I don't.
Why? 'Cause I'm your competition?
'Cause you're cocky.
You're cocky and you're inexperienced,
and that combination gets people killed.
How could he just cancel?
You said this guy was a professional.
He got called up to play Frankie Valli.
This is his big break.
We have to start in two minutes.
All right.
- You gotta get out there.
- Well, guess what?
I can't.
I saw you in the audition.
You are more Cyrus Mayberry
than that kid could've ever been.
And you're really gonna let a
couple of bawdy words stop you?
- What if they hate it?
- Listen.
Mouch, this book
is a bona fide bodice-ripper, all right?
The staff out there is gonna be
peeling people off the floor
after you get done with them.
I'm serious.
[DETERMINED MUSIC]
Thanks, brother.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
♪
[SIGHS]
Hello, ladies.
I'm Cyrus Mayberry,
and I don't know about you,
but I'm feeling a little
burning desire.
ALL: Ooh! [APPLAUSE]
Gerard was always good with his hands.
Long before he started
at Firehouse 15
He's a natural.
Maybe it's good that actor flaked.
I never hired him.
He moved on instinct.
And he always trusted those instincts.
[SCOFFS] It's infuriating.
They're they're taking
advantage of these people
who are already so vulnerable.
This one hit close to home, huh?
I keep thinking about
how Anita said that
she didn't have anyone.
And
I can't help wondering
if that's how my mom felt.
[SOFT MUSIC]
Yeah.
I don't know.
But what I do know is that
Anita wasn't alone today.
We were there and we got her out.
That's something.
Yeah.
But how many rooms are in that place?
Yeah. How many other Anitas, you mean?
[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
♪
Hmm.
♪
Maybe being a source isn't so bad.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Hey.
So you said you wanted to talk?
Your next exposé.
♪
Is that a Keiser sled?
It is. I'm approving your request.
♪
Really?
It was the right call to make.
♪
Is this gonna catch you heat
with the brass?
♪
If it does, I'll deal with it.
[SIGHS]
♪
Just don't ever stop fighting
for what you think is right.
I won't, either.
Everything else
we'll figure it out.
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]
I'm working on a piece on the
West Pershing warehouse fire.
I still can't believe you went
to high school with that guy.
Was it coincidence
doing a story on my firehouse?
I'd be lying if I said I
wasn't hoping I'd run into you.
Hey, McCaffrey, Burke.
You're on traffic control.
Go get the cones and flares.
You go get 'em.
I'm gonna watch for traffic.
- Watch out!
- Lizzie!
- No.
- Easy.
You all are trying to prove
you're the star player,
and that is the wrong instinct.
I know there's a lot
riding on this for you.
For me, too.
I talked to Cruz.
Neurological exam went well,
but they're still waiting
on test results.
Even if I get out of
this chair at some point,
I'm never gonna be a firefighter again.
[SMOOCHING]
[BOTH SIGH]
Now I am ready to start the week.
No, no, not yet.
[LAUGHTER]
No. We are gonna be late.
Come on.
Are we taking one car or two?
- One.
- OK.
Cruz texted me late last night,
said he'll be at PT all this morning.
That's good news, right?
Well, he's still got
a long road ahead of him,
but sounds like
he's not as grim as we thought.
That's great.
By the way, Chief Lowen reached out.
- Is that Operations?
- Manpower.
Said he wanted to come by the firehouse
and check out the probies.
How you feeling on that front?
I am not sure they're
quite ready for prime time.
But I got them all rowing in
the same direction at least.
He lives across the hall from you.
How have you not run into him
in four months?
Constant vigilance.
I missed a kickboxing class last night
because he was camped out
at the elevator
talking to our super
for, like, 20 minutes.
- Ah.
- Maybe I should just move.
Maybe just have an adult conversation.
Oh.
- Oh, hi.
- Hot off the presses.
Oh, wow.
You know you could've
just texted me a link, right?
I know, but I'm a sucker for newsprint.
Aw. [BOTH CHUCKLE]
Sorry. Um, Jacob, this
is my partner, Lizzie Novak.
Hi. I'm a digital native,
but I appreciate a lost cause.
- [CHUCKLES]
- Nice to meet you, Lizzie.
Thanks for, uh, dropping this off.
Actually, there was one other thing.
Um, "Metro" is asking for a story
on the socioeconomic impact
of the record heat in Chicago
- this past summer.
- Mm.
Thought you might know if
certain neighborhoods saw more,
you know,
heat-related calls than others.
Oh, so you're just looking for a source
for your next exposé
no, I got it, OK.
No, not just.
It was a two birds, one stone
kind of thing.
OK, well, you're only gonna
kill one bird here, pal.
The, um the Public Information Office
can get you all those official numbers.
Can't write a decent story
with official numbers.
You're gonna have to. See you around.
He's kind of cute. And so into you.
Oh, he's just looking for a source.
[CHUCKLES]
Heads up, 81.
We are gonna be running
some hardcore drills
in full-out gear, so just
go easy on the pork products.
She obviously doesn't know who I am.
Hey, Hollis, gotta hit those macros.
[LAUGHS]
Puking in your mask.
That's one way to test the seal, right?
[CHUCKLES]
Well, my shower went ice-cold again.
Happened to me last week,
except I had conditioner in my hair.
Hey, Captain, the water heater situation
is creating a hostile work environment.
Works fine if you don't
take 20-minute showers.
What will it take to get us an upgrade?
Helluva lot of money, Capp.
Wait, didn't I hear that
the CFD restored some of the
budget cuts from last year?
Yeah, I heard that, too.
Maybe there's a little money
squirreled away somewhere?
[ALARM BLARES]
I'll look into it.
Ambulance 61, police assist,
person in distress, 3182 West Albion.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIREN WAILING]
♪
She's inside.
Locked herself in the bathroom
the second the cops showed up.
- Any idea why?
- No clue.
She came in and asked me
to call her a taxi.
She was bleeding all over.
Didn't seem all there, you know?
- So I called 911 instead.
- OK.
♪
Come on, what are we doing in there?
- Hello?
- What have we got?
Possible psych.
Been in there half an hour.
- [POUNDING ON DOOR]
- Open the door, ma'am.
I'm not going back there.
Mind if we give it a shot?
Last chance or we're coming in!
Whoa, take it easy.
If she's in crisis
You're not worried she's bleeding out?
She's still talking.
We're done talking.
Hang on, OK? Excuse me.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Hey, ma'am, we are paramedics.
- We only want to
- Just go away!
You don't understand.
I don't wanna go back there!
They won't let me leave!
OK, that's it. We're going in.
No. Can't you hear how terrified she is?
Get out of the way.
That woman is in
acute psychological crisis, OK?
If you bust that door in,
things could go sideways fast.
I said move.
No.
Maybe let her try.
We don't need IAB on us, right?
OK.
But we can't stay here all day.
- And if she goes silent
- Got it.
♪
Hey, ma'am, it's me again.
We hear that you're
bleeding pretty badly.
Is there any chance you'll
let us examine your wound?
I'm not falling for your tricks.
No tricks and no cops.
It's just us, I promise.
Please, just let us help?
♪
[LOCK CLICKS]
OK.
[SHUDDERING BREATHING]
- Just you two.
- Mm-hmm.
Not them.
You got it.
♪
What's your name?
Anita.
Hi, Anita. I'm Violet.
This is my partner, Lizzie.
Would you mind taking a seat first
so we can look at that arm?
OK.
Yeah. Right here.
OK.
There you go.
Are you on any medication
that we should know about?
Divalproex, 500 milligrams.
♪
How'd this happen?
I-I don't know. A-a fence, maybe?
OK.
I'm gonna bandage this up,
and Lizzie's gonna take your vitals, OK?
Saline and gauze, please.
Thank you.
This is gonna sting a little bit, OK?
One, two, three.
- [GASPS]
- I know. I know.
I know. I know. That's it.
160 over 102.
OK, that's high, but you've
gone through a lot today.
And, Anita, I'm afraid
this is gonna need stitches,
and we can't do that here,
so we're gonna have to
take you to the hospital.
No. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Not Lakeshore. Not Lakeshore.
Doesn't have to be Lakeshore.
We can take you to Chicago Med.
[SHUDDERS] I don't know. I don't know.
I don't know.
Is there anyone we can call?
Any family to meet you there?
No. I don't have anyone.
Hey, Anita, listen to me.
I promise you we are gonna
take good care of you, OK?
Will you let me see your arm?
N-n-n-no.
All right. Uh, prep midazolam.
Oh, wha wait. Wha what is that?
It's just something to help you relax.
But we will be with you
the whole time, OK?
We are not going anywhere.
- OK.
- Thanks.
Just a little pinch.
You want me to bandage you up?
♪
- Whoa.
- Hey, hey!
- Wait a minute.
- Wait a second. Wait a second.
We got a call while you were in there.
- From who?
- Dispatch.
We have to take her into custody.
- We've got you, ma'am.
- What? No, she needs stitches.
We are taking her to Med.
It's a lawful order of commitment.
She ran from a psych facility.
Yeah, I'm sure the facility
will stitch her up, OK?
Thanks for the assist.
What facility are you taking
where are you taking her to?
The call really did just come in.
Let's move!
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
What the hell just happened?
♪
Well, it sounds like I have no choice,
so I guess I'll be there, but
just know it's under duress.
Whoa. What was that all about?
That was my publisher.
Apparently somewhere in my contract,
I agreed to do a reading of
my book as part of the launch.
Just found out it's tomorrow night.
Remind me,
what's the title you landed on?
"Burning Desire." [BLOWS AIR]
Sounds spicy.
Oh, it's spicy, all right.
Are you worried about the turnout?
'Cause I can call Cindy.
She can get her whole book club.
[CHUCKLES] For the love
of God, do not do that.
What? You don't want a crowd
for Cyrus Mayberry's big debut?
Herrmann, the last thing I want to do
is read erotica in front of strangers,
let alone my best friend's wife.
What am I gonna do here?
I can't not show.
It's a breach of contract.
They threatened to pull my advance.
Oh. OK, so you have a legal problem,
and I happen to have a guy for that.
And he owes me a favor.
Send me that contract.
No, I I get it.
I understand.
Yeah.
Thank you for the information, Chief.
They took her to a psych hospital.
Valley Crest Mental Health Center.
Those cops had no right taking her.
We had priority on that scene
and we were in the middle
of treating her.
But Valley Crest, I mean,
they already signed off
on the transfer of liability,
so as far as Chief Robinson's
concerned, it's case closed.
That patient was in visible distress.
She was obviously scared of the
cops and she needed stitches.
You don't think that facility's
capable of stitching her up?
[SCOFFS]
I promised that woman that we
would take her to Chicago Med.
I promised her that we would get her
the care that she needed
she trusted me.
Sounds like you need
to go see her yourself.
Yeah.
Captain Severide.
Chief Lowen. Welcome to 51.
Saw your lieutenant setting up
for a drill back there.
Looks like she's really putting
'em through their paces.
Yeah, she doesn't mess around.
- Wanna go take a look?
- You bet.
- [LOUD THUMPING]
- Good hustle.
Good, good. McCaffrey, getting speed.
- Come on, ten more. Ten more.
- Keep going. You got it.
Come on! Show me speed! Show me speed!
Nice.
Good, good, good! Attaboy. Good job.
All right, let's do some drags.
Vasquez.
Gentlemen, let's go.
Looking good, Lieutenant.
Thank you, Chief. They're coming along.
Walk me out, Captain.
I'm happy to see you and Lieutenant Kidd
running such a tight ship here.
Some of the chatter
I've heard around headquarters,
well, I wasn't sure what to expect.
Chatter?
More like questions, I suppose.
About the chain of command here at 51.
You're talking about
me and Lieutenant Kidd working together?
Yeah, that's part of it.
But just to be clear, she's
not working with you anymore.
She's working for you.
And that's a whole
different ball of wax.
But look, I didn't come here
to rattle the cage.
This is just friendly advice.
As far as I'm concerned,
there's nothing to worry about.
You said it was part of it, me and Kidd.
What's the other part?
Running 51, it's a coveted position,
especially for a guy who hasn't
even made battalion chief yet.
So just tread lightly, that's all.
You don't want to give anyone an opening
to take a shot at you.
But don't worry.
You got plenty of friends down at HQ.
Me included.
- I'll be in touch, Captain.
- Chief.
[CAR DOOR SHUTS]
[SOFT SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
I understand your concerns.
It's always difficult when
law enforcement gets involved.
But don't worry.
Ms. Higgins is doing just fine.
She was treated as soon
as she got here for, uh
we have 12 stitches for a
laceration on her left forearm.
Right, with all due respect,
I would still like
to check on her myself.
I got group therapy at 11:00, so
We'll be quick.
[SIGHS]
Come on. It's this way.
We had to give her some
medication to settle her down,
but, uh, as you can see,
she's perfectly stable now.
So I hope this puts your mind at ease.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
Daryl, could you show these ladies out?
Wait, wait.
Uh, when we were treating her, she said
that she didn't want to come back here,
that she was being
held against her will.
Oh, well, patients say
all kinds of things
in a mental health crisis.
I I know, but she wasn't psychotic.
She was pretty lucid, actually,
and she seemed genuinely scared.
So I mean, if you don't mind,
I would like to speak to her.
I do mind.
I've done everything I can
to accommodate you.
Look, Ms. Higgins admitted herself
to this facility voluntarily.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
we have to get back to work.
I'm sure that you do, too.
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
What now?
I don't know.
But the one thing I know for sure
is that woman is not here voluntarily.
[SIGHS]
♪
[SIGHS] See that chain-link fence?
Wonder if that's how she cut herself.
It could be. It's like 8 feet tall.
Exactly.
I mean, can you imagine how
desperate you'd have to be
to scale that thing?
I know.
[SIGHS] I wonder why she ended up here.
I mean, people don't
get locked up for no reason.
Right.
But you know, something
is just it's not adding up.
I mean, we have had
plenty of psychotic patients.
But this one feels different.
Yeah.
I just wish we had more to go off of.
Yeah. [SIGHS]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
She had a pretty intense reaction
when we said we were
bringing her to the hospital.
She did not want to go to Lakeshore.
Maybe there's a reason why.
Only one way to find out.
[ENGINE TURNS OVER]
♪
So?
Mm?
What did Chief Lowen have to say?
Not much.
Just that he was impressed with
the job that you were doing.
Well, then,
maybe this is the perfect time
for an official request.
I heard through the grapevine
that some of our discretionary budget
from the CFD has been restored.
- Is that true?
- Mm, yeah, but it's not a lot.
Is it enough for a Keiser sled?
Look, I know we've been
getting by with truck tires,
but the Keiser sled,
it's a hell of a lot safer.
It'll really help me hone in
on these probies' form.
And good technique saves lives.
OK, sure, I mean,
I'll think about it.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Hello?
[WATER RUNNING]
Hey. I've been looking for you.
Uncle Larry got back to me.
Please tell me he got me
out of this reading.
All right, well, here's the deal.
Your contract says that
Cyrus Mayberry has to appear
at all scheduled events.
That's the long and short of it.
[SIGHS] So you're telling me
I'm screwed.
What? No, not exactly.
Uncle Larry pointed out
that nowhere in that contract
does it say that you have
to be Cyrus Mayberry.
- You can't be serious.
- You said it yourself.
Up to this point,
you have been nothing
but words on the internet
with a nom plum
or however you say.
- Nom de plume.
- Yeah. All right.
The point is is that nobody has any idea
what Cyrus Mayberry looks like.
He could be me, he could be Tony,
or he could be an actor that you hire
so you don't have to do it.
It worked for Cyrano.
See? Tony agrees,
so it has to be a good idea.
Guys, I seriously doubt my
publisher's gonna go for this.
He will when he sees
who I got to play you.
Ah.
That is Cindy's cousin's kid.
And that guy is a real-deal actor.
He's currently an understudy
in "Jersey Boys."
- Which one?
- Does it matter?
He's a professional and he's available.
Do you think
he'd be willing to audition?
I am buying you Kasama pastries.
Get out of here.
Your cheat sheet got me through
ACLS, so we are square.
You said Higgins?
Oh, yeah, I remember her.
She was here on the 23rd, so
- Two weeks ago.
- Yeah.
She came in to get her meds re-upped.
She was a little overwhelmed,
but she wasn't
in crisis mode or anything.
Wait, is
she came to the ER just
to refill her prescription?
- Is that normal?
- Yeah, I know.
It's messed up.
There's a serious shortage
of psychiatrists.
So it can take a while
to get an appointment.
A lot of patients can't wait
that long, so they end up here.
Were you able to take care of her?
We didn't have a psychiatrist on call,
so we referred her to a psych facility.
- Valley Crest?
- Parker.
- I gotta go.
- OK.
Thanks for the intel, Parker.
You're a good egg.
- Good luck with your patient.
- Thank you.
[SIGHS] Anita was pretty clear
about her meds.
I don't think she stopped taking them.
No. And she wasn't in crisis
when she got here,
so why the hell is she still
locked up at Valley Crest
- two weeks later?
- [RADIO CHIMES]
Ambulance 61, Truck 81,
Squad 3 to West 83rd Street.
Worker trapped
in a malfunctioning rig.
[SIRENS WAILING]
♪
- Hold tight!
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- Easy, easy!
- Keep going!
[WOMAN CRYING]
What happened?
The wheel slipped through
and triggered the tilt sensor.
We tried to get him down,
but it's not responding.
All right, Squad.
Let's get some cribbing
underneath this rig.
- Copy.
- Raise the aerial.
- I'm going up.
- Yep.
- Herrmann, you got it?
- Got it.
Ballard, Vasquez, set the stabilizer.
Hey! Move back! Come on!
Hollis, Jansen, set a perimeter.
Get these people back.
I want at least 50 feet clearance.
McCaffrey, help Ballard
set the stabilizers.
Burke, go give Squad a hand.
- On it.
- Got it, Lieutenant.
- Let's move!
- Help!
We're comin for ya! Hang on!
[SIREN WAILING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[WHIRRING]
♪
Stack it tight. No gaps.
♪
- Stabilizers are set.
- Hurry!
[RIG RATTLES, WOOD CRUNCHING]
[YELPS] [CREAKING]
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Burke! Burke!
[RIG CREAKING] Go!
[WOOD CREAKING AND SNAPPING]
[SCREAMS]
♪
Hey, McCaffrey! With me, let's go!
Copy.
Guys, back up. Back up.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Take one, back tire, cross-lay brace.
- Got it.
- Put it right underneath him.
All right.
♪
Hey. Hey, you with me?
Hey, Herrmann! Bring that Sked up here!
You got it!
♪
OK, ready? Three, two, one.
Got manual C-spine.
Sir, can you hear me?
He's unresponsive.
OK, pulse is brady.
Respirations are shallow.
Pupils are sluggish.
I see no obvious external injuries.
Sounds like a brain injury.
Get ready to bag.
Let's trauma him to Med. Let's go.
♪
Burke, what the hell were you doing
on the downhill side of that rig?
Oh, the the wood was cracked,
- so I was trying to stabilize
- You would've gotten crushed
if Vazquez hadn't have pulled you out.
No, I had a clear escape path.
Things can go sideways in a second.
Listen, do you want to be a firefighter
or a crash test dummy?
[TENSE SOMBER MUSIC]
My bad, Lieutenant. Won't happen again.
Lesson for all of you:
stay out of the collapse zone.
All right?
Let's pack it up!
♪
[SIREN WAILING]
Think he can help with Anita?
Hey, worth a shot.
Hi, Dr. Charles. Do you have a minute?
What's up?
It doesn't make sense, does it?
Not if she was there
just to re-up her meds.
Kind of hard for me to say
without having examined her.
- But hypothetically?
- OK.
Hypothetically,
all right, divalproex
is a bipolar medication.
If she was having a manic episode
that required stabilization,
I guess you could justify
a hold that long.
But that scenario doesn't really
line up with the other stuff
you've been telling me.
OK, so why would they keep her there?
[SIGHS] Psychiatric evaluations
are just notoriously ambiguous, right?
They're just hardly ever
black-and-white, you know?
And if the problem is all that gray,
it creates a real vulnerability
in the system.
- What do you mean?
- Well, put it this way.
I have certainly heard of institutions
that will hang on to patients
to increase revenue.
Like a billing scam?
Yep.
So that doctor was lying
when he said that Anita
was there voluntarily?
You know, I mean,
once a patient's admitted,
legally, the, uh
the discharge is at
the discretion of the facility.
So, what, they could just
keep her there indefinitely?
What they usually do is they
they keep 'em around
until the insurance runs out.
What I would do, I would
I would take a look at the
Illinois Mental Health Code,
you know, just to see if
there's anything that I've left out.
I can also run this
by our head of legal,
you know, see what he says.
That would be great, yeah.
Thank you so much, Dr. Charles.
My pleasure. Good luck, you guys.
Thank you.
Y'all make me look bad
in front of my lieutenant?
I think the words you're looking for are
"thanks for saving my ass."
I was good. I was
completely aware at all times.
Well, next time,
you might not be so lucky.
Yo, what's your issue, bro?
You're afraid that I might show you up?
[CHUCKLES] Show you up.
You know, if you quit
flapping your jaw for just
just one minute, you might
actually learn something.
From you? Doubt it.
Move.
[LOCKERS RATTLING]
[GRUNTING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
Get off me! Get off me!
Hey!
Stop!
Now! Get off him!
What the hell is going on?
♪
You are a probational
firefighter here, Burke.
Do you know what that word means?
- Yes.
- No, Lieutenant, it was my fault.
♪
Burke, get back on the floor.
♪
I do not even know what to say to you.
I know, Lieutenant. I'm sorry.
You were supposed to be an example.
I just I lost my cool.
Vasquez
No, you know what?
You're done.
Your shift is over.
Get your stuff and go.
You're done. Go home.
[SIGHS]
- Did either of them get hurt?
- No. But I sent Vasquez home.
And I know that
I should have checked in
with you about it first.
- Yeah, you should have.
- I know.
But Vasquez started
a fight with a probie.
And honestly, he's getting off easy.
What?
You want me to request
a floater for Truck now,
file an incident report, loop in HQ,
all because of some little scuffle?
He
I'm sorry for the extra paperwork,
but Vasquez was out of line.
It's not about the paperwork, Stella.
We got white shirts
breathing down our necks.
I'm already a man behind on Squad.
Now it's going to look like
things are out of control here.
No one got hurt. Let's just move on.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I mean, since when do you care
about how things look?
I can't
Just get Vasquez back on the floor.
Seriously?
OK, you are worried about
how it's gonna look if we send him home.
How is it gonna look
if you overrule me on this?
It wasn't your call to make.
He is my man.
And if we don't set the
right example for my program
Damn it, Stella. I I can't keep
I can't always say yes to you.
♪
Copy that, Captain.
♪
Get back in station gear.
You're lucky that we got white
shirts sniffing around here.
♪
[SIGHS]
I feel like I'm going cross-eyed.
I believe the medical term
is crashing out.
[CHUCKLES]
Is there anything
in the insurance guidelines?
Not really.
And it all depends
on her coverage, so
OK, well,
according to the mental health code,
we can file a petition on her
behalf challenging the hold,
but that could take weeks or even months
to get in front of a judge.
Unbelievable.
It's like this one doctor
is her judge and jailer.
Yeah. It's all perfectly legal.
- [SCOFFS AND SIGHS]
- [GROANS]
But maybe we can use it.
Yes. Here's the manual.
OK.
Gerard carried Louise to the bunk room.
The heat between them was more intense
than any fire he'd ever faced.
He threw her onto the cot,
ripping off her dress.
Gerard then reached for his helmet,
but Louise stopped him
[WHISPERS] With a breathy whisper.
"No, keep the helmet on."
Sorry, can we, uh, take it back?
Was I not doing the lower register?
No, that was better this time.
It's just
you have to say the words
like you're trying
to pull the audience in.
Take your time. Make them want it.
That's the whole Cyrus Mayberry milieu.
Thought I was doing that.
Let's, uh let's take it from the top.
Mouch. Maybe six times is enough.
You're right.
Uh, really good stuff, Ethan.
Thanks for coming in.
We'll be in touch.
Uh, say hi to your mom for me
and, uh, Cindy, all right?
All right.
Wow.
Well, you certainly gave him
a lot of direction.
Well, if he's gonna be
the face of my alter ego,
it's gotta be right.
So does that mean he gets the gig?
Well, seeing as
the reading's in 24 hours
and we don't have
a second option, I'd say, uh
meet Cyrus Mayberry.
Hey, all right.
I'll let him know.
[GROANS]
[WHISPERING] Gerard carried
Louise to the bunk room.
The heat between them
was more intense than
any fire he'd ever faced.
Yo.
You had a fight with Vasquez?
What the hell were you thinking, man?
Dude had it out for me since day one.
You got skills, Burke, all right?
But if you don't stop messing around,
you're gonna end up in the floater pool.
You think this is
some kind of game for me?
I had to bust my ass to get here.
I know. We all did.
[CHUCKLING] Come on, dude.
You know what?
You're a third-generation CFD.
Your daddy's a damn senator.
[SCOFFS]
We're not even in the same ocean.
State senator, actually.
Oh. [CHUCKLES]
That's a double-edged sword.
I feel like I have to work twice as hard
just to prove that
I actually deserve to be here.
And I know you guys call me
nepo baby behind my back.
Hey, I call you that to your face.
I'm not gonna end up in no floater pool,
so don't worry about me.
OK.
Thank you.
Hi.
We are the paramedics from
that site call in West Ridge.
Keegan was the senior officer,
so if you need any follow-up
Actually, we're here to talk to you.
Vasquez is back on the floor.
Thank you.
For the record,
I don't expect you
to always say yes to me.
[SIGHS] I know.
That came out wrong.
But is that how you feel?
Yeah, people are
talking down at HQ
about whether or not
I should be commanding 51.
Commanding 51 or commanding me?
Is that what Chief Lowen said
this morning?
He made it clear that
I was under a microscope.
So I gotta be careful about optics.
Optics.
I get it.
I should have let you know what was up.
Yeah. You should have.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Look, I know
that everybody is pushing
for a water heater.
I'm not gonna pretend
like a Keiser sled
isn't a higher priority.
I'm not asking you to.
But it's your call.
And I gotta get used to that.
So
whatever you decide, I'll support you.
♪
[SIGHS]
We're here for Anita Higgins.
W-wait, wait, Dr. Oxford,
can you come out here?
What now?
We are getting
Anita Higgins out of here.
Like hell you are. You have no right.
Actually, they do.
Officer, unfortunately, these
ladies are wasting your time.
Ms. Higgins is legally under my care
Actually, when Anita was under our care,
she told a sworn officer
that she didn't want to come back here,
which constitutes a
legal objection to confinement.
That's ridiculous.
Not according to Section 3-804
of the Illinois Code of Mental Health.
Once there's an official
dispute of confinement,
the patient is legally entitled
to an examination at a neutral facility.
So we're taking her to Chicago Med.
That's a that's a technicality.
I know. Sucks, right?
♪
Let 'em through.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Anita?
W-what's going on?
We're getting you out of here.
♪
You
you came back for me?
I made you a promise.
♪
You got a helluva right hook.
I know.
Listen.
[SIGHS]
I appreciate what you did for me.
I didn't do it for you.
Should've never let myself
get baited by a probie.
See, real firefighters,
we take responsibility.
Oh, and, uh,
I would never sabotage anyone
on a call, OK?
Even if I didn't like you.
Just so we're clear, I don't.
Why? 'Cause I'm your competition?
'Cause you're cocky.
You're cocky and you're inexperienced,
and that combination gets people killed.
How could he just cancel?
You said this guy was a professional.
He got called up to play Frankie Valli.
This is his big break.
We have to start in two minutes.
All right.
- You gotta get out there.
- Well, guess what?
I can't.
I saw you in the audition.
You are more Cyrus Mayberry
than that kid could've ever been.
And you're really gonna let a
couple of bawdy words stop you?
- What if they hate it?
- Listen.
Mouch, this book
is a bona fide bodice-ripper, all right?
The staff out there is gonna be
peeling people off the floor
after you get done with them.
I'm serious.
[DETERMINED MUSIC]
Thanks, brother.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
♪
[SIGHS]
Hello, ladies.
I'm Cyrus Mayberry,
and I don't know about you,
but I'm feeling a little
burning desire.
ALL: Ooh! [APPLAUSE]
Gerard was always good with his hands.
Long before he started
at Firehouse 15
He's a natural.
Maybe it's good that actor flaked.
I never hired him.
He moved on instinct.
And he always trusted those instincts.
[SCOFFS] It's infuriating.
They're they're taking
advantage of these people
who are already so vulnerable.
This one hit close to home, huh?
I keep thinking about
how Anita said that
she didn't have anyone.
And
I can't help wondering
if that's how my mom felt.
[SOFT MUSIC]
Yeah.
I don't know.
But what I do know is that
Anita wasn't alone today.
We were there and we got her out.
That's something.
Yeah.
But how many rooms are in that place?
Yeah. How many other Anitas, you mean?
[DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES]
♪
Hmm.
♪
Maybe being a source isn't so bad.
- Hey.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- Hey.
So you said you wanted to talk?
Your next exposé.
♪
Is that a Keiser sled?
It is. I'm approving your request.
♪
Really?
It was the right call to make.
♪
Is this gonna catch you heat
with the brass?
♪
If it does, I'll deal with it.
[SIGHS]
♪
Just don't ever stop fighting
for what you think is right.
I won't, either.
Everything else
we'll figure it out.
♪
[WOLF HOWLS]