In 2023, a team of scientists
studying hepatitis C made a fascinating discovery...
Complications include:
Blood clots, bleeding, leaking from or blockage of the ureter tract and then...
Still studying for the kidney transplant. I wanna to be ready.
You've been studying all night. You're probably over-prepped.
No such thing.
Going in early again.
This doesn't have anything to do with that mystery woman
who stayed in your bed and followed you around the hospital, does it?
Nope. Just trying to stay ahead.
Whoever's ready can ride with me.
- I'll come. - We'll catch up.
...they found that the virus creates a cellular mask
to hide from our immune system in plain sight.
When you said you wanted to do something with just the two of us,
Mm-hmm.
I was expecting something else.
Like what?
- We've gone four blocks. - I know. I just need... I need oxygen.
I need...
Mmm.
Yeah. That. Yeah. I needed that. Shall we? Keep going.
Camouflaged in molecules
already known to our bodies, the virus copies itself over and over...
Um. You're not hitting the gym this morning?
I thought I'd help you out at the clinic before my interview with Heron.
Oh. I... Um, I've got some business at the hospital this morning.
Hey. Wanna meet for lunch? It's taco day at the cafeteria.
I don't feel like tacos.
- You love tacos. - Too damn busy for tacos.
...it sneaks in like a Trojan horse past our immune system.
And by the time the body realizes what's happened,
the infection has already taken hold.
Why don't you just ask him?
Because Webber doesn't wanna assist on a kidney transplant.
He doesn't wanna assist on anything.
- But you said it'll be interesting. - For the interns, not for Webber.
What's this actually about? Hmm?
I just thought it would be nice if the two of you worked together.
Mer, come on. What's up?
I'm doing a liver biopsy on Catherine today.
Her cancer may have spread.
And, uh, he doesn't know, does he?
I tried to get her to tell him. She doesn't want to.
I can't believe you're doing this.
- Breaking HIPAA? - No.
Making me an accomplice.
- Hmm. What could go wrong? - What could go wrong?
Love you.
You know, some people think you'll go to hell if you swipe left on a chaplain.
Oh. I, um...
- Hey. I-I-I'm sorry. - I was kidding.
I was just trying to get to the... the news on there.
And then my finger accidentally opened that app, so...
Oops.
Thanks, Jacob.
Someone's a little hungry.
I like to have extra treats to hand out to the nurses.
- That's really kind. - Yeah.
Don't wanna go to hell.
Again, kidding.
Okay.
So then, I switched that to Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
And there was something else.
Oh, I, uh... I scheduled our OB appointment at Seattle Presbyterian.
Sure. Why take an elevator upstairs when you can cross town in traffic?
The minute people here find out that I'm pregnant,
they'll treat me differently.
Like, letting you sit down or giving you time to sleep?
No.
Like not giving me the good cases, or thinking I'm not committed to the job.
- It's your call. - Okay.
But if I had a vagina, I'd want Carina DeLuca all over it.
It came out way worse that it sounded in my mind. Yeah.
Hi. Oh. I'm sorry.
This is the best that I could do.
But, hey, look. You got a new microscope.
I've been using it to look for the bright side, but so far no luck.
Well, I have your name on a wait list for another lab.
I don't know what I'll be doing there anyway.
Meredith hasn't exactly filled me in on the next steps for our research.
I have an idea to keep you busy today.
A hemangioblastoma on the thoracic spine.
Mmm. I can see that.
The patient's upstairs. If you want her case, it's yours.
Were you hoping that I wouldn't notice she's 20 weeks pregnant?
She needs to terminate the pregnancy before I can operate on that tumor.
She wants to keep it.
And four other neurosurgeons have turned her down.
Will you just meet with her?
Unless you're too busy.
All right.
Dr. Heron. I'm Ben Warren.
Ah. Dr. Warren. The fire-fighting anesthesiologist, yes?
Yeah. I guess. Uh.
I know I'm a couple of minutes early for my interview--
Yeah. You're four hours early and I have two lap choles. So...
I know that you're Dr. Bailey's husband, but--
No. I cannot shuffle my schedule around for you.
- I say no-no to nepo, right? - I--
So, 1:00. Coffee cart. Yeah?
Okay. See you there.
Good morning. Who is ready to see what today holds?
That's why we're waiting here.
Great. Okay.
Oh. Kwan, I'm afraid I have some traumatic news.
You are with Hunt in the ER.
Get it? In trauma.
I'm... I'm just happy for the work.
Uh. And Millin, any guesses where I'll see you?
- Please don't. - That's right, the ICU. Okay.
Um, Okay. Griffith, you're with Webber.
Uh, and Adams is in Marsh's kidney transplant.
Oh, I think I'm with Marsh.
Actually, Dr. Marsh requested Adams.
Uh, and Yasuda you're with Shepherd unless you wanna keep playing telephone.
Shepherd. Got it.
Then, let's get out there and...
Heal with love.
Yes.
You okay?
Yeah. I'm fine.
Can you pass me my tablet? I need to watch the weather report.
Donna Mae, you know you can't go outside.
I know, but I just wanted to see Victor Suarez.
He's so handsome. And he is always accurate.
If he says it's gonna rain, it rains.
I'm so sorry I'm late. I had to stop at the peds floor for your pudding.
You are forgiven.
Donna Mae Clarkson, 82. Status post CABG two months ago.
Um, history of TIA.
Congestive heart failure with an EF of 25%.
On Levophed, an insulin drip and dialysis three times a week.
And you don't have an advanced directive.
No, dear. But thank you.
If you can't make your own medical decisions, with no advanced directive,
we'd have to assume that if you got sicker than you already are,
you'd want us to use all available life saving measures.
It could be very uncomfortable.
I understand.
But if it means staying alive, I'll choose quantity over quality.
Now, pass me that tablet and the pudding.
Meredith, what brings you here?
A patient. Consultation.
Oh. Well, I was hoping you were here to see Catherine.
She hasn't been acting like herself lately.
She won't say it, but I think your rift is eating away at her.
I don't know what to say.
Well, I know there are bad feelings,
but if you could reach out to her, I'd be grateful.
- I'll think about it. - Yeah.
Nice of you to show up.
Nice of you to tell your husband.
- You know-- - Both of you, play nice.
The only enemy in here today is cancer.
- BP is 110/60. - Okay.
Do you have any tingling or numbness in your legs?
No numbness. They just get weak.
Ms. Fletcher, this is Dr. Shepherd.
She is chief of our neurosurgery. And she's looked over your scans.
Rhiannon. This is my brother Julian and his husband Carl.
They have a vested interest.
This is their baby.
I'm their surrogate.
We have a vested interest because you're my sister.
He's lovable but annoyingly smothering. So you can just ignore him.
Please say you're here to tell me you can do the surgery without affecting the baby.
Rhiannon, your pregnancy hormones have caused the tumor to grow more rapidly.
I mean, removing it would already be a challenge.
But pregnant at 20 weeks, the risk is exponentially higher.
I mean, access to the tumor is limited.
And there's a higher risk of bleeding and clots.
What about waiting a few weeks until my OB can deliver the baby safely?
It's possible, but it's not guaranteed.
If you don't remove the tumor now,
the pressure on your spinal cord could paralyze you.
Or the tumor could rupture causing catastrophic bleeding.
- Your best option is to terminate. - No.
Rhi, we said we could adopt. You and I are adopted.
I want to do this.
I'll do anything. I'll sign a waiver.
No, you won't.
End of discussion.
Three different egg donors.
Six retrievals. Eight transfers between different surrogates.
And the last embryo? The one that worked for you is this one.
So before immediately deciding what my best option would be,
take another look.
Let's get some more scans.
No promises. But I will take another look.
- Thank you. - All right.
- Dr. Hunt. - Mmm.
I'm on your service and ready for anything.
GSWs, twenty car-pile ups, whatever you need.
Just keep me busy and elbows deep in whatever you got.
Music to my ears.
Ronald Meinero. This is Dr. Kwan.
Ronald broke two ribs this morning.
- Were you attacked? - Yeah.
By my own ass and gravity.
I'm recovering from hemorrhoid surgery.
Slipped getting out of a sitz bath.
Ronald needs incentive spirometer exercises ten times every hour. Okay?
Watch him and let me know the results.
Hey, boss.
Oh, hey. Marsh.
You're here with Meredith?
No. I'm here to do a kidney transplant.
Thought you might wanna assist.
Well, I think I'll pass.
But maybe one of our interns might get a kick out of it.
Well, listen. There's actually a groundbreaking angle to this one.
Yeah. It's only been done one time before in the US.
Come on. I'll walk you through the case, see if you change your mind.
- I'm all ears. - Let's go.
What is taking so long?
Uh. We don't exactly do a lot of liver biopsies in the clinic.
Oh. Well, thank you for protecting my privacy.
Richard is distracted for at least an hour.
I had Nick invite him onto his kidney transplant.
He knows to text me when they're done.
- God. - You told Marsh?
Do you wanna risk Richard walking in here?
Hmm.
I lied about tacos.
I don't know what that means but...
Ooh, gallbladder looks good.
No fluid around the liver.
There's a lesion here on the periphery.
Mm-hmm.
It looks like a good target for the biopsy.
Mm-hmm.
Okay. Now, Catherine, before we drape and prep you,
you sure you don't wanna reconsider telling Richard?
I think I wanna reconsider my surgical team.
It's a biopsy, ladies.
We'll tell Richard when there's something to tell.
Could y'all just get the damn thing started? Come on.
He requested me.
I know.
Well, what did you want me to do? Say "No, my girlfriend wants that"?
You know I stayed up half the night studying for that surgery.
Maybe you shouldn't have.
Says the Shepherd.
- What? - I need to finish up Webber's notes.
If it were you, you would've taken it in a heartbeat.
Griffith, change of plans.
You and I are scrubbing in on a transplant with Dr. Marsh. Meet me in OR 1.
Chop-chop.
I mean, is there another surgical option?
I don't see one.
Is that her diaphragm?
Yeah. The pregnancy's shifted her internal organs up.
It makes the tumor harder to access.
What if you embolize the feeders to the tumor to stop it from growing?
Ah. It's too late.
Even though it's benign, the tumor's big enough to be a risk.
There's no good alternative.
Well, anyone who's gone to four different surgeons
isn't looking for a second opinion.
If we say no, she's just gonna try to get someone else.
Tom, big day. How are you feeling?
Um.
Anxious.
I'm much happier serving the OR table than being on it.
I'm a scrub nurse at Hope General.
Are you not gonna intubate him first?
No. Not today.
Uh, let me present--
Tom Costello, 33, here for a kidney transplant without general anesthesia.
An awake surgery?
It was in the pre-op file. Under "awake surgery."
He's been given a mild sedative and a spinal anesthesia.
Okay. So what are the benefits of an awake surgery?
Uh.
Forgoing traditional anesthesia could expedite recovery,
as well as reduce one's hospital stay
which ultimately could save the health care system billions.
Nice, Griffith.
And I can keep an eye on my surgical team. Is he prepared?
Oh.
Um, Dr. Adams is new to the case, but I assure you, he's a quick study.
- Okay. You ready? - Uh. How many raytecs have you opened up?
- Ten. - Go ahead. Okay.
- Ten blade. - Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Are you sure everything's been sterilized well enough?
- We got you. You can relax. - Aha.
All right. Here we go.
Ten blade.
Thank you.
Still no advanced directive?
Nope. And the more I go in there,
I feel like a restaurant host who's trying to free up the table.
I don't want her thinking we're trying to push a DNR on her.
We're not.
We just need to make sure she clearly understands what she's facing.
Did you explain that lifesaving measures can be invasive?
I used the word "violent."
That's an understatement.
Yeah, well, no matter how old you are,
no one likes to think about their own death.
So, give her a minute.
Some patients just take a little longer to listen to their doctors.
I wonder if she would listen to someone else.
Knock knock.
I don't know why I said "knock knock" as opposed to just knocking.
That's okay.
It's a great office.
- Uh, it's the chapel. - Right.
It's got good light.
Windows will do that.
We're here about a patient.
It's an elderly woman. She has multiple comorbidities.
And she's refusing to sign a DNR.
She has had multiple surgical and medical interventions,
and another intervention would probably do more harm than good.
So you're asking me to talk her into signing the DNR?
No. No. Absolutely not. Um.
But chest compressions on a octogenarian with bones like toothpicks,
it could kill her.
At the very least, her ribs would snap,
and one could puncture a lung and we would have to intubate her.
Yeah. Really this is not what I do. Um...
My comfort zone is a little more, "Am I gonna see my dog when I die?"
I-I think that she's struggling with her own mortality.
And I thought that you might be able to help her understand her options.
- Dr. Hunt. - Yeah.
I just finished another session of spirometer exercises with Ronald.
- And discharged bed two. - Great.
If you need me anywhere else, I can handle multiple cases.
Well, we have a scalp lac in bed one.
I'll take a look.
I am interested in exploring trauma as a specialty.
And I would love to work on bigger traumas.
Kwan, traumas are traumas. It doesn't matter if they're caused
by gunshots, or wildfires, or falls in the bathtub.
Ronald babysits his granddaughter every Tuesday.
And he is a Ping-Pong legend in Washington state,
and he wants to get back to both of those things as soon as possible.
Carla in bed one, she split her head open sliding into home plate,
but she's excited to play in the state semi-finals next week.
They're all counting on you to help them,
but if they're not exciting enough for you then...
I'll go check on them.
I think that's a good idea.
No one can accuse you of having a dull career.
I've tried to follow my heart.
Aw. Isn't that sweet.
You know, I'm more of a dance with the one that brung ya kind of gal.
Jack-of-all-trades is great if you want a job at Taskrabbit,
but-but-but for a surgeon?
I think you'll find that I'm a very good surgeon.
Oh. Okay.
Enthusiastically recommends himself.
In addition to my four years as a general surgery resident,
I was a firefighter for five and an anesthesiologist for seven.
When I set my mind to something, I master it.
Right. But what happens when the next shiny object comes along?
You're gonna leave me high and dry?
- No, I would-- - Surgery, it's a calling.
It requires patience.
Commitment. Stick-to-itiveness.
If I may be frank, I'm not sure you have what it takes.
You want commitment?
I've carried people down ten flights of stairs
wearing seventy-five pounds of gear.
You want patience?
I've convinced a hopeless teen to step away from the ledge.
Stick-to-itiveness? I've been happily married for 12 years,
and I have three children that I love more than any career.
So, if you don't wanna bring me back, I'll be fine.
Thank you for your time.
You're saying you can do it?
I'm saying I'll try.
Because I think you are someone who doesn't like to hear no for an answer.
- And so am I. - I told you.
You wanted to give up, I told you it was possible.
I didn't say that.
I don't know if it is. This surgery will increase the risk to yourself.
And we don't know that we can save the pregnancy.
If there are any complications, I will put your life and health first.
- I still don't feel good about this. - I don't either.
I want to do this.
Okay. Dr. Yasuda will admit and prep you.
And we will see you in the OR.
Okay, Catherine. I'm going in. So you may feel some pressure.
I'm good under pressure.
And you better be too.
Good hemostasis.
Put a rush on that and be discreet.
- Oh! - Damn it! She's hemorrhaging.
Okay. She's bleeding from her esophagus. Let's get her on her side.
Suction. Hold on, Catherine.
Nurse Linda, let's hang a unit of blood. I'm gonna get the intubation tray.
You're gonna set up an EGD. And let the IR suite know we're on our way.
- On it. - All right. We need to put in a shunt.
This is more than a biopsy.
And what are you saying?
I'm saying that even if we stop the bleeding,
she could go into liver failure.
She might never wake up from this.
Richard needs to know.
Okay.
Okay. It's in.
Adams, let's see what you got.
Can we pause for a needle and sponge count?
Okay. We already did one.
We'll do another before we close, all right?
You can't be too careful.
Last month, a patient went septic
after the surgeons left a lap pad in her abdomen.
Okay. BokHee, can you count please?
One. Two. Three, four, five. Six, seven, eight, nine--
Ten. We're good.
Great.
Oh, shoot. Griffith, can you--
Check the phone while Adams sutures.
- Sure. - Yeah.
It's Dr. Grey paging Dr. Webber.
Well, she doesn't know I got pulled into a surgery.
- I'll-I'll check in with her later. - It says 911.
You should go.
No. No. No. No. No one should leave.
No. Look, I'm sure it can wait.
- How many cc's of blood have I lost? - Richard, you need to go. It's your wife.
Meredith is doing a procedure on her. You need to go.
- Where is she? - IR suit.
Make sure to stay up right.
Here you go. Good job.
I'd be better at this if I played the tuba instead of Ping-Pong.
Let's get him inside. Let's go. Okay. Car flipped over the median.
GCS 7. Intubated in the field.
Vitals are unstable. We might have to take him directly up to the OR.
Kwan, trauma one.
Okay. Keep going, Ronald. I'll be right back.
Dr. Yasuda.
Orderlies are on their way to bring your sister to the OR.
Thanks. But that's not what I...
Do you have siblings?
Yeah, I have eight.
I just have Rhi.
When Carl and I first started looking for a surrogate,
she insisted that no one would take better care of the baby than Auntie Rhi.
I-I said no, but after all the failed attempts,
she offered again and she was so determined that I didn't fight it.
Then they found the tumor.
Am I gonna regret not fighting it now?
I don't really know, but, um, Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Altman are both excellent.
Aren't you a doctor?
You must have an opinion.
I...
I wish I could tell you it'll be fine, but I just... I don't know.
I'm sorry.
We have 500 cc's of blood in the NG canister.
Okay. Advancing the guide wire.
- I'm in the right hepatic vein. - Aim it anteriorly.
What happened?
We were doing a liver biopsy, she started bleeding.
Did you do a TIPS procedure?
I'm about to put in the shunt.
Is she in liver failure?
Not yet. We're trying to prevent that.
She wanted to get the results of the biopsy before she told you.
Take care of her.
I'll be waiting outside.
Okay, Tom. We're almost done here.
Uh, can we do a final count?
Yep. You got it.
Go ahead, BokHee.
I don't hear counting.
'Cause it's in our heads.
Are you sure the kidney is pink?
Tom, how many kidney transplants have you done?
None. But I've seen so many--
Well, I've done more than 600, and I've had one done myself.
So I get it's unnerving being on the table,
but everything is under control, okay? We got you.
- Okay. - Okay.
- I only counted nine. - Looks good.
- What? - We're missing a raytec.
Let's count one more time.
Okay.
Well, my faith is based on a belief that God doesn't abandon me in death,
which I personally find comforting.
- Good for you. - Of course,
you know, everyone has their own relationship with death.
It-It's okay and perfectly natural to fear it.
Not me. I'm not afraid of death or-or hell or coming back as a bird.
We're not encouraging you to sign the DNR.
We just wanna make sure that you understand what not signing it
would mean for you when--
For the last time, I know what it means, and I know why I'm not signing it.
I refuse to die before my bastard ex-husband.
I'm gonna outlive that SOB if it's literally the last thing I do.
It seems like you could use some closure.
Hell yes.
Closure on his casket before it clicks shut so I can dance on it.
- I did not see this coming. - Not a chance.
Things they don't teach you in divinity school.
Well, they don't really teach it in medical school either.
Oh. Victor Suarez.
Margins look good.
I've got proximal control.
Yasuda, suction.
I've got distal control.
We've lost neuro signal to the legs.
We need to get more blood flow to her spinal cord.
- Bolus her with 500 cc's of LR. - On it.
- Anything? - No.
And we don't have time to wait for it to kick in. Start her on pressors.
Late decels. The pressors are decreasing blood flow to the baby.
- Still no signal. Go up on the pressors. - Give the fluids a chance to work.
- Mom's life and health first. - I know. It may just take a few seconds.
Rhiannon, her spinal cord may not have a few seconds.
- Doctors! - Hold off. If you don't stop...
- Go up. - ...the baby will die.
- I'm the primary surgeon on this case. - Just stop!
This is a human being on the table!
She's someone's daughter, someone's sister.
She's counting on us to save her and ideally the baby!
So stop arguing like she's some kind of science experiment!
Just figure out what to do and do it!
We've got blood flow to the spinal cord.
Decels stopped.
Sinus rhythm is back to normal.
Thank God.
But, Yasuda...
Yep.
I'll see myself out.
Do you see it?
I don't see it. But it doesn't mean it's not still in him.
Are you whispering?
No. Sorry, Tom. It's just a bit of a frog in my throat.
Search everywhere. Search the field. Search the floor.
We can not close until we find it.
Back table.
Sir, you okay?
I'm really not. I'm trying to trust you,
but I know the sounds of the instruments when they hit the tray.
- I listen for them so I can count. - Yeah.
Easy. That was a hemostat.
But the sponge... the sponges don't make any sound.
You're doing great. We're almost there. Hang in there.
That septic patient that I was telling you about...
Mm-hmm.
...I was the one who miscounted the lap pads.
And I'm always so careful.
So, if it could happen to me--
Hey, it happens. Nobody's perfect.
Deep breaths, okay?
- Why are you staring at me? - I'm not. Dr. Marsh.
- What? - Find the damn thing.
Dr. Marsh. It's-It--It's stuck to your shoe.
Thank you.
Okay.
The, uh... The anastomosis is complete.
We have ten raytecs accounted for. We're ready to close. Dr. Griffith,
- why don't you take the lead? - Absolutely.
Are you sure you don't wanna do it yourself?
- Tom. - Sorry.
Reese and I met working in his father's furniture store.
On slow days, we'd sit on the showroom couches,
laughing and talking.
That sounds nice.
Oh, it was.
Then we got married, and everything went to hell.
Our first fight was during the wedding and it never stopped.
The only good thing that came out of that relationship was my sleeper sofa.
Mrs. Clarkson, we have some news.
We found your ex-husband.
Is he living with that rat Sheila?
He was living at the Oceanfront Assisted Living Facility.
Oh.
But a couple of months ago, he passed away.
Donna Mae, how are you feeling?
Oh.
I know it sounds crazy,
but I'm gonna miss that horse's ass.
I'll sign that DNR now.
How you holding up?
Did Bailey send you?
Uh.
Yeah.
Yeah. At the fire academy, there was a, uh...
a burn building where they would simulate structure fires.
It's, uh... It was our first time dealing with the heat, the smoke, the gear.
It's intense and pretty scary.
And it wasn't even the real thing.
Yeah, but-but the scariest part wasn't the fire.
It was not being able to see my team through the smoke and chaos.
And somehow...
there was nothing more terrifying...
than just that-that feeling of being alone.
Is there a point to this story?
Not really.
Did the biopsy go smoothly?
Um, if by smoothly
you mean having to convert to an EGD and TIPS procedure,
then yes, it went very smoothly.
Did you hear from pathology yet?
Not yet.
But for now, you're alive.
And, also, your husband is outside waiting to see you.
You told him?
It... became more than just a biopsy.
I understand.
Thank you.
I'm sorry, what?
Thank you, Dr. Bailey.
I know I've been stubborn and very difficult too.
But you are a big part of what makes this hospital great,
and you-you should always be here.
Is that you giving me my job back?
Don't make me say it twice.
- Oh. - I'm sorry.
Oh, yes. Okay.
So she's gonna be okay?
She had some blood loss but I was able to remove the tumor,
and she and the baby are both okay.
Oh, my God. She was right.
She said you could do it, and she was right.
Thank you.
I can't tell you how much this means to all of us.
We'll check on her in the morning.
I'm sorry if I seemed mistrustful earlier. I just...
I'm her older brother.
I've always watched out for her and I felt helpless.
I get it.
My brother...
he watched over me too.
Meredith, you looked me in the eye...
and you lied.
I'm sorry.
It was hard enough to get her to agree to do the biopsy.
I'm sure you can relate.
- How long have you known? - What does that have to do with anything?
Do you know how many times I've stood up for you?
How many times I've defended you, Meredith?
I tired to get her to tell you.
And you don't think I would've been able to handle it?
I think she was scared.
That's exactly why you should've told me.
Shame on you.
Dictate the operative report and then check his H and H before you go.
- You got it. - Good work today.
So, you're still thinking about going into trauma?
Yeah, I like the variety of patients.
Listen, some days are slower than others,
but most days, there's something interesting.
I don't know if I wanna be the guy waiting around, hoping for a car wreck.
The man was in a medically-induced coma from a brain bleed.
His life will never be the same.
His loved ones will never be the same.
Oh, and, uh, Robertson is gonna take over the post-op care.
But if there are signs of early graft rejection, I wanna know.
- Okay. - Okay?
Excellent work today.
Thanks.
I heard you're repeating intern year.
Yep.
Yeah, 12 more months of following orders and barely getting to operate.
Well, I don't... I don't think that's such a bad thing.
Internships should be two years. Eighteen months minimum.
We expect you to learn too much too fast. You're gonna be more prepared.
You don't think I'll lose ground?
If you wanna keep leveling up, you work with people that make you better.
Like Griffith.
She's good. You stick with her, you'll be fine.
Congrats on Rhiannon. Such a victory.
Well, it's a team effort.
- And you took the lead. Just say thanks. - Thanks.
So I was catching up on some admin work,
and these are charts of 15 patients similar to Rhiannon,
and they all asked to see you.
Fifteen pregnant women with spinal tumors?
Patients with seemingly impossible cases
who have been turned down at hospitals across the country.
People who have only been told no.
And they wanna see me?
Well, they all say the same thing.
They want the neurosurgeon who is working on the cure for Alzheimer's
to take them on.
Impossible cases?
Well, until you get your hands on them, so...
think about it.
Hi.
I was, um, completely out of line in the OR.
But, I'm-I'm glad Rhiannon and the baby are okay, and I'm really sorry.
Your outburst was inappropriate,
but you weren't wrong.
Uh, Dr. Altman.
Do you have a minute?
Sure.
Miranda.
Here to walk me to the curb to which I have just been kicked?
I came to say sorry... Goodbye. Thanks.
Oh, no, I don't hold anything against you.
No.
No, you, uh, took care of the boss.
Can't compete with that, right? Plus, I take it as a sign that I am...
I am needed elsewhere.
- That's a nice way of looking at it. - No?
Okay.
I hired Ben Warren.
- I'm s... You what? - Well, I just...
I forgot how hard this job is.
I never seem to be able to do it as well as you.
The interns don't wanna listen,
sure don't wanna laugh.
Sometimes they even don't wanna do the work. But Ben Warren does,
and he has.
Plus, I thought that with all your recent troubles
that you didn't need the whispers of nepotism following you around.
No, no, no.
Ben Warren is a keeper.
Thank you.
I-I really...
Thank you.
Yep.
- No, so... No, oh. - Op... Ooh.
Oh, and by the way,
I promised the interns a retreat.
Sounds fun, yeah?
I saw the OB appointment on our shared calendar.
Oh, yeah. Forget that.
What?
I rescheduled a knee replacement so I could drive you.
Wha... A, I can still drive.
And B, I decided to see someone here.
I had a patient today who was willing to risk her ability to walk,
maybe even risk her life, to save her pregnancy.
So I figured that I can sacrifice a little privacy
if it means giving our kid the best care.
- Okay. - Okay.
This isn't because of the thing I said about DeLuca?
Well...
Decaf and biscotti...
to thank you for your help today.
You know they pay me, right?
- Well... - How's Donna Mae?
Alive and kicking...
one of the orderlies, to be exact.
Bet you don't see a lot of patients like her.
You'd be surprised.
Humanity is lovely, but, uh,
a lot of people are nightmares.
What? Too-Too judgy?
No. No, I like it.
- Makes you feel a little less saint-like. - Hmm.
I mean, you give pastries to nurses.
The barista comps me. We hooked up last year.
I'm kidding.
It was two years ago.
Also kidding. No, I...
I actually, um...
I don't get many matches on the apps.
Uh, maybe it's 'cause I'm too forthcoming about my job.
But, uh, I don't know, I don't wanna spring it on people either.
Hmm.
- Oh, wow. - Oh, wow.
Yeah.
That's good.
Okay. I'm-I'm sitting right here. You could just ask me.
Like viruses, we also wear masks.
We disguise ourselves to hide the parts we don't want to be seen.
We project confidence when we're insecure,
toughness when we're vulnerable,
and calm when our lives are spinning out of control.
Brining up your family name was out of line.
It is not your fault he requested you.
I could've said something... but I didn't.
And that competition is gonna make us better.
And we're pretty great together, right?
Hmm.
You said "girlfriend" earlier.
I did?
- Oh, yeah, I did. - Okay.
Cold.
The difference is those defence mechanisms
don't always serve us.
I'm not going to ask if you're okay, because I know you're not.
Did I do something?
My sister Chloe called this morning.
She was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
She's only 22.
I'm so sorry.
Altman's gonna see if someone here will take her case.
Is there anything that I can do?
Be my friend?
As great as whatever this thing between us was beginning to be,
I-I don't think I could start anything new right now.
Yeah, of course.
- Really? - Yeah.
The things we do to protect ourselves,
they get harder to let other people get close.
As terrifying as it might be to let your guard down,
the rewards speak for themselves.
She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping.
Mm-mmm.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
Yeah. How did she take it when she found out Richard knows?
Better than he did.
Yeah, I don't think he's gonna speak to me for a very long time.
I'm sorry. Are you mad at me too?
I mean, for letting me in after I asked to be let in?
- No, I'm not mad. - I did that, didn't I?
Yeah.
I mean, I am a little mad
you haven't asked about my groundbreaking kidney transplant.
I'm sorry. How was it?
It was great. It was...
I mean, it was a little irritating but mostly great.
I think it might be the future of kidney transplants.
- Really? - Yeah.
I wanna hear all about it on the plane.
Okay.
- Let's go. - Okay.
Because at the end of the day,
the only person worth being... is yourself.