Abby Road

S06E12

Mark works on Lisa's bite, and asks her whether she's had Heptovax, which I assume is some kind of anti-hepatitis drug. (She has.) She pouts that patients usually don't bite in OB. Mark admits that it's an occupational hazard, and says that "the serologies" will be back the day -- "Don't sweat it" -- and remarks that she probably didn't think she'd be her own teaching case. She says that she expected the ER to be different, which I assume is a reference to the fact that it's eighteen minutes into the episode and no glass has broken yet. On the other side of the room, Carol gives Dr. Dave what is presumably a flu shot; she complains that he's a whiner, and he complains that she's too rough. Mark tells Dr. Dave that he should be grateful Carol isn't putting in a foley catheter. For that, we should all be grateful. Mark tells Lisa that, now that she's "been bitten by a raving lunatic," she's ready to see patients. She says she's not sure, but he tells her to grab a chart and call if she needs any help. On his way out, Mark asks Carol to "keep an eye on" Lisa and update her tetanus. Carol very resentfully nods, and then glances over at Lisa and smiles tightly. Carol, I hate you so much.

Carter has Darnell's foot in his hand and asks Darnell to press on it like he's stepping on the gas. Apparently disappointed at the result, he picks up Darnell's other foot, and then asks, "Do you do much driving, Darnell?" Okay, that was kind of funny. Not to Darnell, of course, who stares at him stone-faced and says nothing. Carter gently sets Darnell's foot back on the footrest on his wheelchair, and then takes his right hand and asks him to squeeze it: "If you make me scream, I'll give you a prize." "Give me a break," mutters Darnell, at which Carter exclaims, "He speaks!" and explains that he's doing these tests in order to see in what ways Darnell's muscular dystrophy is affecting his body. Darnell dully rhymes off the encyclopedia's entry on Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, winding up by saying, "First you lose your legs. Then your arms. And then you die. That's how it's affecting my body." Carter has no response to that. Darnell takes his hand again and tries to squeeze it. Carter looks sad. Remember when Carter used to have really great bedside manner? And how he was especially good with kids? Me too. That was a long time ago.

In an exam room, Luka and Lisa examine a little boy who's fidgeting slightly on the bed, but not making any sound. Luka asks the boy's mother to hold his head still; she apologetically says that "it's just gotten to the point where he really hates hospitals." Lisa assures Connor (for that is his name) that they just want to make him feel better. Mrs. Connor tells Lisa and Luka that he's a pretty good-natured child, "considering all he's been through." Luka pulls up Connor's t-shirt to reveal a vertical incision scar in the middle of his stomach, proceeding upward from his navel, and two diagonal scars, like a forward slash and a back slash, symmetrically lined up on either side of his abdomen. Luka asks what kind of surgery Connor has had. Mrs. Connor lists a bunch of different GI procedures that I won't even try to spell. Lisa asks how long Connor's been vomiting, and his mother says it's been since this morning. Luka asks whether she's been feeding him orally, or through his G-tube. She admits that she gave him a little bit "by mouth" the night before, but not enough to enduce the vomiting he's experienced, and adds, "I'm praying it's just the flu," but that she's afraid "it's another bowel obstruction." Just then Carol comes in and asks whether Lisa can come take care of a "foreign body ingestion." Lisa, writing on Connor's chart, says, "Sure, just a sec." Carol passive-aggressively sidles up to Luka and asks, "Can I steal Abby from you? We're really backing up out there." Luka hurriedly says that Lisa can go, and Lisa agreeably leaves, handing Connor's chart to Carol. Mrs. Connor asks Luka what he thinks is wrong with Connor. Luka says that they won't know until they run some tests, and orders several from Carol, who has hung around the exam room like a bad smell.