Episode Report Card Wing Chun: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Mars Attacks
By Wing Chun | Season 7 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.25.2000
Weaver examines a little boy's bleeding hand. The woman accompanying him tells him to hold still. Albert squeals that it hurts. Weaver tells Lisa to irrigate the wound and remarks to the woman (Gloria), "This looks like a human bite." Gloria knows: "His Uncle Charlie bit him." Weaver is, understandably, brought up short by this and she asks Lisa whether she's called Social Services. Lisa points out Uncle Charlie, who looks like he's about four and is sitting on Gloria's other side. Gloria explains that Albert is her grandson, and Charlie is her son. Gloria's daughter got involved with someone who had a drug problem: "She got pregnant; I got Albert." Gloria starts hacking, and Weaver asks her how long she's had that cough; Gloria says it's been a couple of months, but that it comes and goes. Weaver asks Lisa to take Albert and Charlie to the day care while Weaver examines Gloria. From around the corner, we hear Lisa screech, "Ow!" Albert runs back into the hall to inform Gloria that "Uncle Charlie bit the nurse!" Heh.
Back at the desk, Benton's on the phone telling someone that he can't log on to the system. Presently he spots Romano and hands Frank the phone to hang up. "Peter! You're still here!" chirps Romano. Benton tells him about the parking garage and the computer system. If Romano seems unsurprised, that's because he is: "You didn't get my letter?...The letter stating that your privileges have been revoked." Benton is shocked, and follows Romano out to the ambulance bay as Romano explains: "You remember that dialysis patient of yours, uh, Fletcher?...Well, your tattletaling to the Inspector General cost me a $50,000 fine, which my malpractice insurance does not cover." Benton says that he was merely looking out for his patient's interests. Romano adds that Benton also cost the hospital a substantial EMTALA fine: "Now, I had to recoup those monies from somewhere, so I was forced to eliminate the attending position. It's all in the letter." I don't need to say here that Romano completely deserved those fines, and that his firing Benton over it pretty much hands Benton a wrongful dismissal case with a shiny red bow around it, right? Anyway, Romano tries to weasel off, and Benton asks Romano whether they can't discuss this in private. Romano smarms, "Why, Peter? You didn't seem to feel the need to talk in private about our problem. You just decided to go off on your own. So now you are." Well, a look at last week's recap (to which I've already linked, above) will demonstrate that Romano is mistaken. Benton tried to get Mr. Fletcher into surgery, but Maureen from Financial Services blocked him, on Romano's orders. Benton told Romano (in the hall, but still took him aside and spoke to him privately) that Mr. Fletcher needed surgery, and Romano specifically forbade him. Benton tried to sneak Mr. Fletcher into the OR, and Romano told Shirley to prevent him. By then, Benton had no other option but to watch Mr. Fletcher die, or to appeal to the law to get him treatment. Benton has Maureen and Shirley as witnesses. Romano has no leg to stand on, here -- not even the teeny tiny ones he normally stands on. Benton asks, "So what is my position, here?" Romano cheerfully informs him, "You have no position, here." "You're firing me?" Benton demands, incredulously. "No! No, no, no!" Romano walks off, calling over his shoulder, "You fired yourself." Benton fumes, and totally doesn't call a lawyer. That's the first thing I would do, but then, I'm litigious like that.